Even though I’ve turkey hunted for several years, I’ve never met a turkey vest that I actually liked.

Does this mean I'm not a "good" turkey hunter? After all, the famous hunters I see on TV and YouTube have vests, right. If you've had trouble with vests, too - keep reading!

Carrying your turkey hunting essentials in a vest will make you into the best turkey hunter about as much as putting a stethoscope around your neck and wearing a white coat will make you a great doctor.

I’ve been chasing turkeys around the woods and fields for many years now, and for several reasons I keep going back to carrying a backpack instead of a vest.

1. First, I haven’t found a vest that didn’t seem to flop around the whole time I was wearing it.
2. They always seem to be too hot.
3. And, I just felt like I could fit everything I needed more easily into a backpack and zip it all closed.

However, this year I was introduced to the ALPS Grand Slam Sit Anywhere Vest and knew I wanted to give it a try.

If you’ve had trouble finding a vest that you like or you’re looking for a new turkey hunting vest, keep reading as we give you the goods on what could be your next “need to have” turkey hunting essential.

Adrian has been through several vests in the past few years. First the Knight and Hale Run and Gun 200 and most recently the M2 vest from Tethrd.

The ALPS Grand Slam Sit Anywhere vest is properly named for its "sit-anywhere removable kickstand frame" that comes with "adjustable legs and fast-locking technology." This feature is most important when you located that gobbler and look around to find no suitable tree anywhere close.

If you've turkey hunted for very long, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Just a few weeks ago, Adrian got into a position where she was sitting in front of a big shrub tree for cover but had nothing to lean back on for support. The first 15-20 minutes weren't that bad, but after about 30 minutes those abs and hips were burning!

If she'd been wearing this vest, problem solved.

Just as you don't always have a comfy tree to lean against, it's equally as rare to have the perfect soft spot of ground to sit on free of roots or rocks. To help with this, like many other turkey vests these days, the Grand Slam comes with a thick, removable memory foam pad.

The seat is a good size, and it has strong magnets to keep it out of the way when you're walking. In several reviews I read, people had trouble with these magnets not holding, but thankfully I never had that problem. Then when you're ready to sit down, just flip it down and you're good to go.

It has several other features that make it stand out to me.

The Alps Grand Slam comes with padded protective pockets for calls, water bladder compatibility, and side compression straps that help fit the vest to you. It has detachable shoulder straps, a removable diaphragm call pocket, a smartphone sleeve that allows you to use your phone while it's still in the pack, and two side water bottle pockets.

SPECIFICATIONS:

The Alps Grand Slam comes in two sizes:

Standard -

• Waist Size Fits up to 48"
• Weight (with frame) 7 lbs. 2 oz.
• Weight (without frame) 4 lbs. 10 oz.

X-Large -

• Waist Size Fits 48 - 58"
• Weight (with frame) 7 lbs. 3 oz.
• Weight (without frame) 4 lbs. 11 oz.

As far as getting it to fit you, the ALPS Grand Slam vest has several adjustment points to cinch it down tight. Because of this, I noticed a big improvement compared to other vests I've tried in keeping it from flopping around while I was walking fast or jogging slightly to get into position after hearing that gobbler sound off.

I have also been impressed by the vented pads and internal pack frame this vest has that makes it feel more like you're carrying a lightweight frame pack instead of a hunting vest.

These pads seemed to keep my back cooler as the temperatures warmed up. Don’t get me wrong, I was still sweating, but those vented pads keep the vest fabric from being right on my back and making it feel even hotter from carrying the vest.

Obviously, the fact that it is a vest and has pockets on the front means that it will be warmer on your chest/stomach than a back pack.

But convenience has its trade-offs.

The ease of everything you need being quickly accessed without having to take off a backpack is the trade for your stomach and chest being warmer. You get to decide if that trade is worth it to you.

For me, I really liked having everything more easily accessible than taking off the backpack and digging through it to find what I needed.

The main thing I had trouble with at first was getting it adjusted when leaning against a tree. Initially, the seat was too close to the legs, which meant the legs hit the ground, and I couldn’t get my whole rear end on the seat cushion. It also made me feel like I was being tilted forward and sliding off.

Once we lengthened the distance between the cushion and frame, and I adjusted my position a little, I was able to freely lean against a tree or rock without it being awkward.

As many of you know, being able to relax while coaxing a wary Tom into shooting range is key to staying still.

The movements you end up making because you're uncomfortable have saved many a silent gobbler that was sneaking in to find his hen.

Keep in mind, this vest wears more like a hiking pack than a turkey vest. Those back pads we talked about earlier also make it more comfortable when sitting down to lean against anything. Again, being comfortable and in a relaxed position is key to the patience required while turkey hunting.

Q: Is the frame sturdy?

A: Yes. It is made of metal. The only part that people have left reviews about are the plastic locks for the legs. Several people have had trouble with these, but ALPS Customer Service seems to have helped with almost all issues. They've basically sent people new locks as needed.

Q: Can you hunt without the frame in case you only want to use the vest portion and not the leg portion?

A: Yes. The frame is easily removable.

You know the answer to that question, it depends on what you are looking for! If you’d rather keep all your hunting gear in one main bag and just set that bag next to you when you’re hunting, you probably don’t need this.

If you’re mainly hunting turkeys from a blind or not really sitting on the ground much, you probably don’t need a vest like this, either.

But, if you’re a run and gun turkey hunter like we are and are looking for a comfortable way to sit most anywhere, adjust to basically any terrain, and want to keep all your turkey hunting essentials at your fingertips then look no further. The ALPS “sit anywhere” turkey vest may be exactly what you need.

If you have a favorite turkey hunting vest we should know about, please email us or send us a message through social media and let us know your experience. If you have tried several vests and think you've found the best one, please comment or email us so we can check it out!

As always, please email or comment with any questions you may have also.

*All opinions are ours. We are not paid for any of these reviews. We did receive this item free for review, but this never impacts our opinions or freedom to discuss them. Our goal is to always provide a thorough, unbiased, and honest review with no fluff - just facts and our opinions - so you feel like you can make a well-informed buying decision.

‍