vest hiking

I picked up a swiss army camo jacket, it had cargo pockets and a kind of built in backpack or large space in the back. I cut into a vest and used it for a few summer trips, I’m not sure if it was cotton or poplin or some blend but it worked well until it got wet.
There’s probably some kind of photographer’s vest that could be adapted. My guess is it would come down to how you carried your sleeping arangement.

Check Cabelas or BassProShops for “Turkey Vests”. Quite a variety. Have a couple of older ones – many, many pockets. Some come with a padded seat which is shorter than a torso length pad, but can be combined with one. The padded seat alone makes a nice pillow/upperback cushioning (i left it at home after the first use & just used a torso pad).

Only used them for overnight UL outings in cooler temps(NOT cold, but NOT summer in New England either which would mean more sweat than you might with a pack). You’ll still sweat more than with a pack, IME.

The game bag is a poor substitute for a pack, but can hold a warmer temp down bag, bivy shelter, or bivy sack and poncho-tarp.

Food storage may become an issue on a two-day, IMHO, but i don’t really know as i’ve only used them for overnights.

In hot weather, even one with mesh produces a more sweat than a pack. Personally, i wouldn’t use one in some warmer New England weather (hot & humid).

In tight spaces, fully “packed” they can be a bit cumbersome to squeeze through rocks or brush.

Many of the smaller pockets are next to worthless (unless you putting turkey calls into them), but often you can remove the stitching b/t adjacent pockets to form a larger pocket.

Look for:
– wide “straps” over the shoulders
– partial mesh back to keep the back cool (unless using it just in cooler/cold temps)
– color choice is mostly “camo” (of various sorts – wear some orange during hunting season; i think some of the newer ones include a couple of orange fold out pathces for visibility from other hunters), blaze orange, or an “upland game brown” color.

I’ve never weighed mine, but they have to weigh several times (many times???) more than an UL packs like GG G5 or G6.

It’s easy to get organized with so many pockets, but then my “old-timers” acts up and i forget which pocket has a particular piece of gear.

It was an interesting experiment, but have settled on the Essence, G5, or G6 or sometimes a large capacity hunter’s lumbar pack in very hot&humid weather (back doesn’t sweat anywhere near as much as with a normal pack; though these large lumbar packs can mean you’re hauling quite a “caboose” behind you, making turning to squeeze between rocks not an option. You can check Cabelas and BassProShops for these packs too. Look for 1300-1400 cu in capacity and possibly a smaller 400-800 cu fanny pack which you can wear in front of your abdomen – plenty of capacity for short UL treks. This combo can haul more than a “Turkey Vest”. Must have UL shelter and bag though or you won’t fit either into a single compartment in the large lumbar pack. UL pack still preferable to me in all but the hottest and humid summer days.

Another option is to add “Leg Packs” to one of the above configurations for more storage. I made some as a youth when i was experimenting with CG issues and was laughed off of the trails by friends. Noticed recently that someone is actually manufacturing these “Leg Packs” and Cabelas sells them. Like the ones from my youth, when stuffed they can make for a “Wide Load”.

Other possibilities are blanket rolls, haversacks (or messenger bags).

Some of these approaches are novel, but there’s a reason why man for many, many years has settled on a “backpack” of various sorts.

Hope this rambling info helps.

I used to use an Air Force survival vest. It had lots of pockets and needed only two larger pouch pocket on the back and a couple of larger pockets on the front to be a reasonable weekend packing vest – for the time. It weighed about a pound and a half. I never settled on a satisfactory kit to go with it and had to carry my bedroll over a shoulder. The idea may have merit, though. for some conditions.
In PA in moderate weather, a 16 oz. down bag is adequate and would fit in a back pouch easily, a GG pad and cape/tarp could go in front pouches. A titanium cup with solid fuel rig could hang somewhere. Yeah.
But I second pj on the disadvantages – heat and bulk. A slim backpack will carry everything more comfortably.

west viking

I’ve used vest for photo gear and just “around town” but they get heavy fast and the more you load them, the hotter they get as the fabric presses tight against you. I’ll bet every army has a version too– great if you need to carry a few hand grenades and some demolition gear :(

I’ve really toyed around with alternatives to conventional back packs, like lumbar packs and even messenger bags. You can get away with anything for a day hike, but the minute you start adding sleeping pads and bags, it gets to be impractical. The simple packs like the G5 and variants are the lightest way to enclosed a space large enough for multi-day gear. Once you step away from a backpack, the weight goes up you end up with some contraption that flaps and bounces all over. Every pocket is its own set of enclosed layers, with zippers, snaps, Vecro, etc, etc, each compounding the weight and complexity.

I think we all wish for what I call the Flash Superhero Kit, where your costume unfolds from your ring, like “the Flash” comic book hero. I’ve never recalled how he got his costume back *in* the ring afterwards :) We’re bound by the laws of physics, darn it.