Allen Crater
Gear Review: Simms Dry Creek Z Sling
Overview: When it comes to carrying gear while fly fishing, I've tried it all: vests, chest packs, hip packs, and sling packs. Regular...
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Gear Reviews
Jon Osborn
- Jun 10
- 5 min
Gear Review: Orvis Helios 4 Fly Rod
Overview: The new Orvis Helios 4 rods launched with significant acclaim over the past few months, and all these accolades made Allen and...
444 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- May 28
- 3 min
Gear Review: Poncho Hidalgo Denim Shirt
Overview: Among my friends and family it's no secret that I love Poncho brand shirts. At last count I had eleven of them hanging in my...
126 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Mar 18
- 5 min
Gear Review: Simms G3 Stockingfoot Guide Waders
Overview: In the scheme of things I fish a good number of days each year (never as many as I would like, but probably more than many),...
103 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Mar 4
- 8 min
Gear Review: Exo Mtn Gear K4 5000 Pack System
Overview: I've been a backpacker for nearly 30 years – hiking trails across the country from New Hampshire's Mount Washington to Oregon's...
653 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Nov 8, 2023
- 5 min
Gear Review: Schnee’s Beartooth 0G Boots
Overview: A common error among bird hunters is neglecting their feet. It’s easy to overemphasize the sexier aspects of the sport, like...
788 views1 comment
Allen Crater
- Nov 7, 2023
- 4 min
Gear Review: Tricer-BC Hunting Tripod
Overview: The bull crested the ridge at just over 1,100 yards in a drainage to the north and moving in our direction, two cows following...
415 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Nov 6, 2023
- 7 min
Gear Review: Gunner G1 Dog Kennel & Accessories
Overview: For many upland hunters and waterfowlers, a quality day afield isn’t defined by the sum-total of birds in the bag. On the...
102 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Aug 17, 2023
- 2 min
Gear Review: Optimus Elektra Fe Cook System
Overview: I remember my first backpacking stove purchased in the early 90's. The one that required the pump, pump, pumping of the fuel...
466 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jul 11, 2023
- 3 min
Gear Review: Costa Seeker 75-Liter Duffle Bag
Overview: I had been searching for a new travel bag for a while but wasn't really sure which route I wanted to go. Rollerbag? Duffle?...
345 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jun 26, 2023
- 3 min
Gear Review: Riversmith Quick Release Mount
Overview: Maybe I'm just lazy... If you recall my previous review of the Riversmith 4-Banger River Quiver (if you don't, you can find it...
375 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Jun 12, 2023
- 4 min
Gear Review: Scientific Anglers Sonar Trout Express Sink Tip Line
Overview: Specific situations call for specialized gear. To wit, small streams choked with encroaching vegetation require a different...
820 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Jun 2, 2023
- 4 min
Gear Review: Sitka Mountain Pants
Overview: I’ve called myself a bird hunter for decades, but if I’ve learned anything over the years it’s that turkeys rank right up there...
1,123 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- May 25, 2023
- 3 min
Gear Review: Costa Corbina PRO sunglasses
Overview: I've been a Costa customer for a number of years, dating way back to my first pair of Caballitos, and I've always been...
758 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Mar 31, 2023
- 4 min
Gear Review: Rapid River Knifeworks Royal 7 Clip Point Knife
Overview: In 1899, from his shop in Gladstone, Michigan, Webster Marble developed what went on to become one of the most iconic hunting...
440 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Sep 12, 2022
- 3 min
Gear Review: RightOnTrek Adventure Meals
Overview: Eating on the trail, for me, is one of the greatest luxuries and at the same time one of the greatest headaches about...
233 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Sep 7, 2022
- 4 min
Gear Review: R.L. Winston Alpha+ Fly Rod
Overview: Anyone that has spent time fishing with me knows I prefer articulated streamers, chewed up mice, and big foam terrestrials over...
3,207 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Jul 12, 2022
- 6 min
Gear Review: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Fly Line
Overview: I’m a chronic procrastinator when it comes to replacing fly lines. Call me cheap, stubborn, or just plain lazy, there’s no...
3,017 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- May 9, 2022
- 5 min
Gear Review: Stanley Vacuum Bottle
Overview: Durable gear has always appealed to sportsmen – especially if that equipment conveys some history. Take Grandpa’s battered old...
2,350 views1 comment
Allen Crater
- Apr 29, 2022
- 4 min
Gear Review: Riversmith 4-Banger River Quiver.
Overview: I hate breaking down my fly rods when heading out on a fishing trip or even more so when I'm simply moving from spot to spot,...
1,151 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Mar 3, 2022
- 3 min
Gear Review: Pyro Putty Fire Starter
Overview: “The flames sawed in the wind and the embers paled and deepened and paled and deepened like the bloodbeat of some living thing...
569 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 10, 2022
- 5 min
Gear Review: Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 with X-curve Frame
Overview: In my first year hunting "Out West" with Kyle, I used my familiar Osprey backpack to carry gear; the one that had seen trips in...
1,669 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 24, 2021
- 2 min
Gear Review: Duckworth Vapor Snorkel Hoody
Overview: Someone recently asked what my most versatile piece of clothing was. It didn't take me long to answer - my Vapor Snorkel Hoody...
623 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 13, 2021
- 3 min
Gear Review: Dark Energy Poseidon Pro Portable Charger
Overview: For me, having a reliable source of power in the backcountry is critical. Not only do I require it to charge my phone (which...
2,244 views2 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 9, 2021
- 4 min
Gear Review: Heather's Choice Backcountry Meals
Overview: Teddy Roosevelt once said: "No man who, for his good fortune, has at times in his life endured toil and hardship, ever fails to...
516 views0 comments
Jon Osborn
- Sep 14, 2021
- 3 min
Gear Review: Poncho Men's Performance Shirt
Overview: Even in this modern day and age, weather forecasts often amount to an educated guess, and anglers seldom have the luxury of...
5,714 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Mar 25, 2021
- 4 min
Gear Review: Duckworth Snowcrest Shirt
Overview: I'm a bit of a dichotomy when it comes to gear. On the one hand I embrace the latest technologies, tools and materials for...
1,501 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Feb 15, 2021
- 4 min
Gear Review: Whiskey Leatherworks Blackfoot Duffle
If ever a product were made for a person, the Blackfoot Duffle was made for my buddy, Jon Osborn. An avid upland hunter, fly angler, pipe...
183 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 28, 2021
- 5 min
Gear Review: Duckworth Comet Crew
Overview: If you spend any amount of time outdoors, it's likely that I don't need to sell you on the benefits of Merino wool. Sure,...
1,556 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 29, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Hultafors Aby Forest Axe
Overview: I've always wanted a camp axe. Something I could use around the cabin, on camping trips, and even keep in the truck "just in...
2,566 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 23, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Snowbee Nivalis Hooded Down Jacket
Overview: I was introduced to the Snowbee brand by my friend, Brian "Koz"Kozminski. Snowbee is a UK Company that was founded in 1978 and...
435 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Nov 22, 2020
- 4 min
Gear Review: Lowa Tibet Superwarm GTX Boots
Overview: While I have backpacked all over the country and beyond and spent many years chasing Michigan whitetail deer, I have never...
1,318 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Nov 20, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Maven B1.2 Binocular in 8 x 42
Overview: I was heading out for my first big game hunt in Montana; a trip with my son in the works for nearly two years. Simply put, I...
2,348 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Sep 30, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Whiskey Leather Works Bradford Fly Wallet
As difficult as it would be to top Jon Osborn's last gear review, he's back again in typical Ozzy fashion (think beautiful prose, not...
558 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Aug 24, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 Three-season Tent
Overview: From backpacking in the Rockies, Sawtooths, Sierras, Whites and Winds to chasing pike through Canada's backcountry and even a...
1,381 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Aug 12, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Waterworks-Lamson Standard Seat Freshwater Fly Rod
Overview: If you fly fish often, you are likely familiar with the Waterworks-Lamson brand for their innovative fly reels - in fact you've...
1,639 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jun 15, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Luminox 3741 Survival Master Series Watch
Overview: I spend as much time as possible in the outdoors - hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting and I am notoriously hard on gear. For...
1,890 views2 comments
Allen Crater
- Jun 12, 2020
- 4 min
Gear Review: Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat
Photo by Lance Nelson My buddy, Jon Osborn, knows a thing or two about needing to rely on his gear - personally and professionally -...
5,761 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- May 20, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Stio Long Sleeve Eddy Shirt
Overview: I hate spending money on clothes, so those items I do purchase need to play a lot of roles. The utility player. Every team...
1,225 views2 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 7, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Outcast Drifter 13.0 Fishing Raft
Overview: I like to fish. A lot. While I have primarily been a "wade" fisherman besides those times I could bum floats from buddies, I...
1,554 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 3, 2020
- 4 min
Gear Review: Petromax HK 500 (Chrome) Kerosene Lantern
Overview: When I saw it in the 2019 Orvis gift catalog, I knew it had to be mine. Being an outdoorsman drawn to products with history,...
4,938 views1 comment
Allen Crater
- Jan 2, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Osprey Xenith 75 Backpack
Overview: Since my early college days I have backpacked all over the country; up and down California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New...
479 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 2, 2020
- 2 min
Gear Review: Native Eyewear Ashdown Polarized Sunglasses
Overview: I seem to always be wearing sunglasses. Whether I'm fishing or hiking or shooting, out in the boat, on the beach or just...
2,103 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 2, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Princeton Tec VIZZ Headlamp
Overview: I use headlamps all the time. From night fishing for big browns on the river, to walks out to my tree stand before daylight and...
78 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 1, 2020
- 2 min
Gear Review: Whiskey Leatherworks Pheasant Pattern Dog Leash and Collar
Overview: Google German Shorthaired Pointer and you'll likely notice one common theme in the description: "needs plenty of vigorous...
196 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 1, 2020
- 4 min
Gear Review: Danner Crater Rim 6" Waterproof Hiking Boot
Overview: I'm fussy about all of my gear, but I am particularly fussy about footwear. My hiking boots tend to see a lot of use and abuse...
4,185 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 1, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Smith Creek Rod Rack
Overview: I hate breaking down my fly rods when I am heading out to fish or even more so when I'm simply moving from spot to spot. I...
474 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Jan 1, 2020
- 3 min
Gear Review: Millennium M150 Hang-On Treestand
Overview: I have trouble sitting still for a long time. Ok, sometimes even for a short period of time. Part of it is just the way I’m...
40 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 31, 2019
- 9 min
Book Review - That Wild Country by Mark Kenyon
Bibliophile. It's an actual thing. And I'll admit I possess this affliction acutely or perhaps, more accurately, it possesses me. Do not...
240 views0 comments
Allen Crater
- Dec 28, 2019
- 3 min
Gear Review: White River Knife & Tool 8.5” Fillet Knife – Traditional Cork
Overview: For the most part I am a catch-and–release angler. There are a few exceptions though. Walleye – I flat out love Walleye and I...
188 views0 comments
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