What worked for you and what didn't?

[blackhorn]

I think a similar thread was done last year but couldn't find it.  Since the archery season is pretty much done (except for the late season) I thought I would ask you all what gear worked well for you and what did not.  So, post up your own reviews!  Here are mine (this stuff was all new to me this season).

Sitka Ascent pants- Very comfortable. Worked well in temperature ranges from 100F-to about the upper 50's, if it was windy in that lower range I started to get pretty cold.  Very abrasion resistant. Did not start to stink until about the 5th day of wearing them (with lots of sweating). 

Sitka core long sleeve t-shirt- Comfortable.  Good for temps in the 90's to about 65.  Liked the sleeve pocket for putting my calls into.  Stunk BAD after about three days. I think I need to go Merino wool for shirts.  Overall a good shirt, but I think you could get a cheaper variant and be just as well off.

Sitka Traverse shirt- Very comfy, but like the ascent pants it was a little lacking when the wind picked up in the cooler temps.  Scent was the same as the pants.  Good shirt though.

Horn Hunter Full Curl Pack-  Had mixed feelings about this one.  The good- it can pack some serious loads and still be reasonably comfortable.  I liked the different combos that you can rig it for; from bringing your camp in, to day pack, and packboard.  Now for the the bad and for me it was a big bad, that pack is NOISY!  The pack has an internal aluminum frame that slides into it and because it fits tight into this "pocket" the cloth rubs the frame causing incessant squeaking.  I tried wrapping it in electrical tape, cloth tape, hell I tried stuffing GRASS in there all to no avail. I need to try some type of padded tape or something.   If I can't fix it its going on Craigslist!
That's about all I can come up with for the timebeing, hope it helps.

[pianoman9701]

I was disappointed in my Badlands 2200 only because it was too bulky and weighed a lot for a "day pack". My nylon and acrylic shirts from Rocky and CoreElement4 were excellent wicking material; same with the new pants. My Rocky Lynx boots were OK but nothing compared to my Lowas. My new Rino 655T is awesomely awesome. I didn't end up using the teather for my range finder. Just too much stuff on my belt and shoulder straps. I would tell you about my new arrows, but since I didn't get to use them,...

[h20hunter]

Montec G5 100 gr. 3 blade. The broadhead performed flawlessly, cut a long way through, and came out in perfect shape.

[DoubleJ]

Trophy ridge Revolution arrow rest worked flawlessly

the $15 shirts from wal mart, the realtree and mossyoak versions were nice as well.

[bullcanyon]

Bought a pair of the crispi Nevada boots off camofire this summer. Put over 100 miles on them so far this season. Very happy with them. I like them better than my lowa sheep hunters for the early season.
Tried the Merino wool core4element zip top. Not very tough. Ripped in several places. Smells like wet sheep when you sweat. I'll stick with the paradox shirts i got from costco.

[BULLBLASTER]

Trophy ridge Revolution arrow rest worked flawlessly

the $15 shirts from wal mart, the realtree and mossyoak versions were nice as well.

I got a couple of the $15 dollar polyester shirts from Wally world too! They're great!

[blackhorn]

I agree with the Wally shirts, just as good as the Sitka Core shirt.

[Thefisherman83]

My new core4element pants got chewed up and spit out in the westside jungle.  The Underarmour early season gear was worth its weight in gold!  Loved my new Badlands superday, packed loads pretty comfortably and worked well as a day pack.   This was my first summer with my Meindle Denali's they were a little warm, but saved my ankles in the steep stuff, very tough as well. 

[Maligator]

Well, this review is from last years elk hunt but I haven't posted it yet so here it goes. I used the Nemo Losi 3 tent and that bad boy was great! It poured rain and hailed on me and I was dry inside with little to no condensation. My hunting partners had been giving me grief about how much it cost and wouldn't stop busting my chops...Funny thing is that while I was nice and cozy in my tent with my sleeping bag I found those dirtbags sleeping in their trucks in the morning     
Oh ya, the sleeping bag was the three in one Army issue ( 2 bags plus goretex bivy) and that bad boy rocks too!!!
Another thing I REALLY like is the self inflating sleeping pad: Therma Rest Pro-Lite plus!!! Keeps the cold ground away and helps me sleep 
I have one hard and fast rule: Never skimp on gear...

I'm not a namebrand only guy, whatever I find works best is what I try to get but if I eat no name brand oatmeal so that I can get the gear I want and need then that's what will happen 

[KenPCPilot]

3D Exclusion Camo three piece awesome!  had a confused cougar at 17 yards, deer walk past me i am definately sold!  Slick trick 3 blade broadhead bent and fell out (will not penetrate bone even with 70lbs behind them)  will never go cheap and the muzzy broadheads I bought from a guy on this site got the job done.  Scent Away spray?  Well like I said a cougar at 17 yards sold me on my gear choice.  Was fooled once with my Bushnell 1000 arc rangefinder.  I guessed 30 yard pin high.  The whitetail doe did not move so I ranged it twice 32 yards linear with a 23 yards shoots like recommendation due to angle.  I split my 20-30 yard pins and ended up shooting at the deers feet.   

[WonkyWapiti]

1st time using my Badlands Monster day pack kept me cooler without having my regular day pack on my back.

Montec G5 100 grain broadhead shredded my elk but did get bent.

[colockumelk]

3D Exclusion Camo three piece awesome!  had a confused cougar at 17 yards, deer walk past me i am definately sold!  Slick trick 3 blade broadhead bent and fell out (will not penetrate bone even with 70lbs behind them)  will never go cheap and the muzzy broadheads I bought from a guy on this site got the job done. 

Slick Tricks don't make a 3 blade broadhead. Also it is impossible for the blades to fall out unless your arrow and insert breaks completely.  And last year my Slick Trick 125 grain magnums punched through a rib bone, both lungs before blasting through the offside shoulder blade on my elk last year. I then used that same broad head to kill two more white tail does that year. One was quartering to me and I blew through that shoulder blade and it passed through completely. So your statement about it wont penetrate bone is wrong. And I only pull 65 lbs with a 27" draw length. Also a Slick Trick is made of steal while Muzzys are made of aluminum. 

[snarkybull]

i finally replaced my crappy old (but accurate) and hard to use rangefinder with a simmons lrf 600.  this is still an inexpensive model.

i never really plannen on using a rangefinder on the actual animal before...i had always used my clunker on stumps and stuff where they were likely to go.  this year had an elk quartering away....rangefinder said 51 yards but it was downhill.  it took a couple more steps...50 yard pin and double lung.  goodnight.   never would have tried that shot without knowing the distance.

[ellensburgpo]

Kuiu merino wool layers worked outstanding. Kuiu vest worked very well. Just got the DCS jacket so we will see how it works during deer season.

Kryptek pants worked great. Love all the pockets. Surprisingly enough really liked the built in knee pads(insert obvious joke here). Alois shirt was great for the early season.

Hanwag boots with high mountain synergy footbeds turned out to be worth every penny and then some.

Only thing that has let me down so far this year was my Badlands 4500 bag. Has been dependable for several years now but this year two seams have ripped, two zippers have broke, and one buckle has broke. It still packed out an entire elk, but I'm gonna replace it before next archery season. Granted, it's had a hard life.

Phelp cow call worked great. Not an expert caller by any means but it got the job done for me this year. Not to mention the call is beautifull.

Rainshadow knife worked very well for me. Boned out the majority of my bull without having to resharpen it. Pretty impressive due to how small it was.

Due to switching to archery this year I bought a bunch of new stuff. Most of it I haven't listed but the above are the ones that stood out.

[steeleywhopper]

I was pretty impressed with the Core4 clothing that I purchased off camofire.com. I really liked the Merino wool long sleeve shirt, it kept me warm in the morning and cool in the heat of the day, no stink either. Im for sure going to be investing in more of that Merino stuff.  The Cabelas Euro Diamond binocs were the cats meow, and the Leica rangefinder killed my Leupold Rx1000. Pretty happy with all my upgrades this year. Hoping the new Kimber Montana will be getting a good review this weekend