Hey y'all. Thought I'd share about my new upland vest, in case anyone on here begins looking for one, I got one that I am really happy with.
I figured that with a new bird dog, I should have a new vest. Plus the one I had before, while still certainly useable, just doesn't fit right and it doesn't hold as much water as we sometimes need. PLUS I figured....hey....new birthday present to me.
Anyway, Steve has the Wingworks vest and he has been very happy with it but I was up in the air on whether to get a Wingworks or a Q5 Centerfire.
https://q5outdoorproducts.com/
I kept bouncing back and forth between the two. Especially since they are both pretty expensive and I would hate to spend the money to find out what I chose doesn't fit well. Early in August, I was looking at the two websites again because I HAD to make a decision. They are both products made in the States by small companies so I was warned by people from both camps to order early because it might be that they have a lot of orders to fill or they have to make your product....it may not be "on the shelf" and ready to ship out. I needed to make a decision so that I could have my vest before I was supposed to leave for MT at the beginning of September.
When I was looking at the Q5 website again in August I was pleasantly shocked to find a vest designed for women. If y'all have ever had to shop for hunting gear for women, you know that it can be difficult to find QUALITY products and getting ripped off on the prices is almost always a given. Because of that, I tend to shy away from hunting gear for women. I was very excited to see that they had a vest for women so I went and looked at the vest configuration and compared it to the Centerfire. Q5 offers multiple vest configurations but I wanted the Centerfire because we can sometimes be out a long time and having all the pockets for gear and the extra space was important as it also included a pocket for a water bladder. Many of the places we hunt in MT, water holes can be non existent or miles apart and some days we carry lots of water. The women's vest didn't have all of that extra capacity. It looks like it is configured more for short days afield. That was a disappointment for me.
I went ahead and contacted Q5 and told them how excited I was to see that there was a vest for women but that I really wanted the Centerfire configuration. One of the things I really liked about the women's vest was that it had two sternum straps and they were adjustable up and down your body. A single sternum strap, in a fixed position has been a source of aggravation for me. So when I contacted the folk at Q5, I told them my situation and asked about adding a second sternum strap to the Centerfire version. They informed me that a second strap on the Centerfire isn't currently possible, but that the shoulder straps for the women's vest could be put on to the Centerfire storage/belt system. They would make me a women's version of the Centerfire and it was only $8 more than the original Centerfire model. I was quite excited to hear that and went ahead and bought it.
So for customer service, I rate them an A+.
I had a little over a week where I got to use my vest. I can tell you that just putting it on, all loaded up with water (some days a gallon and a half of water) and shells (usually close to 2 boxes) and all the other stuff I carry in my vest, the way it fit was a huge difference over my previous vest. I had a good amount of weight, but it never felt heavy and my back never hurt like it did with my first vest. I walked for hours a day and never felt the fatigue like I did with the other vest.
Pros:
Cons:
A couple of things to consider (probably for all vests if you are looking for a new vest):
So if you are in the market for a new upland vest, and especially if you are or you know a woman who also upland hunts and she wants or needs a vest, I would highly recommend Q5 as a company to consider buying a vest from.
I figured that with a new bird dog, I should have a new vest. Plus the one I had before, while still certainly useable, just doesn't fit right and it doesn't hold as much water as we sometimes need. PLUS I figured....hey....new birthday present to me.
Anyway, Steve has the Wingworks vest and he has been very happy with it but I was up in the air on whether to get a Wingworks or a Q5 Centerfire.
https://q5outdoorproducts.com/
I kept bouncing back and forth between the two. Especially since they are both pretty expensive and I would hate to spend the money to find out what I chose doesn't fit well. Early in August, I was looking at the two websites again because I HAD to make a decision. They are both products made in the States by small companies so I was warned by people from both camps to order early because it might be that they have a lot of orders to fill or they have to make your product....it may not be "on the shelf" and ready to ship out. I needed to make a decision so that I could have my vest before I was supposed to leave for MT at the beginning of September.
When I was looking at the Q5 website again in August I was pleasantly shocked to find a vest designed for women. If y'all have ever had to shop for hunting gear for women, you know that it can be difficult to find QUALITY products and getting ripped off on the prices is almost always a given. Because of that, I tend to shy away from hunting gear for women. I was very excited to see that they had a vest for women so I went and looked at the vest configuration and compared it to the Centerfire. Q5 offers multiple vest configurations but I wanted the Centerfire because we can sometimes be out a long time and having all the pockets for gear and the extra space was important as it also included a pocket for a water bladder. Many of the places we hunt in MT, water holes can be non existent or miles apart and some days we carry lots of water. The women's vest didn't have all of that extra capacity. It looks like it is configured more for short days afield. That was a disappointment for me.
I went ahead and contacted Q5 and told them how excited I was to see that there was a vest for women but that I really wanted the Centerfire configuration. One of the things I really liked about the women's vest was that it had two sternum straps and they were adjustable up and down your body. A single sternum strap, in a fixed position has been a source of aggravation for me. So when I contacted the folk at Q5, I told them my situation and asked about adding a second sternum strap to the Centerfire version. They informed me that a second strap on the Centerfire isn't currently possible, but that the shoulder straps for the women's vest could be put on to the Centerfire storage/belt system. They would make me a women's version of the Centerfire and it was only $8 more than the original Centerfire model. I was quite excited to hear that and went ahead and bought it.
So for customer service, I rate them an A+.
I had a little over a week where I got to use my vest. I can tell you that just putting it on, all loaded up with water (some days a gallon and a half of water) and shells (usually close to 2 boxes) and all the other stuff I carry in my vest, the way it fit was a huge difference over my previous vest. I had a good amount of weight, but it never felt heavy and my back never hurt like it did with my first vest. I walked for hours a day and never felt the fatigue like I did with the other vest.
Pros:
- The shell pockets are nice and deep and large enough to get my hands into with no problems. They are both zip closed and have a flap that Velcro's to the front.
- The water bottles are easy to access and the water bottle holders are stiff enough that I didn't have problems putting the water bottles back in.
- Inside the game bag there are pockets on the side and I could put water bottles or bug spray in those so that they weren't rolling around and clanking against my antler that I carry around.
- The game bag is EASY to put birds into and is mostly mesh so plenty of air movement through the bag. The bottom is waterproof so the bleeders don't bleed through and stain the rest of my vest or my clothes or whatever I might put the vest down on.
- The bright orange pack on the back of the vest is removable so I could cut down on some of the weight if I wanted.
- The game bag portion unvelcros and unsnaps at the top so you can easily dump out the bag if you had to or very easily access the bottom for cleaning.
- LOTS of pockets.
- Appears to be very well made using sturdy fabrics. Since I tend to be hard on gear, time will tell how well it lives through me. But I don't expect I will need to buy another vest for a long time.
Cons:
- The pockets on the side of the game bag are just far enough back for me that it isn't easy to zip them up after unzipping them. The front pockets don't really have a good place to store keys so I put them in one of the pockets on the side. And some of my snacks are there. It isn't a huge deal but can be an aggravation if I need into those pockets while I am walking.
- My previous vest, the shell pockets were more on the front of my body than the side (likely because it was a vest for a much larger person) but it gave me a place to easily rest the butt of my gun when I walked. The shell pockets on this vest are more on the side, as you can see in the picture. That will just take some getting used to.
- The shell pockets and the water bottles do stick out a bit from my waist so my arms don't swing normally when I am just walking. Again, that will just take some getting used to. I wanted the big pocketed version but I wasn't expecting that kind of change. Possibly because my previous vest was for someone bigger than me and that kind of stuff was lower on my body.
- The vest comes with an electronics pocket that is removable and fits on one of the shoulder straps. That is where I would store my Garmin Alpha handheld but because the hand held has a silicone protective cover, it doesn't fit into the pocket. Fits perfectly if I didn't have the cover on the Alpha. That isn't Q5's fault but I was a little disappointed when I realized that my Alpha won't fit into the pocket and thought I'd mention it for others to possibly consider.
A couple of things to consider (probably for all vests if you are looking for a new vest):
- This vest has a pocket for a water bladder and if you will use a bladder it sits directly against your back. If you sweat easily, that may not be a feature that you would be interested in.
- This vest is definitely bulky. For long walks on the prairies, it is great. Here in FL where I hunt, it likely won't be an issue. If you do a lot of grouse or woodcock hunting where you are in super thick cover, this particular configuration may not be the best for you.
- This vest would likely make a very good turkey vest. They do offer the colors in just tan.
So if you are in the market for a new upland vest, and especially if you are or you know a woman who also upland hunts and she wants or needs a vest, I would highly recommend Q5 as a company to consider buying a vest from.
