AllOutdoor Review: Badlands Mag Turkey Vest

The opening weekend of turkey season started heat and dry however shortly turned cool and moist, the proper time to check the Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest. It promised to maintain me cool with its light-weight design, however might it deal with the loopy Oklahoma springtime climate shifts? Or wouldn’t it fall flat just like the dropping barometric strain? I hit the turkey woods to push this vest to its limits to see if it’s definitely worth the funding or for those who ought to cross on this premium turkey vest. Spoiler Alert: On this Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest evaluate, I share why this is among the greatest vests in the marketplace, however I additionally bumped into a number of main hurdles whereas looking with it. 

Badlands Gear on AO:

Specs & Options

Light-weight, breathable, waterproof outer material with a brushed end for stealthAdjustable shoulder straps and waistbelt for a variety of sizes and physique varietiesThe magnetic seat connection makes releasing and attaching the seat fast and straightforwardCordura bolstered, triple foam seat is sturdy, snug, and folds away for low bulkTwo zippered, safe slate name pockets with a stretch accent pocket connectedProtecting field name pocket with fast, simple, and quiet Fidlock magnetic closureVentilated mouth name pockets for breathability and fast dryingZippered storage pockets with shell and striker loopsAspect water bottle pockets match a variety of bottle sizesAdjustable rear chicken carry or gear bagCloth: 100% polyester (Principal Cloth), 100% Nylon Cordura (Trim Cloth)Weight: 2 lbs 8 ozMSRP: $250

The Finest New Turkey Searching Vest Round – Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest

Execs & Cons

Execs

Strategy GT blends in very properly in opposition to tree trunksLight-weightExtremely adjustable (Matches numerous physique sizes)Loads of pockets and storageSeat cushion is tremendous cozy, even throughout lengthy sitsAn orange security flag helps you grow to be seen whereas strolling by way of the woodsUnconditional Lifetime Guarantee

Cons

CostlyThe field name pocket is small and ripped whereas lookingStraps loosened on their very ownIt’s nonetheless heat/made me sweatZipper slate pockets aren’t silent just like the magnetic pockets

Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest First Impressions

Once I pulled the Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest from the field, I used to be stunned by how large it was, given how little it weighed. The vest has pockets for all the things, and I particularly love the breathable mesh pocket for mouth calls as a result of it has quiet magnetic clasps, and my mouth calls dried out faster than in conventional material pockets. The remainder of the pockets held all of my gear, although my field name was a really tight slot in that pocket, which ultimately grew to become an issue.

I used to be excited to check out the seat as a result of it has a thicker cushion than different vests I’ve used, and it has a novel manner of folding and latching to remain out of the best way. I needed to watch a YouTube video and do it myself a number of occasions earlier than it grew to become intuitive, but it surely wasn’t troublesome. I had it discovered earlier than I left for my first hunt of the season. 

Lastly, as a smaller particular person (5’6”, 160 lbs), I appreciated that the vest match me very properly, however had loads of strap size for a lot bigger people. It’s, very a lot, a one-size-fits-all vest, however the changes make it really feel extra custom-fitting.  

In-The-Woods Expertise

It doesn’t matter how impressed I’m with the vest out of the field. The one true opinions that matter are shaped after looking with it. I headed on a number of Oklahoma turkey hunts with a buddy to see if the vest might face up to the pains of looking.

One in every of my first hunts with this vest was shortly after a rain, within the cool, humid air. The downpours totally soaked the bottom, and water nonetheless dripped from the leaves as we made our first sit. My butt remained dry because of the thick cushion of the Magazine Turkey Vest. The Strategy GT camo sample blended in very properly, whether or not I sat in opposition to hardwood or pine timber.

As we moved to a brand new spot, I almost forgot I used to be carrying the vest as a result of I wasn’t weighed down, regardless of having all of the gear I would wish for this hunt within the vest. Whereas strolling, the cushion remained out of the best way, and as soon as we discovered a number of spots to take a seat, it was fast and straightforward to deploy. We struggled to listen to a gobble, so a few of our sits have been for much longer than others, but I remained snug, and my legs and butt didn’t go numb. 

The day warmed, and I started to sweat just a little. Nevertheless, I can’t blame the vest for making me sweat greater than regular. At simply over 2 kilos, it’s very light-weight when empty, however as soon as my gear was loaded, it was heavier; nonetheless, it carried the load properly, and I hardly ever seen it. I didn’t instantly discover the straps loosening on their very own as we moved from spot to identify, however as soon as we made it again to camp, I noticed the free straps and shortly tightened them.

I found my largest frustration after simply sitting underneath a tree. I leaned again to calm down for a second and pull my field name from the pocket, once I noticed a tear already forming across the magnetic clasp. I used to be stunned and annoyed {that a} $250 turkey vest would already start ripping with lower than one season of use. Heck, I’d solely worn it a handful of occasions complete. One motive I consider it ripped so shortly was as a result of my field name stretched the pocket to the max. A simple repair could be to make the field name pocket barely greater and extra accommodating to bigger field calls. 

The opposite saving grace for Badlands is their unimaginable Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. So long as you pay for transport ($15 as of this writing), they’ll repair the gear and ship it again to you. The issue is I didn’t need to ship the vest in throughout turkey season and have to attend to get it again (possible after the season ended). 

General, the Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest has been a fantastic addition to my turkey gear, and regardless of the small tear, I see many extra seasons of use forward (particularly once I get it repaired). 

Parting Pictures: Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest Assessment

The most important preliminary hurdle to recover from is the value, however once you issue within the Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee and professional design, you may considerably justify the value for those who’re a critical turkey hunter. I wouldn’t advocate the Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest to younger and novice hunters as a result of it’s too large for youths and too costly for somebody who doesn’t know in the event that they’re gonna love turkey looking. The Badlands Magazine Turkey Vest is an effective funding for devoted turkey hunters who need to be snug within the woods whereas carrying all the things they’ll want for a profitable hunt.

Wes Littlefield

Wes is an avid outdoorsman from Oklahoma at all times on the hunt for the subsequent journey. When he is not writing, he is most likely in his kayak reeling in a fish or attempting to trick waterfowl into testing his unfold.