I'm in the market for a new vest, I'm looking for strap vest with good stitching especially on the shoulder straps and tough fabric that every tiny briar won't shread but isn't noisy when limbs brush against it. Any suggestions?
My advice find an old American made Turkey vest. Liberty Mossyoak Realtree and several others made vests in the US before all the Chinese imports. All the new vests I've seen cost quite a bit but are mostly garbage, just a bunch of random sized pockets placed were ever and a lot of them are noisy. I've bought several nearly new vests on eBay. The one I'm using now was made by MO and is the original Greenleaf made of cotton stitched well and pockets that make sense.
Alpz Grand Slam is a good one.
Cabela's Tactical Tat'r is the best and most durable I've used so far other than a Bob Dixon but that thing was a tank and too heavy for me. Haven't used or gotten my hands on an Alpz but they look really good as well.
Bob Dixon for sure if you can find one. Thing is SOLID
Had my tatr 2 vest for years now and it's going strong
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Rocking my tactical tat'r now for 10 years. It is now starting to unravel in some areas but I am going to see if they can be fixed. I am confident no other vest could take the abuse I put this thing through!
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Quote from: The Southpaw on May 04, 2019, 08:18:49 PM
Alpz Grand Slam is a good one.
Quote from: tomstopper on May 07, 2019, 05:54:49 AM
Had my tatr 2 vest for years now and it's going strong
Both are solid options that I have put through beatings.
I have a tactical tatr that I've had out for four years, it's held up well. Not too noisy, durable. I had a cheap ol Tom before that that fell apart.
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I have tried several and am most pleased with the K&H 200, although through one season I can see some wear and tear that will need to be patched before next year. I hunted with the Tac Tater 2 last year and it seemed pretty solid, good zippers and well laid out. What I did not like about it was that it seemed a bit heavy even unloaded. The weight seemed to be distributed more to the back than the front. Another thing (and this was probably due to user error) I could not get the seat to where it was not bumping me on the back of the legs and making a swishing sound as I walked. :z-twocents:
I have a turkey vest that I just finished wearing for the 23rd straight year in a row. That's right, 23 years. It is a hand made vest made from Mossy Oak Full Foliage and customized to suit my needs, but not all that radically. Admittedly, it is starting to fray a bit on a few of the edges, but then again, so am I.
If you know someone who sews, or you'd like to learn yourself, putting one together is a great off-season project. I went to the fabric store and found a pattern for a vest that I could adapt. A tip my wife told me was to buy good polyester thread so that it would last a long time. Crap made in China now a days is made using cheap cotton and they just don't last. I also picked up some inexpensive light cotton OD colored fabric for the liner of the vest. I ordered enough MOFF online based on the pattern quantity requirements. Sewing is easy if you can get someone to teach you the basics. Look at it like you are welding cloth. I added a number of pockets on the inside, a big one on the back with a buttoned top and cushioning on the shoulder for recoil and down the middle of the back for sitting against a tree.
Another thing is that the vest is YOURS. You make it to fit your style of hunting and what you like to carry. Don't be intimidated by learning to sew. Most of the greatest custom suit tailors in the world are men. It's a great skill to have in general.
Cheers ;D
FullChoke
Quote from: FullChoke on May 07, 2019, 11:08:07 AM
I have a turkey vest that I just finished wearing for the 23rd straight year in a row. That's right, 23 years. It is a hand made vest made from Mossy Oak Full Foliage and customized to suit my needs, but not all that radically. Admittedly, it is starting to fray a bit on a few of the edges, but then again, so am I.
If you know someone who sews, or you'd like to learn yourself, putting one together is a great off-season project. I went to the fabric store and found a pattern for a vest that I could adapt. A tip my wife told me was to buy good polyester thread so that it would last a long time. Crap made in China now a days is made using cheap cotton and they just don't last. I also picked up some inexpensive light cotton OD colored fabric for the liner of the vest. I ordered enough MOFF online based on the pattern quantity requirements. Sewing is easy if you can get someone to teach you the basics. Look at it like you are welding cloth. I added a number of pockets on the inside, a big one on the back with a buttoned top and cushioning on the shoulder for recoil and down the middle of the back for sitting against a tree.
Another thing is that the vest is YOURS. You make it to fit your style of hunting and what you like to carry. Don't be intimidated by learning to sew. Most of the greatest custom suit tailors in the world are men. It's a great skill to have in general.
Cheers ;D
FullChoke
We need to see pics of this vest!
The most durable vest is generally the most uncomfortable and noisiest vest. It's a trade off most the time. I use the K&H RNG vest... it's doesn't seem very durable at all.. but it sure is quiet and very flexible....don't even know your wearing it.
I'm about 5-6 seasons into a Tactical Tater II.
4 season so far with tactical tater 2 and have no complaints. Before that I ran a cheap Walmart one. The tt2 was a huge upgrade
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I got a Tactical Tat'r II this spring and I like it a lot so far. It feels pretty durable. Before that I had a Scent Blocker Thunder Chicken. I liked it, but it only lasted 5 seasons.
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