By Jeff Johnston, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor
I pulled my turkey vest from a storage tub a few days ago to dust it off for the upcoming season and I was nearly floored by the stench. It seems I’d lost and subsequently forgotten a ham and cheese sandwich I’d packed sometime last April. Because I now had to either wash it or throw it away, I began frisking it for all my gear, and that’s when I found my Petzal headlamp for which I’d been looking all fall.
And that’s the problem with turkey vests; There are too many pockets, many of them so cleverly hidden that I often wind up not being able to find my stuff when I need it.
So for that reason, this year I downsized to Armageddon Gear’s Turkey Chest Rig. It still holds all my stuff as well as a sandwich and a cell phone, but it makes it impossible to lose them. It’s got specific pockets for every type of call as well as for a ThermaCell, clippers, shotgun shells, binos, gloves, and everything else I’ve ever truly needed during a turkey hunt—with the exception of a seat pad and a decoy. (I’ve found I can clip a set cushion to my belt, and I rarely take a decoy.) In sum, I feel much more mobile and unencumbered than when wearing a vest that generally weighs about 20 pounds after it accumulates a few year’s supply of worthless crap.
I was turned on to Armageddon’s chest rigs after wearing FE’s Full Bar version during elk and deer season last year. It’s the best rig out there, in my opinion. Just like it, the turkey model features a waxed canvas shell that’s quiet and durable—I’m betting it will last a lifetime–yet it’s also waterproof. And there’s something else: My turkey season is in late April/early May—you know, when it’s so hot that sitting in a blind is like sitting in a bowl of soup. This minimalist rig is a damn sight cooler than my foam-padded vest, and for that reason alone it’s worth the switch.
Cost: $300
Pros: Lightweight, cool, not too many pockets; specific pockets keep gear organized and readily accessible
Cons: won’t hold a decoy, your hemorrhoid pad, or a 12-pack of beer
