Philip Bourjaily, Peter B. Mathiesen, Keith McCafferty, John Merwin, David E. Petzal, Bob Robb, and Dave Scroppo

FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 30 May 2006 17:00:00 -0400

[BRACKET "Hunting Pack"]
CABELA'S ULTRALIGHT EXTREME HUNTER 4000
Cabela's Ultralight Hunter is made for those of us who hunt sheep at the top of the world and moose at the bottom of it, and who need enough pack to haul camp in and meat out. Tipping the scales at just under 5 pounds, it represents one of the first forays by a hunting-pack manufacturer into the ultralight craze that has revolutionized backpacking. But how would this 4,000-cubic-inch-capacity pack stand up to our test-a 26-mile expedition in Montana's Beartooth Wilderness, where its papery fabric would have to tote a week's worth of gear at 10,000 feet? Very well, indeed, and the waterproof zippers lived up to their billing, surviving more thunderstorms than I'd like to recall. With its cargo and spotting scope pockets removed, it also served double duty as a roomy daypack. The 210-denier nylon fabric is a tad noisy, but except when I'm hunting whitetails, the tradeoff in weight is one I'll take. $200; 800-237-4444; cabelas.com -K.M.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 30 May 2006 17:00:00 -0400

[BRACKET "Baitcasting Reels"]
DAIWA VIENTO
This baitcaster is at the top of the heap among new freshwater reels for 2006. A long list of premium features is headed by what Daiwa calls a Twitchin' Bar, a unique design that lets you retrieve short lengths of line without cranking the handle itself. The bar, mounted at the top rear of the frame, is operated with the thumb of the hand that's palming the reel. Pressing the bar once slowly retrieves about 4 inches of line-ideal for gently twitching anything from a floating-minnow plug to a sunken plastic worm. If you need to quickly recapture any slack line, just use a faster thumb motion. The system gives you more control over the retrieve.

Other features include six ball bearings, a solid anti-reverse, Daiwa's Magforce antibacklash control, a rigid aluminum frame, a fast 6.3:1 gear ratio, and an easily controlled whiffle-type perforated spool. At 8.3 ounces and carrying 100 yards of 14-pound-test nylon, the Viento is light, and for a premium reel, the price is right. $200; 562-802-9589; daiwa.com -J.M.

SHIMANO TORSA
I got my hands on Shimano's latest mechanical marvel about four months ago, and I'm still happily purring-just like the reel itself. The Torsa won Best in Show at a recent national fishing-tackle trade convention. Designed for nearshore saltwater use, it features the biggest, toughest drive gearing ever placed in a Shimano reel, all nestled rigidly in a cold-forged, machined-aluminum frame. That produces unreal cranking power and, just as important, gives room for a huge drag to tame everything from stripers to tuna. The ratcheting lever-drag system is unique, allowing the use of eight interchangeable drag cams that fine-tune the reel for specific fish, a Florida kingfish, say, or a mid-Atlantic white marlin.

Four models range in size from the TS16N (narrow spool, 28.6 ounces, 300 yards of 14-pound nylon mono) to the TS30 (31.1 ounces, 420 yards of 25-pound mono). All have 5.8:1 gear ratios and internally adjustable centrifugal cast controls for easy tossing of heavier baits. $670Â¿Â¿Â¿$700; 877-577-0600; shimano.com -J.M.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 30 May 2006 17:00:00 -0400

[BRACKET "Decoy"]
GREENHEAD GEAR FULL-BODY MALLARDS WITH REAL MOTION BASES
Making decoys that look real is difficult, and having them move like live ducks is a genuine accomplishment. Greenhead Gear succeeds on both counts with their full-body mallards. They come in both feeding and active styles that perfectly capture the plump look of grain-fattened mallards. Swiveling heads allow different poses.

The Real Motion base puts the waddle in the decoy's walk. Setup is ridiculously simple. The base consists of a ring of wire and an upright post, and a plastic cone is screwed to the underside of the duck's back. Put the ring on the ground, set the cone on the post, and you're ready to hunt. There's no pounding stakes into frozen ground or fumbling in the dark.

I set these decoys in my yard on a calm day, and even the slightest breeze seemed to breathe life into them. $90 per half dozen; 800-333-5119; greenheadgear.com -P.B.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 04:00:00 -0500

When Field & Stream first ran the Best of the Best Awards back in December 1998, no one could anticipate just how popular and prestigious they would become. The idea was to choose 25 items that "F&S editors found that can make all the difference." The award program was well received by you, the readers, and has really taken off, so much so that it has grown into a nationally recognized event. Readers and manufacturers take serious interest every year in what's been chosen and why.

We take this charge seriously, too. This year, seven field editors were involved in the tests, selecting gear they thought might be special. They tested it, compared it with competitive products, showed it to colleagues. Lists of Best of the Best candidates were finally assembled and sent to Field & Stream's offices, where the New York editors took their time and pored over the reams of information. Decisions were made, reconsidered, rejected, accepted again...or not.

In the pages that follow, you'll read what we, the editors of F&S, consider to be truly the best of the best. These items all performed up to expectations and, in many cases, beyond. Their prices are reasonable and fair. Their designs are well thought-out. And their usefulness to you, the sportsman, is unparalleled. These 21 are the best.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 04:25:00 -0500

[BRACKET "Gear Bag"]
SIMMS HARD-BOTTOM ROLLER BAG
Having schlepped piles of gear in and out of trucks, lodges, and airports for more than four decades of travel, I hereby pronounce Simms' Hard-Bottom Roller Bag to be the best piece of fishing luggage ever designed. My sample has about 10,000 miles on it so far this year, and I still smile whenever I grab the handle.

The 34x16x13-inch bag has big 3Â¿Â¿-inch wheels that easily handle rough boat docks and sidewalks. Designed to remain upright when tilted on end, it has an extendable handle for easy hauling. Its lower half-enclosed by the molded hard bottom-has a protected compartment that can hold half a dozen multipiece rods, up to a four-piece 9Â¿Â¿-footer. The storage area is so rigid that I've carried rods in their cloth bags without metal tubes, which saves considerable space. Another large bottom section is sized to fit wading boots, and a third takes your vest, waders, and other gear. The soft upper portion has two clear-covered expanding sections that hold clothing for a week's fishing. This bag is so well organized that even the Transportation Security Administration has yet to screw up the contents of mine during inspections. If only that were the case with my standard duffel bags. $300; 866-585-3570; simmsfishing.com -J.M.

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2004 Best of the Best Awards

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 06:50:00 -0500

If you believed every catalog and advertisement, you'd think that all hunting and fishing equipment made today was "revolutionary" or a "great value." It isn't. There are a lot of products out there that are good but oh so ordinary. Picking through this mountain of gear to find the best stuff was hard, but that's where our seven-man panel of expert sportsmen and gear fanatics came in. Over the past year, they tested hundreds of new outdoor products, using them to fish, hunt, and camp from the southern swamps to the Rocky Mountain wilderness. The following winners of our 7th annual Best of the Best Awards proved themselves better than everything else we tested. Their designs are smart. Their prices are fair. Their performance in the field was outstanding. When it comes to gear, these 18 products are the best of the best.

Rimfire & Shotgun
Remington Model 504 .22
Mossberg 935

Fly Reel
Martin Mountain Brook Large-Arbor Fly Reels

Binocular
Leica Ultravid

Fishing Jacket
SIMMS G3 Guide Jacket

Reel & Line
Shimano Calcutta TE DC Baitcasting Reels
Berkley Vanish Transition

Boots
Danner Pronghorns

Compound Bow
Hoyt XTEC

Ammunition
Remington Managed Recoil And Federal Power-Shok Low Recoil
Ruger/Hornady .204

Folding Knife
Lone Wolf Knives Harsey Tactical Ranger Folder

Outboard Engine
Mercury Verado

Tent
EUREKA! Zeus 4EXO

Rifle & Gun Rest
Charles Daly Field Grade Mauser
Caldwell Lead Sled

All-Terrain Vehicle
Polaris 800 Twin EFI Sportsman

FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Sat, 27 Mar 2004 04:15:00 -0500

[BRACKET "ATV"]
SUZUKI 700 KING QUAD
On a test run in Canada, I submarined a 700 in a mudhole multiple times all the way up to the handlebars and it never stalled, sputtered, or got stuck. All I did was clean off the radiator and then drove it hard for another 60 miles without a misfire. This ATV has fuel injection, a differential locker, killer brakes, and an impressive downhill engine braking system. It also has exceptionally low vibration, so much so that I never experienced numb hands at the end of a day of riding.

The King Quad is jammed with speed and torque and comes with a 2-inch receiver that allows you to tow up to 992 pounds. This machine is a true workhorse, but it's so easy to handle that even an inexperienced rider will feel comfortable on it. $7,300; 800-828-7433; suzukicycles.com -P.B.M.

Above photo is of Eric Zinczenko (far left), Group Publisher for Field & Stream, presenting the Best of the Best Award to the Suzuki team at the American Suzuki Motor Corporation in Brea California.Â¿Â¿ Representing Suzuki Â¿Â¿(from left to right) are Motoo Murakami, Executive Vice President of ATV Operations; Rod Lopusnak, Manager of ATV Operations; Glenn Hansen, Communications Manager.

PIRELLI RUT BUSTER TIRE
You can spend $8,000 on a new ATV and have a flat tire the first time you ride on sharp, rocky terrain. Last summer I tested a new quad that came with an "upgraded" puncture-resistant tire that six out of 14 pro riders managed to flatten in one day. A month later, during a test in comparable conditions with many of the same aggressive drivers, we sought out every jagged rock and pointy root and not one of us could flatten a Pirelli Rut Buster. The four-wheelers didn't slide sideways, and they stuck to every hard surface. I found them downright impressive in the muck, especially since they're not mud tires.

Besides being puncture resistant, they grip well on rocks and stay tight in turns. These are the best general-use ATV tires I've ridden to date and should keep you mobile for many, many miles. $35Â¿Â¿Â¿$75, depending on size; 800-747-3554; us.pirellimoto.com -P.B.M.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 21 Nov 2003 04:05:00 -0500

[BRACKET "Fishing Craft"]
WATER STRIDER RAFT
The first time I rowed one of Dave Ink's inflatable kick boats, I'll admit to a faint taste of coins when I swallowed. How could a one-man, open-front polyurethane and PVC craft handle the Bulkley River's current of 20,000 cubic feet per second, through a canyon where one rapid chased another? Five hours and one 15-pound Canadian steelhead later, I was sold.

Here was the answer for the globe-trotting angler: a boat that weighed so little (17Â¿Â¿ pounds; 28Â¿Â¿ with oars, pump, and carry bag) that you could backpack it on a bicycle, check it as luggage at the airport, drop it out of a floatplane, and then pump it up bankside to run Class III water down any river on earth-all while carrying gear for a monthlong expedition (it has a load capacity of 515 pounds). Using fins, you can maneuver the 92x42-inch Water Strider to fish tight spots. You can portage it around waterfalls. Drape it with camo netting to sneak up on waterfowl. The only prerequisite for owning one, besides access to a fair chunk of change, is a sense of adventure. $1,395; 406-375-0251; waterstrider.com -K.M.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 31 Dec 1999 19:00:00 -0500

[BRACKET "Rifle"]
SAKO QUAD
Anyone who can learn to speak Finnish must be pretty clever, so it should be no surprise that it was the people at Sako who came up with the idea of a rimfire rifle with interchangeable barrels. The gun comes in .22 LR, .22 WMR, .17 HMR, or .17 Mach 2, or you can get all four as a set. Swapping barrels is a cinch even for the mechanically disadvantaged: Turn a key wrench to loosen a set screw that holds the barrel in place; pull out the old barrel; push in the new one; retighten the screw. I figured it out without even reading the directions.

The Quad is a racy-looking synthetic-stocked rifle with an excellent trigger, 50-degree bolt lift (which was quite stiff on the one I tried, but it was brand-new), and color-coded barrels so you can tell one caliber from another. Accuracy is outstanding. Quads are expected to turn in Â¿Â¿-inch groups at 100 yards at the factory.

Ah, you say, but what about rezeroing every time you switch barrels? Even that has been taken care of. Burris makes a 3XÂ¿Â¿Â¿9X scope called (what else?) the Quad with four resettable dials that are color-coded to match the barrels. Simply turn the dial, and you're there. $948 for the Quad in any single caliber; $1,739 for the four-barrel set; 800-636-3420; beretta.com -D.E.P.

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FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 31 Dec 1999 19:00:00 -0500

[BRACKET "Ammunition"]
WINCHESTER .325 SHORT MAGNUM
Shortfats and super shortfats have been arriving by the battalion in the last few years, and everyone assumed that the next Winchester addition would be a .338 shortfat. Everyone was wrong. Winchester Western ballisticians concluded that if they wanted to design something bigger than .30 caliber, then .32 was the way to go. Thus, the .325 was born (going by the metric system, that's an 8mm short magnum).

The .325 is a highly efficient cartridge that throws medium-weight bullets at very respectable velocities and delivers a lot of wallop at the muzzle without undue recoil at the other end. W/W currently offers a 180-grain Ballistic Silvertip at 3000 fps, a 200-grain AccuBond at 2900, and a 220-grain Power-Point at 2800. Now let's see if Winchester comes up with a 220-grain Fail Safe loading. That will transform a highly useful cartridge into a truly formidable one. $37Â¿Â¿Â¿$53 per box, depending on the bullet; 618-258-2000; winchester.com -D.E.P. FEDERAL PREMIUM VITAL-SHOK TRUBALL RIFLED SLUG
This new line from Federal redefines Foster slug accuracy. I had no trouble shooting 2-inch groups at 50 yards with 12-gauge TruBall slugs in a smoothbore. Most Foster slugs won't group tighter than 4 or 5 inches at 50 yards, and many do worse than that. What's the secret? A little plastic ball-which fits into the TruBall's hollow base and sits in a dimple on the wad-keeps the slug centered in the bore as it expands upon firing. The ball also helps the wad and slug separate cleanly as they exit the muzzle.

TruBalls are real tack-drivers by slug standards. What's more, you get revolutionary accuracy for only a dollar more per box than traditional Fosters. They come in 12- and 20-gauge and 12-gauge low-recoil versions. $5 for a box of 5; 800-322-2342; federalcartridge.com -P.B.

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