Turkey vests are a luxury that many hunters may not deem necessary. However, dedicated turkey hunters swear by them and use them every spring. After running around chasing gobblers over the last few years, our team has decided that a good vest is just as important as an old box call.
Our favorite turkey vests are more than just a vest. The best will give you quick access to the necessary items you may need when a Tom is closing in rapidly. Nothing is worse than having a silent gobbler magically appear and realizing you have to dig deep for your call. A good vest should also have plenty of storage, and even a seat for those long sits where the birds simply refuse to close the distance.
Our team worked tirelessly (yes, we call it work) this spring, hunting all across the country to find the best vests. Our favorite, the First Lite Treeline Turkey Vest, offers unmatched storage and customization, and the best budget vest, the RedHead Classic II Turkey Vest, is a great option for casual turkey hunters.
Best Overall Turkey Hunting Vest
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Backpack/game bag combo -
Super comfortable seat -
Quiet material -
Highly modular
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Seat adjustments could be quicker
Best Budget Turkey Vest
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Price -
Highly adjustable straps -
Pockets keep things organized -
Orange flag for safety
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Pad is very thin -
Not breathable -
Water storage can be a problem
Most Comfortable Turkey Vest
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Magnetic closure call pockets -
Comfortable seat -
Feels minimalist despite being a vest -
Deployable orange flags for safety -
Keeps important items ready
Best Turkey Vest Comparison Chart
| Turkey Vest | Price | Material | Back Panel | Storage | Hydration Compatibility | Seat | Game Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Lite Treeline Turkey Vest | $250 | Polyester | Vented back panel | Zippered backpack pouch | Bladder compatible | Removable dual density foam | Expandable game bag |
| RedHead Classic II Turkey Vest | $39 | Polyester | Soft polyester | Two large accessory pockets, box call pocket | None | Removable thin pad | Built in rear game bag |
| Sitka Turkey Tool Belt | $229 | Not listed | No back, waist belt is breathable mesh | 6 pockets, including one large pouch | Removable water bottle holder | Thin, removable padded seat | None |
| Sitka Equinox Turkey Vest | $269 | 75 Denier Polyester with DWR Finish | Padded breathable mesh | Open top outside pocket, zippered shallow pocket, large zippered backpack pocket, internal zippered pockets | Hydration bladder compatible | Removable dual density foam | External straps |
How We Tested The Best Turkey Vests
Turkey can be found all across the country, and so can our team of testers. Our crew took to the turkey woods all across the U.S. this spring, sporting a myriad of different vests to find which one was the best.
Our Expert Testers
Adam Moore is based out of Mississippi, where he hunts turkey and whitetail. He’s used a litany of turkey vests and belts and is always searching for the next best thing.
Morgan Nowels hunts in Nashville, TN. He’s fortunate enough to have a fantastic turkey hunting property only 24 minutes away from his front porch. That means he gets plenty of time in the woods and can sneak off and squeeze in an evening hunt most days in the spring. He’s an expert at roosting birds at night, only to wonder where they went the next morning. Despite his struggles this season, he spent many hours leaning against a tree.
Rachelle Schrute hunted turkey in both Texas and Montana. This provided her with valuable insights into the needs of turkey hunters in various regions. Many members on our team have hunted turkey in the mountains and on farm land, and we can attest that they are drastically different hunts. Rachelle was able to do both this year, and she knows what works best in a turkey vest for both situations.
Buyers Guide: How to Choose the Best Turkey Vest
With turkey hunting gaining more and more popularity (thanks, instagram), hunters have more options than ever when selecting a turkey vest. Here are some of the top things to consider when picking out the best one for your spring hunts. And if you’re new to long beards and are wondering what other gear our expert team uses, check out Turkey Hunting Gear 101: The Kit You Need to Tag Your Gobbler
Style of Turkey Vests
There are a bunch of techniques you can use to seal the deal on an old Tom. From sitting on a food source, to the ever-controversial fanning and reaping tactics, hunters can find themselves hiking as much as an elk hunter, or testing their patience with long sits. Different hunts demand different equipment, and there are turkey “vests” designed for every hunter.
Traditional Vests
These are the classic options and what most people think of when they hear the term “turkey vest.” Traditional vests are designed specifically for turkey hunters and will offer features and benefits designed for those obsessed with chasing gobblers.
They offer easily accessible pockets for calls on the front of the vest near the hunter’s hips. Box calls are particularly tough to put in a pocket, but traditional vests address this issue with large pockets. This ensures that everything you need to call in a Tom (or a Jake if you’re desperate) is at the ready.
Most vests will also offer either a backpack portion or a game bag to carry a turkey out in on the back of the vest. The backpack is great, as it provides plenty of room to store rain gear or snacks for long sits.
A game bag is helpful after a successful hunt because it puts the weight of the bird on your back rather than having to sling it over your shoulder. If you’ve got a couple-mile walk back to the truck, a 16 lb bird can really start to become cumbersome. One of our favorite vests, the First Lite Treeline, provides both a backpack and a game bag, giving you the benefits of both.
However, turkey vests are bulky and cumbersome. Run-and-gun hunters often ditch the full-on vest, as it can get hot when moving around, especially in the South, where turkey season can be hot and humid.
Waist Packs and Chest Packs
A favorite among mobile turkey hunters, waist packs and chest packs offer organization and quick access to frequently needed items while reducing unnecessary bulk. You lose out on the game bag and backpack features found on a vest, but eliminating the entire back panel of a vest keeps you from excessively sweating while on the move.
Waist packs are more common in the turkey woods because they’re the closest thing to an actual turkey vest. They are designed as if the bottom portion of a vest were cut off and put on a belt. Our favorite, the Sitka Turkey Tool Belt has front pockets for calls, a water bottle holder, and an additional pouch on the back.
Chest packs are great because they offer a minimalist design and can pull double duty during big game seasons. A chest pack may not be turkey specific, but they will give you a place to store your binoculars as well as diaphragm calls and a few extra shells.
Seats
While turkey hunting videos make it seem like hunting is super action-packed and full of angry Toms fighting decoys, that’s just not the case. Real hunters know that more often than not, you’re sitting at the base of a tree, bored, fighting off the desire to call more.
Luckily, the people designing turkey vests know that. So they put a seat on them.
A seat makes sitting at the base of a tree much more bearable. Sitting on the ground causes sharp pains in your backside after about 30 minutes. And don’t even get us started on ticks. Being in direct contact with the ground is just asking to have the little buggers crawl into your waistline.
For older hunters, or those who have odd body aches and pains, a good seat like the one found on the Sitka Equinox Turkey Vest is worth it’s weight in gold. It’ll keep you in the field rather than packing it up early.
Other vests, like the RedHead Classic II have a very basic seat, keeping things lightweight and minimal. They provide a small pad to prevent you from sitting on dew-covered grass.
Seats on a vest can be annoying. When walking, they need to be able to fold up and stay out of the way. We also prefer seats that can be removed entirely.
Others have no seat at all, which is fine. It saves on weight and will make you more streamlined. It all depends on how important comfort is to you.
Water Storage on Turkey Vests
Water storage is often overlooked in turkey vests, and we have no idea why. The purpose of a turkey vest is to carry everything you need for a day in the field, and water is essential. One of our testers hunted on days topping out at 85 degrees, and he needed gallons of water to stay hydrated.
Some vests and belts, like the Sitka Turkey Tool Belt, offer one water bottle holder. That may be fine if you’re hunting a small parcel of land without the ability to move around a bunch. It’s actually perfect, since water is heavy and carrying too much can slow you down.
However, for those hunting in the mountains of the West or belly crawling in on a Tom to close the distance, one bottle ain’t gonna cut it. If you find yourself leaving the truck in the dark and not returning until it’s dark again, you may want to consider a vest with more water capacity like the First Lite Treeline.
Breathability
Some vests are thick and made of a lot of material. Others consist of a few straps and pockets. Both have pros and cons.
Bulkier vests distribute weight more evenly and offer greater storage capacity. Bulky vests hold everything we could possibly need for a day of turkey hunting, but because of that, they cover more of your core area and run warmer. For some, this isn’t a problem as springtime temperatures are low.
However, hunters in the South experience temperatures more typical of summertime during spring seasons. For them, minimalist designs are ideal. Having nothing but straps and pockets allows your chest and abdominal region to breathe in hot temperatures.
Vests like the Sitka Equinox try to split the difference, offering a minimal vest made of breathable mesh. Take into consideration the temperatures you’ll be hunting in before selecting the perfect vest. Excessive heat will lead you to remove your vest. Then, rather than having a nifty gadget to carry all of your gear, you have a cumbersome, heavy weight to pack around the woods.
Price and Value
Some people are obsessed with turkey hunting, chasing birds all across the U.S. in the pursuit of the coveted grand slam. For them, price is no object when selecting turkey hunting gear. Others are more casual, viewing turkey season as an excuse to go hunting after a long winter stuck in the house. No matter your level of dedication, there’s a turkey vest for you.
Free
You don’t have to go out and purchase a turkey vest if you’re on a tight budget. You may be able to repurpose a piece of gear you already own.
For example, one of our testers used the Tenzing TZ BV16 for years in the turkey woods. It isn’t a turkey vest, but rather is designed for upland hunting. He was a dedicated upland hunter, but had a fishing guide budget. He made it work for gobblers.
The vest featured a massive amount of storage, allowing him to pack a lunch, first aid kit, rain gear, box calls, mouth calls, and a hydration pack while hunting turkey in the mountains of Utah. There were noiseless pouches on the front for the calls, so he could silently reach in when a Tom approached.
These free solutions do have drawbacks and may require a bit of “redneck engineering”. That upland vest? It’s blaze orange, and our tester had to use clothespins to attach drab material to cover it up. But once he did that, he pretty much had a turkey vest.
Take a look around your house and get creative. You may have an old backpack or upland vest that can serve you just fine.
Budget
If you’re looking to get a basic turkey vest, you should budget around $40-$60. These vests will provide basic organization and offer a game bag for successful hunts.
The better budget vests, like the Redhead Classic II Turkey Vest will also provide a seat. It may not be the most comfortable, but it should provide a small amount of comfort and keep you off the tick-infested dirt.
Vests in this price range won’t offer any advanced materials or benefits found in modern hunting equipment. There are no breathable meshes or seats made out of something found in a memory foam mattress. They just get the job done.
Mid Tier
Mid priced turkey vests ($75-$150) are tough to find, with most falling into a passable budget category or premium category. They do exist, but we didn’t test any in this iteration of testing. If you have one in this category that should be included, let us know!
We recommend avoiding this category for one simple reason. Oftentimes, right after turkey season, you can find some premium vests and especially premium turkey belts discounted, bringing them into the mid-tier price range. If you’re reading this article shortly after it’s released, you can click on our links and find great deals going on right now.
Premium
If you’re willing to spend $200 or more, you’ll get a turkey vest that the most discerning hunters will love. The First Lite Treeline was our absolute favorite because it had specialized call pockets, superior organization and great customization.
Vests in the premium category leave nothing to be desired, with breathable mesh backs, comfortable seats, and water storage. They also will offer large back pockets as well as a game bag, meaning you can have everything you need for a day in the woods on your back.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t need a vest to hunt turkeys. All you really need is a shotgun, shells and maybe a call. However, many turkey hunters prefer using a vest because it provides quick access to frequently used items and keeps gear organized. They also offer seats, making long sits more comfortable.
We don’t think either is better. However, each has pros and cons. If you are on the move a lot, a waist belt won’t weigh you down or get nearly as hot. However, those needing to carry a lot of gear or who want a game bag often opt for a vest.
The primary feature of turkey hunting vests is pockets specifically designed for calls. Box calls in particular are tough to store, and the best turkey vests have pockets near the front designed to hold those large calls. They also have areas to hold strikers, which are often misplaced and lost in the woods. They also have game bags for packing out a bird and seats to stay comfortable during long sits.
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