Carlton,
I have always been a gear nut, and am constantly trying out new stuff. The Nif-T-Seat is not something I have fallen in love with. It is very good for its purposes, but not a great seat overall. Comfort is very important to me, and the Nif-T-Seat is only comfortable in relatively short spurts. Same thing with most tree stands, and I use those a lot too, often for far longer stretches than I would prefer. I have not tried the Waldrop seat, but the reports are mostly good on its comfort. The seats that I have that are among the most comfortable hunting seats are the Double Bull Magnum and the Huntmore. The trouble with them is that they are bulky and heavy, and the Huntmore is the heavier one and also is time consuming to set up and expensive to buy. But once set up at your stand or blind, the Huntmore is the best seat out there for long term comfort, adjustablity, and hunting compatible features.
On the clothing and pack side, I am really high on Kuiu after seeing and feeling the fabrics and talking with the people involved in the development, particularly Jason Hairston. I thought his Sitka gear products were great, but Kuiu is going to blow everyone away in the products where Jason has chosen to compete. The problem is the cost of these superior products. The prices are reasonable for what you get, but buying ultra high-end is always going to be an expensive proposition.
ASAT is one of my favorite patterns for most hunting (and the leafy suit is incredible), but if the colors of your clothing are substantially different from the background, turkeys will notice you despite a good camo pattern, like they noticed me when I was sitting in green vegetation with my tan and brown ASAT. That's where something like Predator Spring Green takes over. The new Kuiu pattern is going to compete well with ASAT and the gray or brown Predator patterns, but none of them will be good for spring turkey hunting in the states where the vegetation turns predominantly green at that time. Jason Hairston has committed to bringing out a green based camo pattern next season. I'm sure it will be one of the better ones.
The Bush in a Bag is a system that will work and is certainly simple, cool, light and probably effective at concealing the wearer from turkeys or other game animals. I personally would rather spend double and buy a Rancho Safari Long Coat in the all cotton (no burlap) fabric. It won't be as cool, light or inexpensive as the Bush in a Bag, but the quality and fit is many times better. The Long Coat will last most of us a lifetime of hunting, and nothing is more effective as camouflage. You do need to pick the color pattern that will work best in your area for the seasons and animals you will be hunting. There are several color patterns to choose from. I have never bought a Rancho Safari Shaggy (ghillie) before, but I have seen them on friends and tried them on, and there is nothing that can compare. I don't like the burlap models because of the roughness , the shedding, the heat retention, the weight, and the water retention. The all cotton versions are not as concealing as the versions with burlap, but almost so, and the other properties of the lighter cotton material are much better in my opinion. Like the Bush in a Bag, the Long Coat is made to be rolled up and carried into the hunting area and then put on when you are at your stand. I intend to buy one soon. The Nif-T-Seat will work well with clothing like the Long Coat, and probably with the Bush in a Bag, because you can move slowly through the hunting area and set up anywhere, which is especially effective when calling turkeys in the spring. The Long Coat has a heavy mesh base, and the loose fabric strands on the outside can be rolled up inside the mesh and the roll can be secured with webbing straps and buckles that are sewn to the inside of the coat. The Nif-T-Seat can be secured with the same straps when packed with the coat so that the coat and the seat can be carried as a single unit.
For particularly warm spring turkey hunting, I usually wear a jacket made with lightweight green camo mesh and a pair of lightweight green camo pants. I can put the mesh jacket on over my normal, lightweight, non-camo shirt (even a short sleeved shirt) and it works very well to conceal me because of the "depth" of the appearance of the mesh with all the small holes and the camo pattern. It is the cheapest, lightest, most compact, and flimsiest hunting jacket I own, but it works exceptionally well at keeping me cool when the temperatures get high and it hides me pretty well from turkey eyes.
Sorry for my ramblings on equipment. I am getting ready for turkey season next month!
Allan
Topic: Nif-T-Seat??? (Read 686 times)
