Ep. 117: Remi's Favorite Things

about gear. So far throughout this season, I've just kind of been taking some notes and I'm gonna be sharing my gear musings, favorite stuff, things I like, things I don't, and the ways that I put certain pieces of gear to use. Really, gears a pretty integral part of what Western hunters love to talk about, love to think about, and a good part of preparing and having a successful hunt because the more comfortable you are having the right things allows you to be out there, hunt hard it

or hunt longer. So we're gonna be covering all things gear this week, but before we do that, I want to share a few gear mantras that I live by and coincidentally talk about pretty much consistently with the people I hunt with. So who knows, maybe a few of these sayings you might be talking with your buddies about on your next time. If you were to ever go on a hunt with me, one thing you'd figure out pretty quick is I've got quite a few little mantras or best practices that I live by, and a lot

of them are actually around gear. Some of them are just basic hunting things that I like to repeat. One of them is go the best way, not the easy way. I'm sure you've heard that on this podcast. That's something that every time I'm playing a stock, every time I'm hiking up the mountain, I just think, go the best way, not the easy way. But the things that I kind of think about also revolve around gear, the way that I use gear, and essentially how to not lose gear.

So I wrote down some of my I could say, my top seven favorite ones that I pretty much say all the time. Nothing no particular like rhyme to him or anything, but um, I don't know. I find it like when friends and I are going out, it's it's like something that something will happen and one of these mantras will come up, like Remy says, do this, uh so number one. And there's always kind of a little bit of a story behind some of these. But number one,

never put your gear on the ground. I remember the first time I created this mantra was pretty much the last time I lost anything. Nothing worse than being in the back country and having something that you need. Uh. Well, I've I've actually probably done more than one. One item. Uh one that really stood out. I had a GPS unit. It was like pretty new. I think this is probably why I didn't use GPS unit for very long time. Because I had a GPS unit and I was eating lunch.

I was looking at things on it. It's like cool, just trying to figure it out. It's kind of before actually you could. So you had to have a paper map and a GPS together because it just gave you, like your location. Then I would find where I was and be like, okay, I'm here, and uh you know that's old school, but now I just now I just

have everything on my phone. Um So I was doing that and then I had the map out, I had the GPS, was eating lunch, doing a lot of things, folded up the map, put in my pocket, walked away. GPS unit left on the ground. I ended up going back and finding it, but it was like a four mile hike back to where I was sitting, and it just was frustrating. And then another thing that I've done,

and this one really bit me in the butts. Like I always have a lighter, and I was making stop for lunch one day, making some I don't even know, probably just like a noodle pack, you know, cooking up, set the lighter on the rock right next to you. My stove, cleaned up, left the lighter. That night it was like raining, wet, freezing. I'm like, I'm gonna make a fire. Yep, think again. Your lighter is drenched in some random mountainside that you will never find again, and

that really sucks. I generally always have a second lighter. That particular time I didn't, so I just shivered all night. Uh luckily I stayed. I stayed warm enough through my rain gear on and other things. But it's caused me to say, never put your gear on the ground. I see a lot of just as a guide and getting to hunt with a lot of different people, even just like guys that I hunt with when I'm filming or whatever.

I always call it, like the I like to it's the funny thing that I do where I just take a picture of when we stop. So by never putting gear on the ground. What I mean is like, if I have something and I use it, I put it back in my pocket. If I'm saying taking something off, say I'm taking my just something as simple as taking my jacket off. Putting a jacket on or off, right, you gotta take your bonus off. I don't set my

binoculars on the ground. I put them in my pack and then I swapped my jacket, and then I grabbed the bonus at the pack. That way, if I forget something happens like oh, somebody spotted something, or there's an elk over there, or gotta go, you don't end up leaving things, uh from where you're at because you're gonna grab your pack. I mean, obviously you can put your pack on the ground, but if I keep everything like on my pack or in my pack or lashed to something,

I generally don't forget it. Knock on wood here the sound. I've had pretty good luck not losing stuff by following that mantra number two. Oh I I didn't even I was. I got distracted, But I've been taking recently. Uh. People that don't follow that mantra I always laugh at because inevitably will will leave like a lunch, but oh crap, I forgot this. So I've been taking pictures of where people sit and then drawing, like I like to think

of it. It's like you know those I was weird, but you know those like um murder scene TV show artist sketch where it's like here's the body and then all the ships spread out all over. I've been like guys that I've been hunting up, taking pictures of all their stuff on the ground and then using the draw tool on my phone to like sketch out a body of like this is what it looks like when a lot of people stop. They just have a yard sale things everywhere. Uh, It's it's kind of just a fun

thing to do my friends. But yeah, Number two, take a pocket water. Okay, maybe you got to go on an archery stock is mostly archery season and you end up having to drop your pack and sneak in. One thing that I always say is take a pocket water, like one I'll always have like a small water bottle that when I leave that pack, I throw it in

my pocket. Especially. I think it just just comes from growing up in the deserts of Nevada and ending up in like high altitude hiking and you're just thirsty, and you know your packs sitting back there and you don't have a water with you. So taking a pocket water always solid when you when you drop your pack. Number three kind of goes along the lines of taking a pocket water. But I always have a flashlight, a lighter, and a knife on me, So I like pants with

pockets or jackets with pockets. Generally keeping in my pants, I've got a knife, I've got a pocket knife. I've got a flashlight because you never know, like if you do drop your back and you're like, don't put anything on the ground, Well, your pack is one thing. Sometimes you gotta drop. Um, So if you drop your pack, you've got a flashlight to be able to find it that night. And then I always have a lighter in

my pocket one. I use it as wind detection and to um, you know, if something happens that you need to make a fire or whatever, you've got some kind of fire starter on you. So generally, when when I head out in the morning, I always ask like if we're going, I got like, hey, you got a flashlight on you, a lighter, and then I yep, yep, good, okay, cool, We're good. We can pretty much go anywhere and do anything if we need to at this point. Number four,

This one is a big one for bow hunters. Release is always on your wrist or always on your bow. I've talked about that on this podcast before. Maybe that was a gear tip before, but I always say it because the one time you need your release, it's gonna be not handy. If you do that, you go to the bathroom, that risk release. I use an index releases like a wrist strap, so, um, it goes on my bow. Like if I got to go to the bathroom and

take my release off, it's on my bow. I re emphasized this one because I was letting somebody borrow my bow and I'm like watching the release like a hawk because I've had the same release. I think I've only ever owned two releases and they've been the same one. UM one I just kind of got like a new reversion of it, and that was about twenty years ago. So it's like, I don't It's not like I'm not even think saying it's like a lucky release. It's just

like once again knocking with that. I haven't lost it, And it's because I it's always on my boat or always on my wrist. Now you're like, well, I use a different style release that cannot go on my wrist. Then always put it in the same place. And I would say probably a pants pocket or wherever you put it. It's like either on your in your hand or in the same place. Just always do the same thing. Maybe you've got it in your bino thing or whatever, but

just do the same thing. Like create a system so you know where it is at all times and it's always with your bow. I would say, always leave it with your bow, like clipped on the boat or you know, in this same pocket. You don't want to be looking for it. You don't want to be like where is it if you change jackets or whatever. You don't want

to be in your pack or what have you. So that's one really important thing when it comes to bow hunting, probably the most important thing when it comes to bow hunting. If you use or a release or anything. And I when I'm shooting my trad bow, whether it's a long bow recurve, doesn't matter. I use a glove. The glove is just like the release. It's either on my bow or on my hand. Number five, protect the puffy at all costs. I've been recently hunting in a lot of

wet places. I love my puffy insulation layer, but when they get wet, they suck. So protect the puffy at all costs. I've got a special And when I talk about gear, I'll go through what bag I used, But I've got a special like waterproof bag. If it looks like rains coming whatever, I gotta go through some brushy stuff and I don't want to rip my puffy up. I protect my puffy. And part of the reason I like to protect that puffy so much is because it ends up being my pillow at night. So I always

pret the puffy. And if you get yourself, like way back somewhere, you're unprepared night out, you've got your puff, like you've got that insulation layer. You know, it's it's a lot easier or even just like not even unprepared, but you're just like I'm gonna go up to the top of this mountain and I'm just gonna stay on the ground. I'm I'm going light and fast like that puffy is a life saver. So I always protect the

puffy at all costs. When my buddies and I are guys that I'm hunting with were like out and we see like a rain cloud coming. I'm like, we'll protect the puffy at all costs. And it's just kind of a fun a fun game to play because I generally do protect the puffy. Uh. If I see some rain coming, I'm wearing the puffer cold morning, throw that rain gear on. Or I'll take the puffy off, put it in my waterproof bag in my pack, and then use something else.

But at least I've always got something dry and warm to put on at some other point. Number six, start cold. Never start the day with all your gear on. I know it might be cold in the morning, but if you're gonna be doing any kind of hiking, start old. I just like I rarely hike with the jacket or too much stuff. I don't. I actually don't even wear thermal pants very often. Um I do carry some puffer pants on like backcountry hunts and stuff. Sometimes I'll take

like some thermals. It's gonna be cold, but man, I'm moving a lot um so, and if I get cold, I'll throw on an extra outer layer. You always want to start cold. The last thing you want to do is like be bundled up, start climbing up the mountain and sweating in all your stuff. It's the worst. Then you're gonna be cold all day. So start cold. Your body will warm itself up when you're hiking, and then regulate with your beanie or whatever. And number seven our last,

our last mantra, use your rain gear. If you're carrying rain gear, use it. I know it's one thing that's in your bag. I put my rain gear in my pack in the easiest place to get to because I don't know. I've hunted a lot of places where it's wet. You might be out there for if you're out there for ten days, right, ten day, twelve day backpack, hunt, three day backpack, it doesn't matter. And it looks like, hey,

some rains are coming. And then it's like most people are like, well, I'll put my ring gear on once I'm wet. No, like, think ahead, put your rain gear on. Use it um when it's in your pack. I know it's a pain in the butt to take out. And I've und know so many guys it's like, oh, but on a backcountry hunt, man, if you if you've got the gear to keep you dry, stay dry, because it's really hard to dry out a lot of time, especially in the alpine where there's nothing to burn and whatever.

So I just use your rain gear, keep it in somewhere that's handy, and use the stuff and use it when you need it. A lot of times what I'll do to um just as like an added gear tip thing. Like many times, if it's wet in the morning or whatever, I just I'll just throw just rain gear on and then like maybe if it's cold, just para thermals underneath. Sometimes I go just rain gear, and then when it dries out in the day, then I swapped and throw the pants on. I don't really like rocking the rain.

You're over pants, unless it's just for a short period of time. If I know I'm gonna be like hiking through a bunch of wet stuff, I just rain gear. It's a lot cooler, and then I don't rain on the inside like by sweating. So those are some gear mantras to live by some things. And we will get into some other gear thoughts right now. So I actually

get a lot of questions about gear stuff. Um, So I've just been kind of taking notes of like ones that come up a lot and then just so that way I can answer those all in one gear laden podcast.

And then also just some notes of things while I'm out that I just think about and I'm like, oh man, this is a cool piece of gear or something that I just tried, or things that I'm kind of testing or unsure about, and then things that I'm like, that was a terrible idea what to bring that, So just kind of like a kind of an overall overarching gear rundown, some random stuff, some pretty common stuff. So I thought it'd be kind of fun to just go through this list.

Anytime we do do gear stuff, I always like to say, you know, I am sponsored by quite a few different gear companies, so some of the you know, some of the variety within the category might be like, well, you know, I don't I haven't tried everything, but within the companies that they do work for or work with, I get to test a lot of cool stuff, so I get like a of the product, different products within that category get a try. But I always like to just you know,

say that up front. Also the things that I do mentioned in the gear list is has absolutely nothing to do with um, you know, the partnership or anything like that it's just those are the things that I'm using. So what I'm talking about, um, but I like to keep the gear things pretty much. These are the things that I use, and this is why I'm using him what I like about them. But I always like to

disclose that too. So let's get into it, and I'm gonna go first with probably number one questions is like always involves what I'm hunting with bow, rifle, doesn't matter, shotgun, whatever, it's always those questions are like probably the highest asked questions. So we're gonna start out with, UM, I'm just gonna go through run like a rundown of my setup for bows rifles, and then we'll get into some other gear as well. So bow this year, I've been shooting the

Matthews V three. Uh, absolutely love it previously, and I know a lot of people were asking, like I used to shoot Prime a lot. Well last year my buddy had a new V three that he was kind of testing out and I gotta shoot it, and I was like, dude, this thing is awesome. What I really liked about it just how quiet it was, and then you know, super accurate, super hunable, but just such a like a good system. Everything's kind of integrated in a lot of killer features.

So I shoot the V three seventy pounds UMM, shooting Day six eras with it to seventy five aluminum inserts and callers, so it's an additional fifty grains up front. This year I switched to the two blade UM been shooting kind of the EVO. So I've just been doing the whole day six UH set up, just testing it out. I have. I have been testing out a few other broadheads to UM. Not a big fan of mechanicals, but

I threw a couple of mechanicals downrange. UM. I still I think I just decided I'm a fixed blade kind of guy, and you know, hey, and there's a lot of places I hunt you can't even use mechanicals, So I go with that. UM because I like the fixed weight. I started using four fletches and I like that. UM. I've been having really good success great broadhead tuning, especially at that Matthews has held the tune really well. So

UM that's what I run on that UM. So I I still I still run the spot Hog fast Eddy x L. I like it. It's a single pin slider with kind of like two indicators, Um that one's got the rail. I like that because I just travel a lot, so I can pop the site off easy and then pop it back on easy just with the turn of a knob. Um. You know, I don't know, I might. I keep thinking about trying different sites or something, but I just I don't know, not broken, don't fix a

kind of deal. This year with that V three, I decided to just use um kind of the accessories that are kind of integrated into the bow, So just using the q A D rest kind of mounts to the riser. It's a cable driven I've been using like limb driven dropways for a long time, so a little bit different. And by using that whole setup, like one of my main things, I just one of something really quiet, especially with the heavy arrow that I'm shooting. It's eleven point

nine grains prants. I think it's total what is it now, um nineties something like that. All in so with that heavy arrow, it's like, dude, it's like if you could put a suppressor on the boat. It's just so nice. And then rifle. Let's move to rifle because that's like the another question. A lot of questions about Caliber's that kind of thing. I have talked about it before. I'm a three WSM man, like that's just my go to caliber. Um. I like soccer rifles for a lot of reasons. I've

been using the fin Light to Now. My favorite rifle now is the Carbon Light. It's just like a perfect mountain rifle. But they don't make it in three hundred short bag. If somebody from SOCCO is listening, make that gun in three short. Um. But I really like that rifle because it's super light. And so I got in

six five creed More. I hate to say it out loud, like it's like what I mean, it's just maybe because I'm like a three guy, and then you're like, the buzz around six fives is just I think, kind of unwarranted in many ways. But yet I own them, so you know, I just gotta embrace it, you know, I shouldn't be ashamed. Um, nothing wrong with the six cream More and I like it. I like the six five because I've got the shorter barrel on that Carbon Light, and I've got the shorter barrel because I love to

run a suppressor. I've got a so calm uh surefire, so calm t I titanium, and then it's essentially like uh, index to a break. So if it's I'm taking that, like I took a rifle to Canada, and you can't have a suppressor, but you can have a muzzle brake, and so it's got like the muzzle brake is on my rifles. So I've got multiple rifles with the same muzzle brake, and then I just swap that suppressor between the rifles when I'm going to use it, and it does change the point of impact. So if I'm going

suppressor list, then I need to adjust the scope. But outside of that, I mean it's nice. And they're like, why do you use a suppressor? It's because it's like having a muzzle break that doesn't blow your ear drums out. I feel like it's they aren't that hard, you know. You just got to jump through a few hoops, get the tax stamp and do all the things, set up a trust and whatever. But um, and there's so many companies out there now that it makes it easy to do.

I just went to my local like supporting good shop, Mark four and Strike got it set up through them pretty solid. So UM, I don't know. I just love shooting suppressed rifles. I mean, you know, having a lot of experience in New Zealand, they're just like you can pretty much buy a suppressor to gas station. I actually think I might have got my I think I got there on my seven mill. I got like a that a magnum can or whatever, and um to just like having that where you don't blow your ear drums out

is really nice. And then rifle scope I got with the Vortex Razor LHT. Still think that's probably be the best for what I like to do. I like to be able to, you know, adjust the scope for the situation, kind of a little bit more tactical, so light hunter tactical, but really good quality optic, I don't I just love that scope. And then AMMO shooting Federal terminal ascent through it through the short two under grain and through the six grain that stuffs performed really well for me. I

really like it. Really hard to find right now, it is what it is, all amos hard to find, really good ammos harder to find. But I think that'll all change pretty soon. Um yeah, now let's just dive into a few. Oh and then you know what I might as well, because I got about ten thousand questions on just trad bows? Two people asking what um traditional bow? I use, I've got three different bows. Uh. I've got a stalker stick bow that I had made. Um that bow.

I love that boat. It's like a freaking piece of art. Um. A buddy just gave me this bush in long curve. That thing's got some pop to it. I just took that on its first time recently. And then I've got just like an old not I mean I've had it for a while. It's a Montana bear longbow. And and then I also have just a plain like stick bow made out of a self bow that I hunt within a napped and narrow for it. I'm did you give a hunt with that here this week? So I like

all kinds of I like hunting with everything. I mean, I've even got like a one thing I'm looking forward to this. You're just a traditional muzzle or hunt like an old um percussion cap actual traditional muzzle loader. Um, I'm like, man, if you're gonna have with a muzzletor go old school with him, that's just my opinion. But and then with my tried but was just I shoot with a glove. I don't really I mean, it's just everybody's got their preferences. I like to feel the string.

And then I also used the Day six and Eva Evo broadheads on those as well. With feather fletching. One piece of gear I made some notes on because like, I feel like it's just this piece of gear that it's in the background of my pack all the time. And yet I realized that you've used them for years, and like, man, I've used them for a lot of things. With the Seed of Summit dry bags, Um, they've got

different ones. I like this, there's this lightweight dry bag that I used, so like we've got this green lightweight one and it's easy to kind of organize things in my pack with them. Um, the green one I use in the lid of my stone glacier. And then I've got you know, I've got like camera stuff or if I need some waterproofed in there, or if I need

some real waterproof, that one's good. And then they've got this ultracill dry sack, which it's kind of it's like it's pretty much waterproof water like you know, especially if

it's used in your pack. And that's the one that I used to protect my puffy and then I also use it as a pillow, and like, so I actually just throw my puffy jacket in there, or if I'm on like a trip where I've got puffer pants or whatever, I couldn't even throw like a something in it, some kind of jacket, and then roll it up and use it as a pillow. I mean sleeping in the back country, getting good sleep and not just getting like a neck

cramp all the time. It's huge. And I've thought, like many years I never took a pillow because I was like, oh, that's weak. You know, you're like if I if I but to get a good night's sleep, sometimes you need your head in a good position. I'm excited. And so I started carrying one of these like pillow like backpacking pillows that you blow up. And I hate them, like I just don't, like I've never had. They just aren't comfortable. They slip around. I just I don't know, like they

just don't have that right level of comfort. I like a thin pillow. I'm just that's just how I roll, like a thin, hard pillow, like a rock type pillow. But I found that just like putting my jacket in that dry bag is the absolute perfect like, I get such good sleep with it because it kind of conforms to your head a little bit better than like an inflatable one, and you could just use it for air roll it, roll the top and whatever, but I just think it's better stuff in a jacket in it or

something like that. Stuff a down jacket or another jacket or some extra clothes. And then I also use those dry bags for my spare clothes in my pack, so if things get wet or whatever, it keeps it dry, and I use it down sleeping bag. Um, but I use that kind of waterproof. I've got a like a larger one, I can't remember what is it, like a two leader one or something like that, that I stuffed my sleeping bag into you as well. They've actually got

dry bag stuff sacks too. I haven't dabbled in that, but um, because I kind of like having my sleeping bag in a stuff sack it's not waterproof, and then putting it in the waterproof bag. It seems excessive, But if I need it to breathe or air out, like it got wet of some kind, that it does, and it's not just in a stuff sack that's like waterproof. So and then if they need it into waterproof sack, then I can. I will say, you know, I do

like down. Um, there's companies everybody's got like waterproof down. I put that. I'm doing air quotes. I think the idea of there's no such thing as waterproof down. It's just like when it gets wet, it's not as good, like, yeah, you won't die in it, it would be cold, but waterproof down it just doesn't exist. It's sold that way, but it's just not like actually waterproof. So um, keep that in mind, and I use a dry That's why I put it in a dry back because I just

don't want to get it wet. Protect the puffy at all costs, protect a sleeping bag at all costs. You'll be solid. Next category a ton of questions on optics. I found. Man, the more and more hunts I do, I end up pretty much always using like the smallest spotting scope. Um, there are certain hunts where I definitely absolutely need that big spotter. Uh. I'm not gonna lie, but I find that just like the one that I take on my backpacking hunts is the Vortex Razor eleven

by thirty eleven to thirty three by fifty. It's small, it's light, and like, it does pretty good. And I do most of my main glassing with my binos on a tripod. Um. I still use the outdoors and tripod adapter. And then I just started using the the Vortex Carbon. I think it's a carbon ridge tripod. Uh, it's a pretty solid tripod for the size, lightweight. They've got this small one. I think the ridge is a small one.

And then and then I've got that small spotter and it's like, man, I've got the If I need to zoom in look at something, I've got that little spotter. But the most, the majority of my spotting is is with my binoculars. There are certain hunts though, that are more optics intensive. I've talked about it on glassing podcasts. You can go back and and see my thoughts on that. But I just find like that particular spotting scope is my go to now. I just I don't know, I

always have in my pack. Um. I like it. It's just I don't know. I don't know what I would change about it. But do you like it? I don't think of anything, all right? Uh, oh okay, here's here's a little some notes that I had because you know sometimes like oh, you got all your own gear, and then you've got your certain gear, and then you go hunt with someone else and they've got their certain gear. Um. On my BC trip Kent, the guy that I was hunting with had a couple of things that I was like,

really I and I'm like, okay, uh. The first one a sill tarpe, so it's essentially that that waterproof. I think his was a Sitka one. I don't know if they make anymore. Stone Glacier. Someone tell me Stone Glacier hasn't one. I gotta look into that, because I'm sure it'd be super light if they had one. It's like just having a tarp super I used to always carry a tarp, but they're so heavy I kind of start taking it out of my pack. Um, unless it was like I'm Bavy sack hunting, and then I used the

tarp as an additional rain thing. But having like almost like a pack cover for your body, UM, I do like running a pack. I mean, definitely have a pack cover, especially if you're in wet places. You can tell a lot of the stuff I've talked about has to do with hunting in wet places. It just seems like this year is extremely wet places or just an extremely wet year for some reason, or every time I was out as wet. So having stuff to just kind of keep

stuff dry. But that's still tarp is great because you can you see a storm coming, like in the mountains, a lot of rain and stuff. Yeah, you might get it for days, but it's like blows through real hard. And then you know, so if you're setting up glassing or over this valley and you can just set up the super lightweight tarp, just keep the rain off you and keep your optics dry and just continue to glass and get out of the water and cook up whatever.

Especially in a bad country hunt pretty solid. So that's something I think I'm gonna add to my kit and just look around for a good one. And then another thing he had that I thought was awesome was this a little ah battery of very small battery operated sleeping pad pump. You know, like is that necessary? And like yeah, because every the worst part about the day when you get back and it's like I generally carry all my stuff, like I'm constantly moving camp, constantly going, and I've got

everything on my back. A big wax style hunt. That's my style hunting. And every night i gotta pump up the sleeping pad and I've got the Thermorest Neo Air which is a really lightweight I think it's the nearer pro. I don't know, it's the lightest weight one whatever they call it. You blow that thing up. By the end of the day, you're like, you get lightheaded and you're in your tent. You're like next Crooks because it's raining out and you're trying to get the thing blown. It

up full and you gotta do it every night. Man, having that little pump to just get it most of the way and it's super lightweight. I just ordered one some stokes for that to come in. Okay, I've got this cooking section notes here and the top notes that Peak Refuel is the best. Uh. Man. I used to be the Mountain House a guy. I've talked about them before. Um, the Peak meals are just knocking it out of the

park right now. I don't know if there's anything better currently. Um, there's some really good stuff in New Zealand, but I mean in the States as far as it goes, like, Mountain House was the king, and now Peak just like pushed them down the mountain. I think I feel like, um, just so much better. Man taste better, you feel better. So that's uh, that's my thoughts on dehydrated meals or sorry,

freeze dried meals. Um. And I think it's just because like there's just better like the meat and the Peak one like taste, like they really put care into the meat. That's what I like about them. There are still some Mountain House ones. I really like, some certain flavors that I'll always take, so haven't completely written them off. But Peaks just got some better stuff now and they use less water and the rehydrate better. But one thing, my

my solid tip right here. Whenever I'm making my Mountain House Peak meal dehydrated meal, it doesn't matter freeze drave meal. When I poured the hot water in the bag, first thing I do, I make sure the zips really done really well, and then I stick it in my shirt and sit there and let it just be a body warmer and it prevents me from trying to eat it before it's then being cooked, and it's like the most

enjoyable part of the day. It's like, all right, dinner time, I've got my nice hot meal inside my jacket, warming me up before I eat. It's like it's money. I love it. This is just a fun piece of gear and actually probably a pretty sweet if I was doing like Christmas special right now, would probably be at the top of the recommendation list because I've been using the

crap out of it. Uh, it's a brio outpost. It's like a it's like over the fire cooking thing, and so it's a it's a great and then it's adjustable on a pole. But you you pound this thing into the ground, you build your fire, and then you can cook. But you can it's so versatile of like moving it up and down so you can have a rage you're going. I mean, it's always better to cook on coals, but sometimes like okay, so I can have the fire gun, I can start cooking. It's really good for like, you know,

base camp, whatever. I've taken it pretty much everywhere. It's just I keep it in my truck and I like it because I like cooking over the fire. And then they've got like a um a backyard version. Actually kind

of first saw it. I was like saw one of those guys that was social media, same place you see everything, dude, that I was following cooking on it, and I had like the sear plate and I was like, I really like hot seared, you know, especially with a wild game, Like, oh that's money and uh and I love cooking over wood fire too, So I'm like, dude, I've been doing like outside of our hunting camps and lodges using a

backyard style. I couldn't use it too much during the summer because all the fire warnings where I'm at, but um man, I've just been like, especially fall, just like

searing steaks and cooking stuff over that pretty solid. But the outpost thing just for like base camp, cooking over the fire, I know, it's like it's so much better than bringing like a barbecue grill or whatever, just like having to have the fuel and all the rigmeroll, just build my standard camp fire They'm probably gonna build at night anyways in base camp and then everything isn't like waiting for the certain coals and burning it. It's like

I can actually cook things perfect. I don't know, I've I've been really enjoying that. Another probably one of the I don't even know if people even know about it, but uh, Gerber Knife Gerber Company makes this pretty sweet. Um they call it the complete It's like a spoon. I've every pot, like every gear thing I've talked, I talked about spoons. I don't know why I've got an obsession with backcountry spoons because I'm like, it's one of

those things it just makes things moren't comfortable. But um, this thing's got like the spoon, the sport and then like the spatula, and then you can put them together and make something to grab stuff with, like tongs. I mean, I've burnt my fingers a billion times, but it makes it so much easy. It's light weight. I don't know. I'm just like, I just started carrying it with me and I'll be in like a camp with people and that's like the first thing You're like, oh crap, what's this?

This thing is awesome? Uh, pretty ingenious little thing. I don't know why I have a note here that says shovel. Maybe I just really like shovels. Oh. Another another piece of kit I've talked about before, but a metal cup. I always carry a metal cup in my bag, so it's like I like having my own cup. I like it being metal because then I can cook in it. If I need to, I can throw it in the fire,

boiled water, melt snow. Um, I can use like a I've got a MSR like if I just want to go lightweight MSR pocket rocket, It's like a super small stove and then I can throw that metal cup on there instead of carrying anything. Recently, Uh, friends, I think I've got mind's just like I don't know G S I or something like that. It's pretty heavy. It's big. Um. Friend of mine, two friends of mine both showed up this year with these titan neum ones and they're so

freaking light. So that's on my need to order a SAP list and I'll start carrying a titanium cup in the near future. Some things I ran into this year was out with a friend. I borrowed a truck, so I didn't have all my recovery stuff I do. Two times I haven't having my recovery stuff and needed it. Like I've talked about in the truck episode, how you would have to go back and find that one. But just like all the gear you need for your vehicle.

But I would say, if you just gotta pick a couple of things, absolutely need tire plugs and a pump. I did have tire plugs with me, but I was borrowing someone else's vehicle forgot to switch my truck box over, didn't have a pump. We're able to plug the tire and thankfully make it out easier than like, essentially saved a day a day plus of hunting by just having the right thing. Had we had a pump, it would have been like a lot less uh stress, thinking are

we going to get out? But having those those things pretty clutch. Trekking pole. I got a note on trekking poles. I get a lot of questions about wrecking polls on mountain hunts. They're great, especially I take them rifle season because I use them for a lot of things. You know, you can use it to prop up your tarp or whatever. Um. I've got one tenth that they're actually integral to. But

I use them for a shooting rest. Instead of shooting sticks the treking poles, I just loop them over, across them, shoot from them. Maybe I've said this before, but there's bears repeating, don't get trekking poles where the bottom portion is carbon fiber their garbage. That's just my opinion, but only because i've went endo down the mountain off a pair. When the carbon fiber gets chipped and then you put pressure on it, carbon fiber doesn't bend. It just snaps.

And when you've got a hundred and fifty pounds of sheep on your back, you're going through the shale and you chip the bottom of it and then it snaps. You go head first down the mountain in a very dangerous situation. So I had I was like, oh, these are light, these are nice, and then I just threw them in the trash and went back to my aluminium treking poles. Someone's been telling me there's something that's got like the bottoms of aluminum or whatever, and then the

top is carbon fiber. That would probably be all right, but I just have like a bad carbon fiber treking pool taste in my mouth. A couple more and then let's just um kind of going through this list here, solar charger, other garbage, and don't buy cheap ones when it comes to like charging stuff in the back country. I tried. I got like a you know, one of those phone power bank things as solar charger on it, went on Amazon and found the cheap one doesn't work

worth a ship UM. So when it comes to like charger stuff, just get the better ones. I've decided there's a brand anchor A and K E R. I think I got that one this year. Those ones lasted really well. I still have some old dark energy ones. UM I picked up like a sports show a couple maybe four or five years ago. It still works pretty solid. So I don't know what new stuff they've got. Mine is pretty old, but UM works pretty good. And then for base camp, this one thing I've picked up I liked.

It was from actually comes from from you won't even expect. It's truck gear from like line X spraying bedliners, and they make like this portable charger. It's big, it's heavy. I don't know if you do want to hike around with it, but for flying camps, horse and camps like it holds a lot of juice and then you can actually jump your truck off of it. I might have even talked about it before, but UM use that on a recent like hunting filming kind of thing. A couple

of new pieces of gear that verdicts still out. Somebody gave me this UM. When it comes to water filtration, I've been using the Sterry pen a lot. And then someone gave me this water bottle and I hate water bottle water filters, right, it's just like the kind where you fill it up and squeeze it into your mouth. I just think it doesn't work. I mean not that it doesn't filter it, but it's just there's like you know, you might want to pour water. I don't know, it

just doesn't. It's not the best, not the best system. It's kind of a pain in the butt and it's like very works for one person if you're hunting with other people and you need to filter a lot of water. Just not the best system. I say that, And then somebody gave me this geo press. They call it a verdicts still out on it, but you just like fill it up and then push it down and I'm like, man it it does like almost a leader at a time. It's super fast. And that's the problem I've had with

other water filters pump styles, like they're so slow. Um, So I don't know, I just haven't used it enough and like enough like when it gets real cold or what to see how it works. Like in the warm early season it's pretty light, so I don't know, just kind of something to look out for in the future.

Maybe maybe it's like that's your style of water filter. Um, I don't know enough about it to like give it like a solid recommendation, and I haven't used it enough, but I just like something that I've trying somebody gave me and like cool, give it a try. Another thing that just this is kind of like I'm going into this random gear thing like end it. But um, a friend of mine just was using this last light headlamp.

It's like a flashlight. It's got like this you look like cyclops for X Men with it, but it's like so bright and it covers such an array. It's really nice. Downside, Uh, it's chargeable and the batteries ran out, but I used I had a charger for it, so um there was some good and bad. Haven't used it enough to like fully be like this is the one, and I don't think I would ever get rid of maybe a headlamp that takes batteries. But for what the lightage that it put out and the one week that I used it,

I thought it was pretty cool. And then probably it will finish on the other thing that just gets asked about more than anything would be like boots, foot type, gators, all that kind of stuff. So I'll just give you my last is final rundown, you know one. I've definitely put them through the paces Snai's bear tooth insulation. That's my go to boot. The reason is um, I think it's it's stiff enough to be like a solid mountain boot,

but doesn't have the break in time. Like literally, I've put them on, gone hiking more couple miles, never had any problems because they do have a soft enough soul, and that soft enough soul is like just the it's like just right. You know the bears that go in the cabins, like this beds too firm, this bed is too soft, Like those boots are just right, like they're stiff enough but soft enough it can be quiet enough. I just really like them. Um. I use the superfeed

in souls. Like when I get a new pair of boots, I just always go with the superfeed in souls. I don't even know I think you're supposed to match them to your foot. I've just always used the green ones because when I started using them, that's all they had. And I've never switched um. But that's just and then gators. I mean, I thought for for a long time outdoor research gators are kind of like the gold standard, and

now I just started. I just got a pair of the Stone Glacier ones, and I like them much better than the o R ones. They've got a dynamic cord, uh the bottom portion that gets a little flappy, like I just had to take a little bit of time, not not the setup, but just the spare part the bottom. I just kind of I fixed that up so it was like it's kind of taped it down. But um, as far as like the working of it, nothing wrong

with it. The thing I like about them they're a little bit more durable, and they've got the skinnier calf thing going, which the er gators sucked because you know, if you're like I mean, if you've got really big calves, they're great, but if you got the size that matches your boot, if you got a little bigger boot, Um, the top was always just loosey goosey and would slide down, whereas like the stone Glacier ones fit like so nice and they're super comfortable and extremely rugged. So I think

there's a new gold standard in in gator. And then oh this year. I just tried a new pair of socks. I'm not sure he's interested, but um, I've been pretty happy with them. I like a little bit. I like like a thick sock that's not where you don't slide around in it, like where it's like dense. The thickness is density. Um darn tough socks. I don't know. I just picked them up the store. They've apparently got a lifetime warranty. I'm like, that kind of got me stoked

to try to wear them, wear them out. Like, we'll see about that lifetime. Huh. Let's see if I can get them through a season. Huh, We'll see. But um, I don't know. I've been super comfortable so and I don't I don't do multiple pairs of socks. Some people do a liner and whatever. I just do like like a denser sock and just roll with it. So far, so far, so good. Well that concludes our gear segment.

I mean, I get so many questions. I just had to I had to ramble on about gear because the amount of inquiries about pretty much every topic that I covered. I just want to make sure I hit him in at least one podcast. Take the time It's been a little while since I've done a gear gear dump kind of podcast, just talking about the things that I use. People see him want to know what it is, and and you know, I like talking about gear because it's stuff that I use pretty much every day, whether it's

guiding or whatever. It's like I I put it through the paces. So it's always worth, you know, talking about the things that I like and don't And a lot of gear stuff too, is just personal preference. But you'll find some things in there. I think that maybe you didn't even think about. Like every year I'm finding new things and I'm like, maybe I'll add this to my

kit that's like a pretty sweet thing. Or I'll hunt with guys or whatever and see stuff I do the same thing with when it comes to camera equipment and all that kind of stuff. So I think hopefully it's beneficial to you maybe if you add some gear questions or whatever, maybe some ideas in there, things that you'll do and remember, at all costs, protect the puffy. Next week, we're gonna be doing a Q and A, so make

sure to send in whatever questions you got. You got to get your questions, cinnamon, you got elk hunting questions, Cinnamon, you just shot your best elk ever. Send it in. You can reach out to me at Remy Warren Instagram. That's the best place. If you don't have Instagram, UM find someone that does. Send a message, send your question and we'll go from there until next week. Guys. Yes, once again, it's where it bears repeating. Protect the Puffy at all costs fund and the fund and