Thanks man , i have Absaroka and half insert . its very quality cant wait for next mounts to try with stove.

Appreciate you sharing this story. Lotsa value.

For only 10k subs you have a great platform! First time here, listened until 58:00 Great story.

Thanks for sharing Jay. As always you do a great job! Obviously not the best scenario but you tried to share the good and bad. IMO the best part of this video is the self reflection and lessons learned. We learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Keep up the great work! Can't wait to hear about your next hunt/adventure!

Have you looked at the vortex razor uhd yet? Would love a real unbiased review on it. Keep doing what you're doing appreciate it.

Don't ever stop sharing the "FUN" Steve! 🤠🦌

I know the game (oc) and your description of habitat and it's natural history fits it perfectly here where I hunt the Wilderness in "Northern California" with three contiguous wilderness areas. I'm not dissing your experience but it sounds like you haven't been here. Take a look at the Alpine true fir zone and above in the rimrock with deep timber nocturnal wonderland where know one goes except us after the Ghost. You and I have almost the exact same type of work experience cruising timber, packing around a core sampler, sometimes climbing 16' to get a diameter for form. Setting up THP's in the field with a vest full of flagging, paint, a topo, compass, clinometer, and if you were lucky, an altimeter or one of those old Yellow Garmin handheld GPS units. Don't forget your equalizer. So what I'm trying to say is have an open mind for something unseen because it's there and so are the 200 pound plus white faced, blue big brisket, fuzzy eared monsters like the one on Steve's wall.

Have been using peax tipi for last two years quite a bit for elk hunting, but agree the fabric does sag when wet. Had a near catastrophic pole failure with it as well. The center pole gets super hot when using a stove and that sil nylon material can get super tight when using a stove causing downward pressure from cone. Peax says to lower tipi to accommodate for that. Overall it’s been a great tipi and holds up well but this has been on my radar. Great video and love being a member of mindful reviews!

After go’ogling around I realized that Simmy Krotiel’s Bigger Blueprint was modified and you can make it bigger even faster, yep, what Simmy suggested before was pretty good, but the new stuff teaches how to make it up to four more inches bigger

Dang Jay, you still done good despite the conflicts, and you walked away a better hunter & horseman. “Nothing risked, nothing gained.” Thanks for sharing-robby

Will you do a full pack dump sometime? Just for curiosities sake

Man I really like the look of that mansion. It has enough 2 man room to be an episode of lifestyles of the rich and famous. 💪🏻

I agree with your review. Got the argali absaroka. Love it so much got the 1/2 insert and full insert to cover all temps and locations. Then got the sellway to have a couple friends come hunt. Once you learn to keep the edges loosely pulled it makes pitching them so easy. 100% recommend argali.

Very helpful comparison. I've been looking long and hard at the Niak, which looks like a really solid tent, but I am leaning towards the Rogen instead. Slightly heavier but more versatile with more room for two people, two porches, bigger porches and it looks like it is easier to get in and out of the Rogen in the rain, without having water dripping into the inner tent.

Wow, I have so much respect for you. Thank you for sharing with us.

Been chasing these Elusive Critters for awhile and have only laid eyes on them a few times, never witha legal bull. How frequently are you buggling? Me I will do a set of one or 2 location calls every 15 min ish and not sure if that is right...and then once in a while a good ole cow call. Any tips?

Man... I'm sorry your experience was so rough here in Wyoming. Unfortunately there's too many folks who think taking stock into the backcountry is something to be taken lightly. I have the opposite problem. I'm an experienced horseman and packer, with a well-trained string, but I'm a pretty sorry elk hunter. :)

appreciate the reminder ,,,, hunting is much better enjoyed alone

I have the Absaroka. 6 nights in it so far with a half insert. Used it on the Bowron Lakes canoe circuit. Nice shelter - it’s a quality tent and the little touches like reflective guy loops are nice. Sealed it myself - it does take a while but simple to do. Thanks for the review!

Hard hunts are tuff. I have hunted with my good friend my entire life and some time we don’t agree.

It is a huge advantage to be able to load your wood in the back door and come in the front door for sure

I am happy with my Durston X-Mid 2P

Great review Jay. Have the Rincon. Love it. Use it in the mountains and bush of NZ. Sil Poly is awesome, holds structure in the wet and beads water away. Always set fly elevated - great for condensation reduction and gives you more head room (rhere is plenty). Plenty of room for myself, my vizsla and gear. Go the insert. The refective tabs are great at night. I've replaced the insert clips with Nitze clips - more durable. Take care with the front door zip. I put too much pressure on mine. Great product

I didn’t understand the note around the 2:30 min mark. I thought the Absaroka was a freestanding shelter so the comment seemed contradictory, will finish the video and see if it makes more sense in throughout. But could you clarify?

Been waiting for a good in depth review like this. Thanks for what you do.

I’m a llama guy and had some rough trips with green llamas. A green animal can ruin a trip. Sorry you experienced that on such a special hunt. Thanks for sharing this. I guarantee it will help folks down the road. Lessons learned for sure.

I’ve owned 4 different Seek shelters over the passed 6 years. They’re great quality, but I’ve sold all the of them and now run the Argali Rincon, Absoroka, and Selway. You are spot on about the material with silpoly vs silnylon. I had my Absoroka in Colorado 2 weeks ago on a hunt and in the 3 different mountain ranges this week back in Wyoming. During rainy and snowy conditions it has performed flawlessly. I never had to adjust my stakes due to the material wetting out. My Seek Cimarron would require stake adjustments just after a night of sleeping inside it due to the condensation from my breath. I’ve been in a high country rain storm on a ridge camped in my Rincon and it held up well also. I did find a small tear in my Absoroka..I’m blaming it on my wife’s cat. Anyhow, a heads up, Gear Aid tape won’t adhere to this material with its waterproofing treatments. I contacted Argali and they confirmed this was somewhat of an issue. After trying to use C clamps to secure the gear aid tape to the material I ended up using silicone sealant to adhere the gear aid tape and it worked well and held up during several exposures to moisture. I also prefer this material over dyneema because small volume packing abiltiy is a big concern for me. I also don’t have to worry about folding it up in a certain manner before shoving it into the stuff sack, which is another reason I don’t like the dyneema material. Keep up the great reviews!

❤

And I'm just gonna say.... Don't do that. Haha, solid advice. I have the SO Cimarron and likely adding the Absaroka because I'm a sucker for floorless shelters. The size and versatility of the 4P size is awesome, really not that hard to find spots for it and palace for 2 guys, and cozy for 7 in a pinch...

I’ve got that absaroka and been happy. I bought it when it first was released. I Haven’t used it as much as i would like. I did have bug issues this summer and I think the insert would have helped me. I bought a lite outdoors stove 12” last year that I’ve done some test runs with but never used as a “need” I will say that stove is too small. Also- for the pole I just have a small piece of pvc pipe that attaches to the end of a single trekking pole. Which I do not recommend in windy environments (see short from last year on my channel). For this years first hunt I bought a Nemo tent on massive sale instead of an insert, I agree that 2 people and a dog or 2 and a stove is quite ideal for this tent and it doesn’t feel cramped at all. I would highly recommend practicing set up of this tent before heading out. Getting the lines and stakes adjusted in unlevel ground did take some practice for me. As far as humidity and condensation- there are lots of videos on this. And you are correct. Set it high for airflow. Don’t set it in tall grass…. One odd thing i just learned also- after set up- I just unzip the 2 way zipper from the top if I am going out and coming back right away. This lets less bugs in. Appreciate all your videos!

Great review man! Was definitely a real nice shelter to us!

I've had my eye on the Absaroka. I was questioning the necessity of the insert for the extra bulk and weight so thanks for clearing all that up. Great review as always.

Another fantastic, in depth review! Commenting to help the algorithm. I bought the same setup earlier this year and haven't had a chance to take it on a hunt yet. I think it's currently one of the best values you can get for a shelter. One thing I either missed, or didn't get mentioned: The insert limits it to a one door shelter. So, if you're packing the insert, you'll want to pay attention to how you orient the tent and insert. I've also found it a little tougher to get a good pitch with the insert than without. Either the midpoint guylines feel short, or I end up with the mesh insert sagging. It's something I've been practicing. With regards to the silpoly vs silnylon debate, no manufacturer is going to put out a study that says their material is inferior to the competition. Based on my research, it does sound like the original silpoly fabrics were significantly weaker than silnylon. But with the advancements made, I do think silpoly now has the edge over silnylon. I don't think it's a make or break decision for most people. I think the decision between a quality silnylon vs a quality silpoly should come second to the sizing/shelter needs that someone is looking for.

Engagement

This video was filled with great information and extremely helpful in making me think about what works for me. With that said, what are your thoughts on the Baffin brand? I primarily rifle hunt whitetail in Pennsylvania, during December. Big woods that are mountainous with swamps and glacier rock.

Hey your podcasts are always inspiring and i truly appreciate your outlook on life and the hunting adventures, i can always take something from listening to you!, as a family we drew 3 elk rifle tags 1 for colorado for me, and my wife and son drew NM 1st rifle elk tags for 2024, so we are pumped for october, keep putting out awsome podcast, wishing you the best hunting season jay!

We all fuck up. Its easy to criticize. Jay asked for it and welcomed the criticism. Engaging with the crazy that is the Internet may be the real mistake. We live in a world full of people full of shit. Making real connections in real life is risky and doing it online is even more complicated. It takes a level of crazy and braveness to really put yourself out there. And again, online is next level nuts. People will take you for granted and take advantage of you. They will lie to elevate their status for false clout. This other dude lied about his credentials and didn't think his ass would get called out on social media. Fucking goofy. Our decisions are our own though. This is a story about doing due diligence. Thank you for posting.❤

Wow what a nightmare! And the hardest way to learn some big lessons. Years from now it will be a good story of a bad hunt.

I love how quick you are to degrade the outfitter ( my husband) when you didn’t pay for one thing. You were given a free hotel room, meals, horses/mules, and a guided hunt.Not to mention our daughter’s horse instructor offered to give you a free lesson since you didn’t know how to even how to get on a saddle or tie a lead rope. All our horses have been trained for trail riding and packing. The animal can’t understand your mixed signals and inexperience. You had 3 opportunities to kill a bull and you choked! We can’t tie a bull to a tree for you to shoot bro. If you would sit down a listen and stop trying to guide the guide you probably would have had a better experience. My husband messaged his boss (another outfitter) to bring the mules back. This happens often with outfitters and their mules. Mules can be naughty. Your ass was the one complaining about the elevation and had problems breathing. This entire video is bullshit. You gave up and wanted to go back to camp because you couldn’t hang. Where are all the videos of the bulls Rich glassed and called in for you? Oh I’m sure you won’t post them because you choked and are trying to blame the guide. You may have made a deal with my husband about not blowing up your “podcast” but I certainly did not. I am not going to sit here and let you and ego trash my husband due to your inexperience. Let me guess you still haven’t found your checkbook to pay for your mules you rented? I’m glad I could cover that for you there big man. 🖕Keep painting your picture there Picasso for your little social media here because your career depends upon it. I am so thankful that our medical careers aren’t dependent upon lies and deceit. P.S. we have never owned llamas we rented them last year.

Yeah well people are people right? we cant all click and get along well. Sounds like you have refocused though and are back on track. Always enjoy the content and reflections you do. There is a lot to learn from it. Good luck on your upcoming hunts. You make your way back down here to Texas or New mexico...let me know and we can meet up for lunch or dinner. Your not a vegetarian right? LOL....j/k.

Your experience exposes an issue with the way Wyoming manages these wildernesses units and the current state of the point system in general. As well intentioned as it may be, the Wyoming regulations encourage non-residents to take unnecessary risks, in this case going into the wilderness with a “guide” who has no credentials and no liability for anything that might happen. I’m convinced there is a better way for Western states to share the wealth of hunting opportunities rather than be siloed. I’m thinking a western states co-op/partnerships or regional point system. Sorry you had to burn your points. It is basically a gamble and the house (the state) always wins!

Good podcast story and lesson

I too have been on two hunts that showed me my partner and I weren't the same type of person. Luckily we were able to backout unlike your situation. Sorry you had to go through that, but with that experience much of life is similar to that. You end up in situations where there's no going back and you just roll with it and learn from it. Best of luck on the rest of your season

I really enjoyed this story, sorry it was bad for you. Knew where it was headed as soon as I heard borrowed mules and green horse.Im gala it didn’t turn you off of hunting horse back.I guided for yrs in Bob Marshshall and get a lot of invites to go hunting but as soon as some one mentions borrowed horses I’m out. Green horses and mules don’t scare me but have a lot of expierence with them. I think you’re being very kind to this guy, seen a few like him, best to hook up with an outfitter, at least you can get references ! Don’t be so hard on yourself you did good! Hook up with people that you can bounce things off!! The only thing you said that I totally disagree with is competition is bad. I grew up competing especially in the mountains , iron sharpens iron plus it was fun! Good luck !!! Having guided all kinds of different personalities , I’ve had good expierences and bad but learned something from all!!

Quiet down there goes the deer

I really enjoyed this story, sorry it was bad for you. Knew where it was headed as soon as I heard borrowed mules and green horse.Im gala it didn’t turn you off of hunting horse back.I guided for yrs in Bob Marshshall and get a lot of invites to go hunting but as soon as some one mentions borrowed horses I’m out. Green horses and mules don’t scare me but have a lot of expierence with them. I think you’re being very kind to this guy, seen a few like him, best to hook up with an outfitter, at least you can get references ! Don’t be so hard on yourself you did good! Hook up with people that you can bounce things off!! The only thing you said that I totally disagree with is competition is bad. I grew up competing especially in the mountains , iron sharpens iron plus it was fun! Good luck !!! Having guided all kinds of different personalities , I’ve had good expierences and bad but learned something from all!!

Great perspective! Seems sometimes we get focused on the end goal and not the steps that come to create the end goal! Success is measured by the individual! The goal is to be better than the last time! Taking the steps needed to ensure a harvest! To a degree you could say your hunt was successful in putting you on the right path/mindset to harvest in the future! Each adventure is a building block! A learning experience. It is up to the individual to learn from him/her experiences. You are on your own path and you compare to no one but yourself. Something that I know but struggle with myself!

I get rattled by a trailhead full of cars. Good on you.

Can someone link the other podcast that keep being referenced. Thanks!

Putting this podcast out that could have easily been swept under the rug show your ability too stay true to yourself and mindful hunter/review. Lessons learned and Growth go hand in hand. 💪🏻