Alps Outdoors Logo The ALPS Upland Vest X (Pack) is one of the best designed upland packs in the industry today. It is a well thought out pack that was built by an upland hunter that understands the needs of upland hunters. My goal in this post is to go over the key features that really make this pack awesome.

- Key Features of the ALPS Upland Game Pack -

 

Bird Pocket: The biggest thing that differentiates an upland game pack from any other pack is going to be the bird pocket.  It’s designed to be able to easily slip a freshly retrieved bird into the large pocket from either side of the pack so you can get back to the hunt with little to no interference. In the ALPS Pack, the bird pocket is large and accessible from either side. One key feature that differentiates this from a traditional bird vest is that it has a zipper at the top so you can fully open the pocket to dump out your kill; rather than having to pull birds out one by one, or shake them out. You can also lock the zipper with a toggle to avoid it coming undone.

Alps Upland Vest   Hydration Sleeve: I almost missed this feature because it’s concealed so well, but the hydration pocket is right behind the back panel. You can access it from the top, and there are ports leading out both sides of the harness straps. This is definitely something you won’t find in a traditional bird vest, and is really nice to have for those longer days.

Gun Rest: The gun rest is one of the most intuitive things I’ve ever seen on a pack. It’s a flip out rest that comes off the from the the hip belt so you can rest the butt of your gun with the muzzle in the air in a ready position. The flap is even magnetized so it will flip back against the belt when not in use. It’s sheer proof that the designer of this pack isn’t some computer whiz that’s never been hunting. The gun rest is a brilliantly conceived accessory that will change the way you hunt upland birds.

 

Shell Pockets: This is another feature that differentiates this pack from a traditional vest. It’s nice to be able to carry 2 full boxes of shells right on your belt. A cool thing about these pockets is that I was able to fit boxes of both 12 and 20 gauge and not have it be too tight or loose. The pockets have just the right stretch that they can accommodate both sizes up to 12 gauge with 3-inch shells.

Side Stretch Pockets: This is definitely a standard feature for a pack, but quite a luxury for an upland scenario. We all have gear that needs to be stuffed somewhere you can get to it easily. These side pockets are great for gloves, extra shells, a beanie, GPS, Flashlight, and pretty much any small accessory you need. It will even fit around a Nalgene bottle if you’re not using the hydration bladder.

 

Accessory Storage Pockets: This is where the backpack acts like a backpack. The accessory pockets are a great touch to any upland hunt. If you’re wearing a vest, you don’t have these because putting a backpack over a vest destroys the use-ability of the vest. It’s a great feature to have.

So for the guys that want have a few more bells and whistles on an upland hunt than they would get with a traditional vest, the ALPS Upland Game Vest X is a good way to go. The design, fit, and function are impressively enough to change the way you hunt.