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Aug 07, 2023

The Best Upland Hunting Vests of 2023

We tested everything from ultralight minimalist vests to options that hold plenty of gear for an all-day hunt We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate

We tested everything from ultralight minimalist vests to options that hold plenty of gear for an all-day hunt

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

On a good morning of pheasant hunting, I’ll leave my truck with a pocket full of shotgun shells, two water bottles, a couple of granola bars, my dog, and my gun. I won’t return until it’s time for a late lunch. Or, if it’s a really good morning of pheasant hunting, I’ll be limited out before then. In other words, I like to hunt efficiently. In order to hunt hard and hunt efficiently, you’ve got to have your shit together, and wearing one of the best upland hunting vests will help.

A bird hunting vest is one of our simplest pieces of gear. It is, after all, just a vest with a couple pockets on the side and one big pocket in the back (the game bag). But when it comes to hunting gear, innovation has no bounds, and modern hunting vests include a whole new series of adjustments, customizations, and hidden features. They can also cost upwards of $350.

In order to help you find the best bird hunting vest for your pursuits, I field tested the top models over the course of a season. These are my favorites.

I called in vests from all the major manufacturers I could get ahold of, and then, very simply, I started hunting in them. I hunted grouse and woodcock in Wisconsin. Pheasants in my home state of Minnesota and on the prairies of South Dakota. And for good measure, I also hunted perdiz in Argentina. (If you don’t know what perdiz are, imagine if a bobwhite and a hen pheasant had a love child). Executive editor Natalie Krebs also tested the Alps Outdoorz vest over the course of several seasons of bird hunting across the country.

While hunting hard in each vest, we looked for the following qualities.

A vest needs to fit well and be comfortable over a full day of hunting. The best upland hunting vests have plenty of adjustment points so you can get weight distributed properly, just like a hunting backpack. This might not seem like a big deal when your vest has a light load, but when it’s packed full with two water bottles, three hefty roosters, and a box of 12 gauge shells, you’ll want your vest to fit you properly. There should also be ample padding and venting, and the shoulder straps shouldn’t dig in or rub.

Your bird hunting vest should help you stay organized. You want to be able to access your shells quickly and without taking your eyes off your dog. You should be able to access your water and snacks one-handed and be able to stuff a bird in the game bag without taking the vest off. You also want thin and broad shoulder straps so they don’t interfere with your gun mount. Personally, I want at least one interior zipper pocket for holding my license, wallet, and keys.

A bird hunting vest should last for many years. Since I could only hunt with most of this field for one season, I evaluated durability based on the quality of the material and strength of the build. If any vests started showing early wear and tear, they lost points in durability.

There are many clever design features in this field of upland vests. A few of the vests have designs that you can add or remove pockets or move pockets to different positions, customizing the vest to your liking. Furthermore, many of them are covered in Molle, and they’re compatible with hydration bladders.

Value boils down to how much vest you’re getting for your buck. Most of the vests were priced in the $200 to $300 range. Vests that are made in America (Final Rise and Hunt Redi) get extra credit in this category.

I scored each of these categories on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the highest score. You’ll see the scores for each vest reflected in the “Report Card” section of the write-up.

Final Rise

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Final Rise is a Utah-based company and a relative newcomer to the upland bird hunting market. Their vest’s name, the Summit, hints at the company’s spirit. Their gear was designed for hunting high-country chukars and mountain grouse. But this vest works equally well while tromping through cattail sloughs in South Dakota or busting through popple stands for grouse in Minnesota. The Summit is my editor’s choice winner because it has a minimalist style and fit while also offering all the space and support required to load up heavy for a full day of hunting.

The Summit comes in five waist size options and two torso size options, so no matter your physical build, you’ll be able to find one that fits you well. It’s highly adjustable, so you’ll be able to get it nice and snug before hunting. Like a few other top vest companies, Final Rise offers a variety of accessory bags, pockets, and webbings (this includes sidearm holsters and bear spray pouches). As you order your vest online, you can select which features you want (and your preferred colors, too). I kept my Summit vest configuration very simple, with only one shell pouch (it comes standard with two shell pouches) and two water bottle holsters. I didn’t want to take an inherently streamlined piece of kit and bulk it up unnecessarily.

The more I hunted in this vest, the more I came to appreciate all of its clever design features. For example, the shell pouches Velcro shut but also zipper closed as well. This seems redundant, but it’s not. I’ll Velcro the pouches closed while hunting so I can quickly access shells, but then I zipper the pouches shut when I’m done hunting, and it’s time to throw the vest in my truck. That way, shells don’t tumble out of the pocket in transit.

Another example of smart design: the vest can be used to transport an injured and immobilized dog out of the field. I didn’t test this feature, but you can see how it’s done in the video below.

I liked the slim profile of the vest, but this year I’ll probably add a pouch on my left shoulder for my dog’s e-collar unit and an extra rear bag for my dog first-aid kit. That’s the beauty of this system, you can scale it up or down depending on your hunting needs.

Alps

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Even after four seasons of hard bird hunting with this Alps Outdoorz vest, I’m not planning on swapping it out anytime soon. This durable, over-built vest is perfect for the way I hunt, which is that I don’t mind carrying a little extra weight to have everything I need for a long day of hiking. The dedicated hydration pocket carries my water supply, while the two water bottle pockets are perfect for dog water. The game vest is big enough for a limit of roosters, a first-aid kit, and the outer layer I inevitably shed once I get moving. Extra pouches and a zippered pocket are perfect for stashing gloves, a spare beanie, snacks, cable cutters (for rescuing dogs), and my hunting license.

That’s a lot of stuff, which is where the padded and vented hip belt comes in handy. It takes the weight off my back during long hours of hard hunting. The shoulder straps are supportive yet thin enough not to get in the way of my gun mount. They also have straps and pockets for clipping an e-collar remote and hydration hose. The vest is overkill for thick cover or carrying smaller birds like grouse, but it’s ideal for long days on the prairie.

I only have two gripes about this vest. The first is that if you don’t carefully Velcro the shell pocket each time you reload, you will lose shells whenever you jog. I’ve lost handfuls of them while running into position for the flush, which is both wasteful and a big bummer when you go to reload and realize you’re out of shells. (The shell pockets in the newer version of this vest feature magnetic closures and bigger side flaps to better secure shells.) The second complaint is my buddy’s: There is not enough blaze orange on the front and side of the vest. Apart from the shell-pocket closures, the only noticeable orange is on the back of the vest. It’s a problem easily solved with a 100 percent blaze orange hat, shirt, or jacket, but it is something to keep in mind. Considering that this is the most affordable modern vest in the field, those are small quibbles. —Natalie Krebs

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Orvis

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

As Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” The Orvis vest is simple. It’s essentially a hip belt with a game bag, adjustable yoke and shoulder straps. But if you’re willing to slim down your gear—which a sophisticated bird hunter should have no problem with—it’s the perfect vest. Weighing 1 pound, 15 ounces, it’s almost 2-pounds lighter than the heaviest vest in this test (the Filson).

The game bag is big enough to carry three roosters if you stuff them in and cinch it down tight. The pockets on either hip are large enough for plenty of shells, snacks, and miscellaneous gear. The back pocket is big enough for a first-aid kit, and the two water bottle pockets will hold Nalgenes without issue. What else do you really need (unless you like to hunt like Natalie Krebs, that uncivilized executive editor of ours)?

When I had to pick one vest out of this test field to bring with me to Argentina, I selected Orvis Pro LT. It packed into my luggage easily enough but was plenty of vest for two days of upland hunting.

At $195, this is the second most affordable modern bird vest in the test.

The downside of this vest is that it’s not meant to carry a ton of gear, and it doesn’t have the obvious durability of some of the others in the field. The material and straps are a bit thinner. I did notice some early wear and tear along some seams and edges. But that’s the trade-off of going ultra-light. Even so, I still expect this vest to last several more seasons of hard hunting. If you like the style of this vest but want one made of more durable material, go with the Orvis Pro vest, which you can still find on Amazon. However, if you need a minimalist, affordable bird vest that is comfortable and super light, then look no further. The Orvis Pro LT was made for you.

Read Next: Best Upland Hunting Pants

Filson

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Bird hunting guides must carry all their own gear, plus some extra items for their clients (extra shells, snacks, water, etc.). They often have to carry their clients’ birds, too. So it makes sense that Filson has named this heavy hauler the Guide Strap Vest. It has a hefty game bag, large hip pockets, a water bladder compartment, and a generously sized back pocket. It also has a bit more padding and thicker straps than other vests in the test.

If you needed to load up with two water bottles, two boxes of shells, a lunch, a med kit, GPS unit, and a half-dozen birds in your game bag, this is the vest you’d want for the job. The downside is that the vest is a bit heavier and bulkier. But hey, if you want to hunt like a guide, you’ve got to be tough like a guide.

Read Next: Best Upland Hunting Boots

Chief Upland

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Chief Upland offers a very cool build-your-own vest system. The sides of the vest are built with Molle-like webbing that each accessory attaches to with simple straps. When selecting accessories, you can go with a starter bundle, which includes a shell pouch, water bottle holder, and water bottle, or you can buy each accessory one at a time.

Chief Upland doesn’t have quite as many accessories as other companies in this test, but it wins the award for best shell pouch. Theirs is a water-resistant pouch if you zipper it closed. But there’s also a magnetized cover that flips closed (the magnets are strong enough to keep it closed even while running through the field). When I’m hunting, I leave the zipper open and rely on the magnetized top, so I can access shells quickly. The shell pouch also has outer shell loops for even faster reloads.

It’s fun adding accessories and customizing your vest. Just remember accessories jack up the price—a shell pouch costs about $35.

I’ve actually hunted with this vest for several seasons now, and it has held up admirably. It has a limited storage capacity, but it does carry weight quite well. I’ve had no problem hauling around three big roosters in it. I love that the game bag has a blood-resistant lining. After a successful hunt, I’ll wipe it clean with a paper towel and avoid that blood-stained game bag look.

A few small quibbles: I wish the water bottle holders were bigger (to fit Nalgene-sized bottles), and while the e-collar unit holder on the shoulder strap is great for right-handed shooters (like me), it might get in the way for lefties making a fast gun mount.

Hunt Redi

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

This is a pricey vest with a ton of options and available customization. The game bag has firm sides, so it stays in a rectangular shape even when empty. It has a nice interior mesh pocket for securing items you don’t want sliding around as you hike. The vest is certainly built for hauling heavier loads. If you plan to hunt all day and want to store extra layers and lunch in your vest, The Hunt Redi would be a solid choice.

Like the Chief Upland vest, it’s covered in webbing and fully customizable. Hunt Redi has an even wider selection of pouches and water bottle holsters. The vest is perfect for hunters who like to tinker and aren’t afraid to watch a few Youtube videos in order to figure out all the features on their vest. On the downside, it is a bit bulky. I would not choose this vest for hunting grouse in heavy cover or for busting through cattail sloughs.

The other notable feature of this vest is its premium price point. Including the bundle of accessories, it’s about $70 more expensive than the next priciest vest. But it is American sourced and American made, and it has a ton of features that a diehard bird hunter will love. If you decide to invest in a Hunt Redi vest, you’ll be able to wear it with pride. At the time of publication, the blaze orange version of the vest was sold out, but the “green ranger” color was available.

Cabela’s

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Report Card

Key Features

Pros

Cons

Maybe you just need a traditional, simple upland hunting vest? This Cabela’s model will suit you just fine. The most interesting thing about this vest is that it has mesh around the chest and back. On early-season hunts, this venting should keep you cool. On late-season hunts, all your other layers keep you warm, so it’s not like the mesh is a detriment.

This simple orange was built for bird hunters—it’s not just a big-game hunting vest with a game bag added on. It has shell loop holders on either side pocket that hold 12-gauge loads firmly. The game bag has a blood-resistant liner. The shoulder padding is minimal, so the vest shouldn’t hamper a good gun mount. The sizing runs a bit large. I’m 6 feet 2 inches, weigh 180 pounds, and am swimming in the size large, even while wearing mid-temp layers.

Read Next: Best Shotguns for Bird Hunting

Some necessities for to carry are your shells, snacks, dog first aid kit, hunting license, and water for you and the dog.

After testing a variety of vests we found the Final Rise Summit Vest to be the best overall upland hunting vest.

Once you find the perfect upland hunting vest, it will become part of your bird-hunting ritual. You’ll keep your shells in the same pocket every hunt. You’ll have a system for securing and accessing your water bottles quickly. You’ll be able to reach back and grab a granola bar without having to take the vest off. You’ll know that the dog’s first-aid kit is stashed away in a back pocket (and hopefully, it will stay stashed away). Your car keys, license, and wallet will be secure in the same zippered pocket when you return from your hunt.

You’ll be able to simply throw your vest in the truck and go hunting. So, choose your own best upland hunting vest carefully. If you need extra space for extra gear, go with the Filson, Alps, or Hunt Redi vests. If you want to stay light and sleek, go with the Final Rise, Orvis, or Chief Upland vests.

Alex Robinson is Outdoor Life’s editor-in-chief. He oversees an ace team of writers, photographers, and editors who are scattered across the continent and cover everything from backcountry sheep hunting to trail running.

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