Important items to have on your 2026 hunts
My favorite time of the year is rapidly approaching. Fall brings cool weather, football and last but not least, bowhunting. I love to check out the new equipment that is available to bowhunters each season. I put my new items to the test and like to share what works for me and why. You will notice that most of the items I choose are as compact and lightweight as possible. It is essential when public land hunting to be able to pack it in and pack it out.
New stuff
This season, I am trying out the new Ravin R8 XK7 crossbow. It fires arrows 420 feet per second and weighs just 7.5 pounds. It fits very nicely in my ALPs Outdoors Matrix backpack. I love this pack, as it frees up both of my hands due to the cool crossbow insert on the back side. It has loads of carrying space for all your accessories.
See-through blinds
This fall, I will be hunting out of a ground blind for the first time. Those blinds have come a long way. Some of them feature a see-through mesh that is really amazing. You can see the deer quite clearly, yet they cannot see you.
I selected a couple of those types of blinds (Tidewe OptiVue 360 and Funhorun Striker360) that are spacious enough to fit up to three hunters. Their carrying weight was important as well (30 and 23 pounds). Set up and take down is very quick and efficient. Durability will be determined in future seasons, but the material in each seems very strong.
The Striker360 has full see-through walls and is very light weight. I will use that one for my October hunting. The OptiVue 360 is made of a heavy duty material with half walls also comprised of see-through mesh. That one will be used for the colder months. A silent, comfortable, portable chair is a must. I chose a Funhorun shooting chair that is very comfortable, has arm rests and folds up to carry.
A headlamp
Another item that can pay major dividends is a good headlamp. The Odear LED headlamp lasts over 10 hours, is lightweight and rechargeable. It also emits an incredibly powerful beam of light. Why not leave a hand free that might otherwise be carrying a flashlight? It’s the little things like this that add up to a big difference in a season’s worth of hunting.
Lightweight tree climber
When I am hunting in a public area that features a lot of straight, large trees, my go-to is a climbing stand. Using a climber can get me to higher areas that a ladder stand cannot reach.
I am very particular about what I like and why. I start with the weight. Carrying a heavy stand for an extended period is grueling. A few pounds more or a few pounds less is important for my comfort. But there are some extremely lightweight stands that I won’t buy because of safety considerations. They use arm climbing techniques and have no shooting rail for support.
My choice is a lightweight, stand up, sit down climber with a shooting rail. The Summit Mini Viper SD weighs in at a comfortable 18 pounds and checks all the boxes for me. It breaks down nicely and packs very well on my back. Climbing is secure and easy. Stability at the desired tree level is rock solid. It also has a nice cushion seat and is very comfortable to sit in for hours at a time.
A rangefinder can be the difference
I find one of the most important items for bowhunting is a rangefinder. Personally, I consider my greatest weakness while bowhunting is estimating distances. A good rangefinder solves that problem.
There are literally hundreds of types of rangefinders available for hunting. They range in price from less than a hundred dollars to several thousand. As with any type of hunting equipment, you don’t have to purchase the most expensive rangefinder to get the desired results. The Vortex Crossfire HD 1400 is my choice for bowhunting this season. It is compact, weighs only 4.8 ounces, has 5x magnification, HD optics and is waterproof. It is a tough little rangefinder that will be a valued part of my hunting accessories this season.
