Orion 762
November 08, 2004, 00:01
I bought this vest last summer, and it's finally gotten cool enough for some in-woods "field time". In short . . . this is an outstanding vest for hunting or for just "packing light" through the brush. The workmanship is superb, the vest "fits" due to Gary's custom tailoring efforts, and the materials are strong enough for serious "in-the-field" use.
I wore it recently on a two-day quail hunt. I loaded it with "extras" just to see how it handled the load (4 boxes of shells, rain parka, a handgun, and Platypus 2 liter water bag). Worn only over a light shirt, the vest worked just fine. Easy access to shotgun shells, plenty of water, and with the "very" adjustable straps it all "balanced" and was easy to wear.
The photo below shows it really "loaded up" with 30 lbs of gear. (8 FAL mags, 2 boxes of 12 ga., handgun with extra ammo, light bedroll, and lots of water.) Most won't want to load it this heavily, but even "fully loaded" the straps allow you to distribute the weight between the waist and the shoulder straps.
Only thing I might add would be "snaps" to the flap closure instead of the hook-and-loop method. (I like open flaps to "stay open" when I open them. The Velcro works just fine on the vest - - but I like snaps better.)
Gary at Gary's Custom Guns is a top-notch guy, getting the vest custom made fast (about 3 weeks), and he even worked with me (no charge) in extra tailoring needed. And it's made right here in U.S.A. (Libby, MT)!!
http://www.garyscustomguns.com/default.asp
I'm definitely a satisfied customer.
Orion 762
I wore it recently on a two-day quail hunt. I loaded it with "extras" just to see how it handled the load (4 boxes of shells, rain parka, a handgun, and Platypus 2 liter water bag). Worn only over a light shirt, the vest worked just fine. Easy access to shotgun shells, plenty of water, and with the "very" adjustable straps it all "balanced" and was easy to wear.
The photo below shows it really "loaded up" with 30 lbs of gear. (8 FAL mags, 2 boxes of 12 ga., handgun with extra ammo, light bedroll, and lots of water.) Most won't want to load it this heavily, but even "fully loaded" the straps allow you to distribute the weight between the waist and the shoulder straps.
Only thing I might add would be "snaps" to the flap closure instead of the hook-and-loop method. (I like open flaps to "stay open" when I open them. The Velcro works just fine on the vest - - but I like snaps better.)
Gary at Gary's Custom Guns is a top-notch guy, getting the vest custom made fast (about 3 weeks), and he even worked with me (no charge) in extra tailoring needed. And it's made right here in U.S.A. (Libby, MT)!!
http://www.garyscustomguns.com/default.asp
I'm definitely a satisfied customer.
Orion 762