By: The Grit Staff
Upland hunting is a simple pursuit. All you really need is a pair of boots and a shotgun. Of course, those smitten with wingshooting accumulate significantly more gear to make the experience more enjoyable. You can just pile all the bells and whistles into the truck and forget about it. The only problem is, what if you take a friend’s truck instead? What if it isn’t safe to
leave guns and ammo in your rig overnight?
It can be surprisingly difficult to find good ways to move your essentials around, but Orvis’ new Upland Field Kit is poised to meet this need. We tested the Upland Gun Slip, Field Kit Bag, and Cleaning Station on early season grouse hunts, and here are a few of our thoughts.
The Orvis Upland Gun Slip has quickly replaced our other shotgun cases, appearing on our shoulders on every single hunt. The case is light, with a tough Cordura outer that sheds modest precipitation and guards against scuffs and scrapes. A single pocket on one side of the case can accommodate your spare chokes and hearing protection. The case’s buckle closure is very durable, but perhaps not as adjustable as we would like. There is no way to tighten the webbing that attaches the backpack-style buckle. However, the same webbing is adjustable on the shoulder strap, and this strap can snap off altogether if you like.
The interior of the case has a soft felt liner that held up well to slipping guns in and out. While slip-style cases lack zippers that can break or scratch your gun, they are prone to snagging, especially as your bead drags against the case interior. We noticed a side-by-side has a bit more traction inside the case, but an over-under easily slips in and out. The overall size of the case relegates it to double gun use, as it is too short for longer autoloader barrels and even some long-barreled clays guns.
One nifty feature on this case is the mesh-lined ⅓ length zipper above the barrel. Ostensibly, this allows you to vent a wet gun. Any shotgunner worth their salt will know this is inadequate- a wet gun should be promptly cleaned and dried, as should the interior of the Upland Gun Slip if you find yourself in interesting weather.
Enter the matching Orvis Upland Cleaning Station. This mat matches the gun slip outer and folds neatly into a compact pouch. When you unroll the Cleaning Station on your tailgate or cabin table, you will find the interior lined with supple fleece that protects your gun as you perform necessary field cleaning and maintenance. The Cleaning station has a few handy pockets for gun oil and bore snakes, and fits conveniently into the lid of the Upland Field Bag.
One of our favorite pieces of the Orvis Field Kit, the Field Bag has the same tough and handsome Cordura outer with a felt-lined inner. You could fit a case of shells in its semi-rigid frame, but it is more likely you will shift around the velcro dividers to accommodate a few boxes of ammo, sunglasses, gloves, a rain jacket…basically anything you don’t want in your hunting vest, but that you definitely want in the field with you. Akin to the mountain man’s ‘possibles bag’, the Field Bag is a great catch-all that helps you keep all the essentials in one place, even when you switch vehicles or bring valuables in for the night.
At The Grit, we love adventures but we hate shuffling gear around before and after hunting trips. The Orvis Upland Field Kit streamlines the process, keeping the spirit of simplicity that we hold dear when we are chasing birds. Sure, the entire kit costs 336.00, but so do most good strap vests these days. We are confident that we will use the Field Kit just as much, and we like that
you can buy just one or two pieces of the kit if you want.
We’ve had the opportunity to try some great products this season, but the Orvis Upland Field Kit is one of our favorites. We look forward to many years of tossing these well-conceived pieces into the truck for another adventure.
*The Grit was supplied with testing samples, but was not otherwise compensated for this
review.
