Commonly called strap vests, the hybrid pack/bags designed for bird hunting have become firmly established among hardcore uplanders, but they probably are not what your father thinks is a bird vest. A traditional-style vest, belt pack, shoulder bag, jacket or just a pocket full of shells will do for an hour’s stroll in the grouse woods, but an all-day sharp-tail or chukar hunt requires a re-think.
The best strap-vest designers borrowed from the backpacking and big-game worlds then addressed their own needs from experience while ground-pounding the chukar hills. This new breed of vest promises comfort and functionality, but a buyer needs to keep a sharp eye out, looking beyond cosmetics to engineering.
In the ever-growing pile of hip-belted vests are some standouts, which we’ll look at here. First, though,…
