Cruisers Vest

[wbedient]

I am a jr in college and am majoring in forestry.  this summer i have an internship and will be cruising plots, so i am looking at buying a cruisers vest.  any ideas on what brands work well/have good quality?

I was also thinking of "making" my own.  I have a lot of molle pouches from when I was in the army that I could attach to a vest like this:

http://www.tacticaltailor.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=81

The only advantages here are:
-open sides keep you cool in the summer
-i know they never wear out
-i can add or remove pockets/pouches as needed.

Opinions?

[Good Feller]

Go to http://www.forestry-suppliers.com ,,,, that's where I got mine.  About seventy bucks I think.

[beenthere]

Welcome to new members wbedient (and as well Good Feller).

Pull up a stump and tell us about your interests, and hope you have the time to prowl around in the Forestry Forum....

Picked up my vest at forestry suppliers as well. It is a canvas material, and I'd wear it more often if it was a lighter weight material, and not so warm to wear...although below freezing, it is not too bad..

Whereabouts are you from and where are you studying in forestry??

Do you have a summer job where you will need the vest? 

[thecfarm]

Welcome Wbedient and Good Feller.Update your profile so we all know where you are from.We won't bite.Hope you 2 stick around.

[DKinWA]

We use Ben Meadows and this is the vest we usually buy for field work.

http://www.benmeadows.com/search/vest/20530/

[beenthere]

That blaze orange in Nylon might be the lighter weight, as compared to the 10 oz duck cloth.

Do they come with the rear backpack built in??

[DKinWA]

It's not a big backpack pocket, but there's usually enough room for a little lunch, water bottle and a rain coat.  I really like their vest since it has plenty of small pockets and a couple of grommets for a clino and compass.

[Ron Scott]

I've "worn out" about 5 vests over the years, and all wear well depending upon degree of use. Forestry Suppliers and Ben Meadows both supply a very good quality cruiser vest as do some of the custom ones made in various parts of the country. I've worn both the heavy duck and the newer nylon materials. As stated previously, the heavier duck materials and also the full nylon ones are warm in the summer.

I now prefer the nylon mesh vest which is much cooler wearing in the summer. I get it in a larger size where I can wear a jacket under it in colder weather as needed. The newer models with the grommets, for attaching compass, prism, calcualtor, flagging, etc. are quite handy as are a maximum number of pockets, including a cell phone, gps pocket, back pouch, etc.

High visibility orange or lime green are also preferred for safety, especially if working around active logging jobs.

[Tillaway]

As an intern, get your employer to supply one.  If that fails, try herehttp://www.terratech.net/group.asp?grp=56
I have used both cotton and nylon, I personally am not real partial to the mesh ones bu to each his own.  The nylon last at least twice as long as the cotton.  I have worn out at least three cotton and one nylon.

http://www.irl.bc.ca/Forestry%20Supplies/vests.htm  Try this one for a vest that outlast them all.

[WDH]

I like the Filson vest.  That is all that i have ever used. 

[wbedient]

Some of you asked for a litte introduction to myself.  I am a 25 year old junior at Washington State University.  I've been going to college since I got out of the army.  My experience in the army led me to think about the modular vest I posted about when i started this thread. 

I am going for a degree in forestry, or a natural Resources degree with a emphasis on forestry.  The job I will have this summer is crusing as an intern for a local paper company that owns over 100,000 acres.  They do not supply the vest, and I know its going to be hot up here.

With this in mind I'd like to get a vest that is cool for the summer months.  Filson vests are nice, but seem to have too few pockets considering all that a forester must toat around.  I really like the options on the Super Cruiser Vests at http://www.irl.bc.ca/Forestry%20Supplies/vests.htm but they look like they could be really hot.

Thanks everybody for your input.  Anyone have any thoughts on the tactical tailor vest idea (link in my first post)??

[Ron Wenrich]

I made my first and only cruiser's vest.  I couldn't afford to buy one when I was in college and I really didn't need one all that bad.  I basically took an old denim coat, took off the sleeves and sewed a pant leg on the back to put my lunch in.     I also put on a few extra pocket.  I was not the envy of the forestry crew.

When I was doing consulting and procurement work, I didn't really need too many gadgets to do the cruises.  I used my paint pouches to hold whatever I was dragging out in the woods.  GPS and cell phones weren't invented yet.

Basically, I'd drag a cruise book for note taking, a compass, an angle guage, diameter tape, flagging, increment borer and maps.  Nothing big or bulky.  A lot of the stuff you could put in a shirt pocket.  We'd eat a good breakfast before we hit the woods and would last until we were done. 

If you know how many pockets you need, go for it.  I always wanted to travel lite.

[Tillaway]

I wore one of the Canadian vests in Northern California for years.  I did not find it too hot there but then again I can stand the heat pretty well.  I have only found just a handful of foresters using mesh vests in the NW.  In fact I only remember one.  I would imagine in the SE they would be the way to go.

If you get the one in the link, do not get the ones with the reflective tape.  The tape will bounce a laser even if you are using a filter.  It plays heck with traverses or cross sections.

You will be packing around a laser, Relaskop, data recorder, GPS, maybe a string box, Spencer tape, diameter tape, flagging, maps, photos, radio, water bottles, lunch, first aid kit, rain gear, increment borer etc.  I usually did not pack a lunch, since I was usually out of room.  In fact few, that I worked with, did.

[Ron Wenrich]

When I worked in Medford, Ore with BLM, there was one guy that would carry 3 thermos bottles.  One had coffee, one had soup, and one had ice cream.  Hard to believe he could carry anything else.

[wbedient]

I bought a vest for 125$!!!  It was supposed to be the USFS vest, but didn't have the built in backpack. It has mesh shoulders, strong zippers, very stout construction.  overall a great vest, but I wanted the detachable backpack, so I'm returning it to get something else.

http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/htmlpubs/htm97242302/index.htm
 
http://www.hyviz.com/hyvis/usvests2005/page27.htm

This is a great cruisers vest as long as you don't mind the backpack being attached.  other than that its exactly like the one on the first link.  Hyviz is a good company, fast shipping and quick, personal response.  Personally, i'll buy one for 75 dollars that has the bag attached instead of 125 dollars for this one.

[THPtech]

http://www.irl.bc.ca/Forestry%20Supplies/vests.htm  Try this one for a vest that outlast them all.

I second the IRL vest. When I bought it it was called the Supercruiser 2000. I though awesome name. I have had it for 4 years and it is still running strong even though it has developed some minor and I mean holes in the pockets but I'm sure it will last me a few more years.

[pappy19]

My last vest was a Forestry Supplies and it served me well. In fact, I still have it equipped with all the goodies. I had a canvas outfit make me a tube for my increment borer and had an extra piece of canvas at the bottom as it started to wear through. One of these days, if none of my grandsons decide to work in the woods, I will donate it to the Louisiana Tech Forestry school to be given to a graduating senior that didn't have any scholorships, just good grades and guts.

[SwampDonkey]

I use a nylon vest. It has a large upper back pocket with velcro flap for lunch and a large zippered back pocket for all the ribbons and string you need for a week. Has an increment borer pouch, 4 inside pockets next to the chest, 6 outside pockets for compass, Suunto, rolls of tape in use, ringed holes to attach said compass and Suunto near the upper and lower pockets. Most pockets are velcroed. The rings are handy to attach a logger's tape. Also, has 12 tube pockets for pencils and markers. I have used those cotton made vests before but they rot to pieces from the sun and rain/wet and can get a little moldy whne not properly dried. Yes, a cruiser's vest takes a lot of abuse.

[Phorester]

WBDIENT; That one has a backpack that holds 60 lbs.  Should be strong enough for a lunch then.

[SwampDonkey]

I worked with a young lad and he kept reaching in pockets for something to eat. Then when he got back at the pickup he was reaching in a cooler for more morsels. Skinny as a rake.