Kuiu Turkey Vest

AT Hiker

AT Hiker

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$250 but honestly it appears to be a decent design (slim/functional).
Not my cup of tea though as I'd rather invest that money into a nice backpack that is multi functional.


Guess this is marketed to the guys that buy $1k waders.


www.kuiu.com

Rival Turkey Vest | Verde

KUIU's Rival Turkey Hunting Vest in Verde Camo has 2 patent-pending innovations—the BackTrack deployable seat & the LeanLock back support system.
www.kuiu.com
 
2 big issues with it for me (besides price)

1 - the foot strap design to help with back support etc seems iffy at best
2 - the seat itself seems very thin and not made to sit for a longer period of time. Like all Kuiu stuff im sure its designed more for western hunters which move a lot more and sit a lot less.

First Lite also recently came out with one that seems like a very good design (but also not cheap)
 
REN said:
2 big issues with it for me (besides price)

1 - the foot strap design to help with back support etc seems iffy at best
2 - the seat itself seems very thin and not made to sit for a longer period of time. Like all Kuiu stuff im sure its designed more for western hunters which move a lot more and sit a lot less.

First Lite also recently came out with one that seems like a very good design (but also not cheap)
Click to expand...
The western turkeys are so dumb You only have to be in the field for a few minutes so sitting comfortably for hours is not an issue :). Sorta joking but not really.
 
TNRifleman said:
The western turkeys are so dumb You only have to be in the field for a few minutes so sitting comfortably for hours is not an issue :). Sorta joking but not really.
Click to expand...

my experience hunting turkeys out west supports this lol. I still fully believe that hunting eastern turkeys in the SE is the hardest turkey hunting Ive personally done
 
As for Western turkeys, this does seem to target that hunter a little more. The fit looks slim, almost athletic, which if true would be a benefit for all day run n gunning. Still, I'd rather have a good backpack designed for such situations with my binocular chest rig.

As for western birds being easier than easterns, guess that's a matter of perspective. Physical difficulty is 100% terrain driven and I've hunted hard terrain in both Eastern and Western flocks. As for "hunting" or aka working a bird, I've had way more easy Eastern hunts but I've also hunted them exponentially more. Some of the most frustrating has been Black Hills birds that roost on one mountain and fly over a mile off roost to piece of private that is 1/4 acre in size.
 
Come to think of it, I've never had an easy Western turkey hunt.
Unless we are calling a KS rio that, in which case that was easy once the tornadoes subsided😀

I need yalls hunting spots!
 
fair,

when I say HUNTING, I just meant working a bird. 100% agree the physical and terrain part is much harder out west and even finding one is harder. Just my experience but far more often Ive gotten on a bird in the SE and due to the habitat he just stays out of range, somehow just disappears into thin air, or just away. The thick SE terrain is just hard to deal with sometimes (im not really including TN in that and field hunting) more talking about AL, MS, GA etc in those dense forest areas.

I have not hunted a TON out west but if I can get a Merriam gobbling there is a good chance I can finish that kill.
 
AT Hiker said:
As for Western turkeys, this does seem to target that hunter a little more. The fit looks slim, almost athletic, which if true would be a benefit for all day run n gunning. Still, I'd rather have a good backpack designed for such situations with my binocular chest rig.

As for western birds being easier than easterns, guess that's a matter of perspective. Physical difficulty is 100% terrain driven and I've hunted hard terrain in both Eastern and Western flocks. As for "hunting" or aka working a bird, I've had way more easy Eastern hunts but I've also hunted them exponentially more. Some of the most frustrating has been Black Hills birds that roost on one mountain and fly over a mile off roost to piece of private that is 1/4 acre in size.
Click to expand...
Good points. I'll narrow my comment to the CO birds I've seen.

That being said, killing a TN or MS bird is really doing something.
 
I was hunting central Montana with my son a couple of years ago....we had birds answering every single call but they weren't coming....when we finally found them with our bino's they were standing on the edge of a cliff at a rock out-cropping and were probably 1/4 mile, or more, away.

It was fun watching them....we'd call....and in about 3-4 seconds we'd see them stretch their necks and gobble back which took 3-4 seconds for us to hear it....the sound traveled so well that we'd have sworn they were within a hundred yards or so.
 
It looks similar to the Sitka vest but I have yet to be disappointed in any product that I have purchased from Kuiu.. Can't say the same about Sitka...
 
Bgoodman30 said:
It looks similar to the Sitka vest but I have yet to be disappointed in any product that I have purchased from Kuiu.. Can't say the same about Sitka...
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They do make really nice stuff

I've run that Sitka vest for 2 years now (I get an HEFTY discount on their stuff) and really like it. If you want lightweight and minimal it's hard to beat
 
REN said:
They do make really nice stuff

I've run that Sitka vest for 2 years now (I get an HEFTY discount on their stuff) and really like it. If you want lightweight and minimal it's hard to beat
Click to expand...

I have it too. I like it. The strapped seat has given me some back troubles though it probably just needs some adjusting.
 
I've tried several vests and they're just too dang hot for me. The foot straps may work but look like a gimmick. I'll stick with my camo waist pouch and an inner tube cushion from the lady whose name I can't recall but she makes all kinds of turkey satchels, game call holders, seats, etc. Glenda something I think.
 
Bought a vest with the seat last year and just could never get it to feel right when walking or sitting so I ditched it and got the ole heat a seat and packed it into the backpack and went on.
Love Kuiu gear but I ain't paying that for a vest I'll wear a few times a year but I will steal the strap chair/seat idea and iron that out for sure.
 
I have a claw rifle sling attached to a browning turkey chair and mouth calls in my little call pocket hanging around my neck, bottle watter, and toilet paper in my pocket. No need for a hot vest anymore
 

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