I am considering picking one of these up for my field work.
http://www.truenorthgear.com/product_detail.php?path=3&p_id=212
I have been eying the True North packs for a few years, but the Wildland Aero-Vest is the first of their items that I think would work perfect for me.
I often switch between wearing my 45L pack and a few diffrerent styles of standard foresters vests when in the field.
The problem is that with just the pack on, I cant get to the gear I use regularly (field book, PDA, pens/pencils/markers, flagging, compass, GPS receiver, clinometer, plastic bags, thermometer, PIT tag reader, compact camera, etc., etc.). The vest works great because I can have all that stuff right at my fingertips, but if I need to carry more bulky stuff like pH/conductivity meter, lunch, water, emergency prep. gear, larger camera, rain gear, etc., etc. I need the carrying capacity of the pack.
I often put the vest on and then put the pack on over it, but that gets a bit cumbersome moving through brush or slogging through lakes/bogs/marshes trying to catch fish/frogs/turtles and whatnot with a dipnet or my hands. And since the shoulder straps cover several of the pockets, it is not the best combination.
I also have vests that have a large backpack pocket on the back, but those just are not designed to carry much heavy gear in, and tend to pull the front of the vest up considerably.
A few years ago I designed basically two vest panels that would attach to the shoulder straps and waist belt of my pack, thus combining the pack and vest, which would be perfect (into a pest as River8 calls it).
But I just havent made the time to finish building it.
Then I saw the Aero-vest and it looks like True North beat me to it.
It would be easy to make the two panels attachable to my pack, or use it alone when I didnt need the pack. And their builds are pretty tough from what I have seen, and heard from folks on fire crews and in SAR.
Recently someone posted that they were going to or had purchased one of these vests, but I didnt get a chance to respond at the time to hear what they thought of it.
I cant seem to find the thread, but also thought it would be good to start a new thread so everyone can share their thoughts and or experiences. It is a relatively new product, so not sure if many folks have had a chance to look at/try it.
So please, share away.
Thanks
http://www.truenorthgear.com/product_detail.php?path=3&p_id=212
I have been eying the True North packs for a few years, but the Wildland Aero-Vest is the first of their items that I think would work perfect for me.
I often switch between wearing my 45L pack and a few diffrerent styles of standard foresters vests when in the field.
The problem is that with just the pack on, I cant get to the gear I use regularly (field book, PDA, pens/pencils/markers, flagging, compass, GPS receiver, clinometer, plastic bags, thermometer, PIT tag reader, compact camera, etc., etc.). The vest works great because I can have all that stuff right at my fingertips, but if I need to carry more bulky stuff like pH/conductivity meter, lunch, water, emergency prep. gear, larger camera, rain gear, etc., etc. I need the carrying capacity of the pack.
I often put the vest on and then put the pack on over it, but that gets a bit cumbersome moving through brush or slogging through lakes/bogs/marshes trying to catch fish/frogs/turtles and whatnot with a dipnet or my hands. And since the shoulder straps cover several of the pockets, it is not the best combination.
I also have vests that have a large backpack pocket on the back, but those just are not designed to carry much heavy gear in, and tend to pull the front of the vest up considerably.
A few years ago I designed basically two vest panels that would attach to the shoulder straps and waist belt of my pack, thus combining the pack and vest, which would be perfect (into a pest as River8 calls it).
But I just havent made the time to finish building it.
Then I saw the Aero-vest and it looks like True North beat me to it.
It would be easy to make the two panels attachable to my pack, or use it alone when I didnt need the pack. And their builds are pretty tough from what I have seen, and heard from folks on fire crews and in SAR.
Recently someone posted that they were going to or had purchased one of these vests, but I didnt get a chance to respond at the time to hear what they thought of it.
I cant seem to find the thread, but also thought it would be good to start a new thread so everyone can share their thoughts and or experiences. It is a relatively new product, so not sure if many folks have had a chance to look at/try it.
So please, share away.
Thanks
than to their capabilities).
.
eek: !!!); it was NOT because of equipment failure...