Gear & Optics

While I gathered information and advice from different people throughout the last several months, from lifelong Alaskan residents to gun writers, I tried to follow the old adage: Get the best you can afford.

The real genius of the Kestrel is its floating carriage. The frame your binos mount to is suspended on the shock cord that runs through the poles. That means that you can freely slide the binos up and down the pole. The shock cord takes all the weight off the binos so that they feel weightless in your hands.

These are the things I do as a flatlander, it helps make the summer doldrums go by faster and keeps me eagerly awaiting the first hint of fall.

Benchmade does make a great knife. The 496 Vector is no exception. This knife is reliable and dependable each time you reach for it. It is comforting to have something that won’t fail in your pocket in a world full of uncertainty around us.

Highly recommend this pack for any outdoorsman in need of a tough, well-made pack from a respected manufacturer.

You wouldn’t buy a sports car then outfit it with discount tires, the same should go for your feet; footwear is literally where the rubber meets the rocks. Enter the Danner Thorofare.

As a gun nut, one of the things I take for granted is the value of a good blade. Because I am also an avid hunter, I am reminded yearly of this very thing. I have spent years of my life testing various blades, and most of them have left me wanting more from a knife. My current opinion is that a person needs many for a variety of applications, outfits, and events. You know, for specific tasks and fashion demands.

If you hunt snake areas, do yourself a favor and consider these classic snake boots. Your life could depend upon it—literally.

For the past two months, Nikon’s LaserForce Rangefinder Binoculars have been in my bino harness, and that’s where they will remain come fall.