Eberlestock F1 Mainframe

| November 30, 2021
Photo Credit: Keith Knoxsville
A Hen and a Drake Green Teal on the truck bed. Not a limit on anything, but a fun morning out.
Color | 7 Colors and Patterns
Material | Aluminum, Nylon
Features | Adjustable Harness,MOLLE on Waist Belt,Full MOLLE Main Panel
Pockets | N/A
Closures | Buckles, YKK Zippers
Fit | Adjustable
Size | Regular 26"h x 11"w, Tall 29.5" x 11"w
Weight | Regular 4 lbs 5 oz, Tall 4 lbs 8 oz
Country of Origin | Vietnam
Warranty | Lifetime
Price | $249 - $279

We bought an Eberlestock F1 Mainframe while Eberlestock was running a 15% discount, so we could do a review on it. But to be completely honest, we also just wanted one to add to the gear room for heavy pack-outs, and multiday camping and hunting trips. We use, and previously reviewed, both the Eberlestock G1 Little Brother and the A4SS Tactical Weapon Carrier, so we had no doubt the F1 Mainframe would be good, but wanted to see if it would live up to Eberlestock’s claim of being “The most versatile pack ever”.

First Impressions

Eberlestock is no slouch when it comes to quality gear, and our first impressions are that the F1 Mainframe is solid, rugged, and quality. The F1 was designed and built to hold a lot of weight. It’s even been tested to hold over 700 pounds of weight, so it has to be well made. A strong tubular Intex II aluminum frame is the backbone of the frame pack. It’s also unclear whether it is anodized, powder-coated, or painted, but it seems to add to the durability and abrasion resistance, and perhaps also the strength of the aluminum frame.

F1 Mainframe Adjustable Harness

The F1 Mainframe adjustable harness, comfortably adapts to both big and small framed people.

The materials are all very rugged. The F1 utilizes heavy rip-stop type materials with heavy stitching and reinforcement in high-stress areas. The back panel is a cut panel with a 16 x 5 matrix of MOLLE attachment slots, and three large horizontal webbing straps with 1.5″ buckles help to secure almost any payload. The frame pack also incorporates large and rugged YKK zippers to directly attach accessories like Eberlestock’s bat wings, and run the entire vertical length of the back on each side. An entire line of lightweight Vapor bags turn the F1 Mainframe, into a multiday or expeditionary pack, by adding between 2500 and 7500 cubic inches of volume with frontal zipper access, and roll-top access.

The Mainframe is offered in regular or tall, and 7 different colors and patterns are designed to work cohesively with other Eberlsetock products. We purchased a regular-sized coyote color frame to match our other Eberlsetock gear, while it was on sale for 15% off the regular $249 retail price.

In The Field

The ideal pack or frame is adjustable, fits well, and distributes weight across the shoulders and waist, without rubbing, and without creating excessive pressure points or hot spots. The F1 Mainframe excels at the task of comfort, fitment, adjustability, and proper weight distribution. The adjustable harness can comfortably fit smaller framed individuals down to around a 34″ chest and with an adjustable harness ladder system, accommodates a range of torso lengths. The waist belt will comfortably fit a 28 inch waist, with an additional 2 inches of adjustability on each belt loop, meaning it can probably accommodate waists as small as 24 inches.

F1 Mainframe Harness Padding

The F1 Mainframe’s included shoulder harness and waist belt are well padded, highly adjustable, and super comfortable.

The excess webbing on the belt loop also tucks back into the tunnel it runs through, so you have no webbing flopping around your waist. This is unlike the First Tactical Tactix Waist Belt we used on an Eberlestock G1 Little Brother, which utilizes a “pull forward” design, and leaves a lot of excess webbing hanging for those with smaller waists. The padding and mesh materials of the shoulder harness, back, and waist belt included with the F1 Mainframe are also much nicer than the First Tactical Tactix. At about the same price point, Eberlestock’s waist belt is a clear winner in a head-to-head competition with the First Tactical Tactix.

Just like many of their packs, the Mainframe includes a padded carry handle at the top of the pack, behind the neck. It is large enough to make lifting and moving the frame easy, but small enough to never rub against your neck.

Setting up the F1 Mainframe is fairly straightforward, only complicated in a minor way by the versatility and mounting options. We stripped the waist belt and shoulder harness off of a G1 Little Brother, and attached the Little Brother to the F1 Mainframe along with an A4SS weapon scabbard.

Securing everything with compression webbing and buckles was an easy task, and took less than two minutes. The options for how to secure gear are plentiful, so we opted for the way that seemed to make the most sense to us, which was to attach the A4SS Weapon carrier through the scabbard tunnel of the G1 Little Brother, then secure the G1 Little Brother to the Mainframe with the matching compression clips.

We further tested out the F1 by carrying various weights and loads over different distances, with different combinations of bags and weapon carriers.

The Mainframe, when loaded properly with a well-balanced payload, makes it possible to carry some really heavy loads and maintain a decent level of comfort. While we certainly don’t recommend it, you can even carry a person on it. Our Sportsman’s Magazine team member Ben, carried his wife around a bit to prove the point, hence the featured video snippet.

F1 Mainframe With Scabbard and G1

The F1 Mainframe pictured with the A4SS weapons carrier and a G1 Little Brother pack, makes carrying heavy loads easier.

Conclussion

Eberlestock calls the F1 Mainframe “The Most Versatile Pack Ever”. If we had to say whether the Mainframe is the most versatile pack ever, we’d have to disagree, but only over nomenclature. We wouldn’t consider it a pack just because it has shoulder straps and a harness. Although, we would call it an external frame, or pack frame, and only have accolades for it.

If we were to rework Eberlestock’s marketing slogan for the F1 Mainframe we’d call it “The Best, Most Versatile External Pack Frame Ever”. The regular size F1 Mainframe is worth every bit of 249 dollars and is an incredible value when purchased on sale for anything less.

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Gear Gifting Guide 2021

| November 25, 2021
useful survival gear and presents
Photo Credit: Keith Knoxsville
A Hen and a Drake Green Teal on the truck bed. Not a limit on anything, but a fun morning out.

We’ve vowed to never pedal junk for a commission, as so many low-quality affiliate sites do. Many gift guides offer little to no user experiences or actual expertise. Instead, they rely purely on Amazon ratings to make gift-giving recommendations and re-craft reviews in their own words. Sportsman’s Magazine content is created by people that actually use gear and actively spend time outside backpacking, hunting, and fishing.

We’ve put together a list of gear that lives in our backpacks, vehicles, or both. Gear that made the list we’ve used in a pinch, or use in the field. This season, count your blessings, appreciate your loved ones, and let them know you care. If you intend to give gifts, then give thoughtful and useful gifts, and consider the gear that we think is indispensable. Most of the items won’t break the bank either, provide a lot of mileage, and some make great stocking stuffers.

Havalon Knife

The Paranta Havalon isn’t a multitool, nor is it a replacement for the knife an avid outdoorsman probably has on them all the time. With replaceable blades you never need to sharpen, Havalon knives are perfect for jobs that don’t require a heavy blade, can opener, or screwdriver. There are also bone saw blades, making them great field dressing knives.

Swiss Army Knife / Multitool

We like to keep things simple reduce bulk, which is why we love and recommend the Tinker, Trekker, Hiker Swiss Army Knives from Victorinox. Sure you can get a thousand more tools, but it’s got what you need to survive an emergency or provide good backpacking utility without taking up too much space.

Headlamp Black Diamond Astro

When it comes to headlamps, the light output just keeps getting better, battery life and charging methods have improved, and dimming settings, as well as SOS settings, are more versatile than ever. Even if your loved ones just bought one, they can keep an extra headlamp in their vehicle or nightstand in case of emergencies, so that one can live in their backpacking equipment. The Black Diamond Astro is an affordable 250 lumen headlamp, which is plenty for most situations, but if you really needed more lumens, the Storm 400 is a good option.

Solar Inflatable Lantern

The LuminAID Solar Inflatable Lantern is a great car camping companion. It charges during the day and illuminates any camping area at night. It also packs down to reduce bulk and can be charged via USB, so you can charge it from your car cigarette lighter/USB charger while driving, and ensure you have light later, wherever you end up.

Emergency Solar Battery

Whether you need to give your phone a little juice for an emergency call, or simply need to recharge it in the field, an emergency solar battery is capable of recharging itself during the day, to keep your electronics up and running on the go, and in our opinion, is indispensable. We use solar batteries to keep action cameras charged on hunts, and even use them for headlamp batteries that are USB rechargeable.

USB Rechargeable EBL Batteries

Rechargeable batteries are great. They reduce waste and provide a lot of value over their lifespan. The typical rechargeable battery needs a wall outlet charger, but EBL USB rechargeable AAA batteries, and AA batteries do not. You can charge them from your backup battery, solar cell, or car cigarette lighter/charger, and your electronics, like emergency radios, headlamps, or rangefinders will always be ready to go.

USB Charger / Cigarette Lighter

A lot of older vehicles do not have built-in USB charging ports, or just don’t have enough. Dual Port USB chargers are a great way to top off every battery and electronic device on your way to and from the field.

Water Filter

Clean water is essential for survival. Hydrating one day, just to dehydrate yourself more severely the next because of giardia, is a recipe for death. A Sawyer Squeeze is a great, compact, and easy to use, water filter for backpacking and emergencies, and will make water safe to drink. For more emergency and backup types of situations, LifeStraws are also a great choice and a slightly cheaper solution, but we do think that the Sawyer Squeeze is a better backpacking solution.

MSR Backpacking Stove

It’s not just for backpacking, but it’s also ideal for power outages, and emergency kits too. We have used the Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set is a 24-ounce stainless steel kettle, with two nesting cups. It’s the ideal size for survival and emergencies, but also not a bad option for backpacking. It’s also BPA free and can be used directly on a grill or burner, so it’s versatile and you won’t survive a bad situation at the cost of poisoning yourself with plastics and toxic chemicals.

Lightweight Eating Utensil

The Snow Peak Titanium Spork is lightweight at 0.6 ounces, affordable, and perfect for backcountry camping or emergency kits. So long as you don’t lose them, they last forever. They are also available in anodized blue, green, and purple, so they are hard to miss when packing up your campsite, or trying to find a spork by headlamp.

Emergency Blanket

Swiss Safe Emergency Blankets are cheap, versatile, and effective. They can be used for everything from a blanket that retains 90% of body heat, to a windbreak, rainfly, sleeping pad or sleeping bag liner, water collector, and much more. They are the cheapest, most versatile piece of emergency gear you can add to your gear list.

Rain Poncho

The best way to avoid hypothermia is to stay warm and keep clothing dry. The Snugpak Patrol Poncho is a 100% waterproof poncho, that also packs down to an incredibly small size. There are certainly cheaper alternatives, but Snugpak has a solid reputation for quality lightweight gear, that lasts.

Sunglasses

Get the person you care about a pair of STNGR USA polarized ballistics sunglasses, so they can protect their eyes from UV damage, while they are at the range, in the field, or when they are working on a project at home. Retinal burn is bad, and if you get stuck in the snow with a long walk ahead of you, you’ll need to protect your eyes, or risk snow blindness. Help your loved one protect their eyes with Full UV protection as well as some of the highest impact ratings a pair of glasses can get.

Emergency Trauma Kit

Whether it’s a car accident, rock climbing accident, or backpacking mishap, when you need emergency aid, you don’t usually need an extra small-sized bandage. While little bandages are nice, there is almost no small injury you can’t temporarily patch up with superglue and sports tape. For real emergencies, you need a trauma kit. While you can always assemble your own, prefab kits are a fast and easy way to hit the ground running, at a hard-to-match price, compared to buying components separately.

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Set Up An AR15 For Hunting

| November 15, 2021
AR15 with Scope and FDE
Photo Credit: Keith Knoxsville
A Hen and a Drake Green Teal on the truck bed. Not a limit on anything, but a fun morning out.

It isn’t difficult to set up an AR15 for hunting. In its standard form and most common chambering, the 5.56/223 Remington chambered AR15 is a great predator rifle. It can even be a decent option for smaller deer and pigs. The MSR-10 in its standard form is a great platform for big game hunting. The differences between an AR-style rifle for home defense and an AR-style rifle for hunting, come down to cartridge choice and barrel length, optics, camouflage, and accessories.

For the purposes of moving forward using the correct nomenclature in this article, AR is a reference to “ArmaLite Rifle”, with Armalite being the original manufacturer of the semi-automatic platform, and the 15 and 10 number designation referring to the size, as the 10 designation accommodates larger cartridges than the 15. While “AR15” and “AR10” are used colloquially to refer to almost all modern sporting arms with a similar design, and incorrectly used by an ignorant anti-gun lobby as a single weapon, “modern sporting rifles” is the more correct reference, and we use the “MSR” acronym throughout the rest of the article.

If you don’t plan to build a modern sporting rifle and prefer to buy a rifle, scope, and accessorize it, then here are a few great options. Check them out, and check out some of the additional camo options further down in the article.

Savage Arms MSR 10 Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor,
Springfield Armory Saint Victor 5.56mm in FDE
Ruger AR-556 MPR in 350 Legend

If you intend to build your modern sporting rifle continue on.

Caliber and Cartridge

Choosing a caliber is dependent on two things, the platform you intend to use, and the game you intend to hunt. If you chose to hunt with an MSR-15, there are a number of calibers for hunting that include the standard 223/5.56 for predator hunting, and the 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout, 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster, 458 SOCOM, or 50 Beowulf for big game.

With the larger MSR-10 platform, the standard 308 cartridge is a versatile hunting caliber for everything from predator hunting to big game, but the platform also adds great caliber options like the 6.5 Creedmoor.

It’s just not possible in a primer on setting up a modern sporting rifle for hunting, to cover selecting caliber and cartridge choice. The options are vast, and opinions are across the board. Before buying parts or building anything, you should really make an effort to understand foot-pounds of energy, velocity, bullet drop, and recoil to determine what cartridge is best for you.

Camouflage

It’s possible to get almost any color gun part, there are even semi-permanent gun skins that will help camouflage your completed firearm, but we have never had any issues using standard matte black components, with some FDE(flat dark earth) components and accessories added on. If you are going to build an MSR-10 or MSR-15 for hunting, consider the common color options ahead of time. One may be better suited than another to the areas you hunt. Sticking with flat dark earth, OD green, or black, should provide more than sufficient camouflage.

In general, movement, scent, and noise are all more likely factors for spooking an animal, than the difference between a camo pattern and an OD Green firearm, for most rifle hunting differences.

If you want to take camo to the extreme, you can check out some camouflaged builder sets from Aero Precision, or Realtree Max 5 vinyl from Gunskins to better camouflage your MSR.

Camo Upper Lower and Handguard

One of many good looking camo builder sets offered by Aero Precision

Upper & Lower

There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing an upper and lower. Most preferences are just that, preferences. They stem heavily from brand loyalty and fanboyism. Certainly, some parts are nicer than others, and some manufacturers have better and more consistent reputations than others, but so long as you stick to mil-spec or better parts, you’ll get reliable fit, performance, and longevity out of your fully assembled firearm. As far as camo is concerned, standard matte black, OD green, and FDE, will suffice, or you can go all-in with a camouflaged builder set from Aero Precision, or gunskins kit.

Barrel and Bolt Carrier

The barrel and bolt carrier you select will be specific to your cartridge choice. Both your barrel and bolt carrier group should be mil-spec or better, and the color isn’t super important, but it’s best to choose matte black, OD Green, or Flat Dark Earth versus shiny and reflective polished or brightly Cerakoted parts. A black nitride bolt carrier group will be less visible than a rainbow-colored BCG from Guntec when your ejection port cover is open. On a barrel, matte colors will generally disappear underneath a handguard, so long as your handguard covers the majority of your barrel. Check out PSA barrels and bolt carrier groups.

Unlike short-barreled home defense weapons that make them easy to move within close quarters, you’ll likely want a barrel at least 16” long to avoid building a short-barreled rifle, requiring additional federal registration, but also to take full advantage of the ballistics of the cartridge you chose. Any quality, matte black barrel and matching gas block combination will suffice, as they will be concealed and protected by a handguard. If you plan only to hunt from static and roadside-accessible locations, then a heavy contour barrel might be okay for you, but if you plan to carry your rifle anywhere, you should avoid heavy contour barrels.

Muzzle Devices

Flash hiders are great for reducing muzzle flash in dark environments but aren’t legal in restrictive states like California. Fortunately, better options exist for hunting, that are legal in restrictive states. Muzzle brakes and compensators are both options that help the performance of your MSR, and are also legal. Beyond the obvious benefit of reduced recoil and muzzle flip, which will help you take faster follow-up shots and maintain visual on your quarry, the added weight of a muzzle device can actually improve accuracy by changing barrel harmonics. While we love all of our Strike Industries compensators and brakes, so many exist that it almost becomes an aesthetic choice as much as it is a functional one. While brightly colored muzzles devices may look cool, they won’t help you stay stealthy, so choose a matte black option.

Handguard

Aside from the functional components that make an MSR go boom and cycle, the handguard is one of the most important components to protect your barrel, provide camouflage, and enable you to accept a bipod and other Picatinny accessories. Again, if you don’t do a camouflaged builder set from Aero Precision, you will want to do a matte color, or a Gunskin. It’s also our preference, but a full top rail with an M-Lok system everywhere else is ideal. The full top rail is a good trade-off of optic mounting options, while M-Lok on the remaining faces of the handguard provides the strongest and most versatile mounting option for accessories while keeping weight down.

While we’ve added an M-Lok mounted Picatinny rail segment to the front bottom side of our handguard to mount an optional bipod, many modern handguards include a short front Picatinny rail section specifically for bipods, and while handy it’s not absolutely necessary.

Grip and Stock

This is where the restrictive states get you! They essentially want your MSR to be as cumbersome to use as possible unless you register it as an ‘assault rifle’. Whether it’s a deterrent to gun ownership, a forced path to registration or non-compliance, or a continued assault on the second amendment is somewhat unclear. What is clear, is that the options for grips in a restrictive state suck. In a restrictive state, you will need a fin grip. Your stock must also be fixed.

While there are no great options for a fin grip, with some existing in a grey area of the law, there are fortunately a couple of decent stock options. The best options we use are a fixed magpul stock or the adjustable Magpul MOE carbine stock with a Strike Industries stock stop to make it ‘compliant’. Magpul also offers the carbine stock in OD Green, FDE, and black, to help you blend in with your environment.

A Strike Industries Stock Stop is easy to install, and makes an adjustable Magpul stock CA compliant.

Optics

Unlike a home defense weapon, you’ll want to be able to reach out on what may be a small target, like a coyote, or fox. Depending on the cartridge you choose, you may have a hunting rifle that has an effective range of 200 yards, in which case you don’t need a scope meant for 1500 yard precision rifle competitions.

Many modern hunting scopes will be more than sufficient for hunting calibers that can be chambered in an MSR-15. Some good and affordable SFP scope options include the Vortex Crossfire II SFP, available in 4-12x40, 4-12x50, 6-18x44, and the Vortex Diamondback SFP 4-12 x 40mm.

For an MSR-10 platform, many cartridges are capable of harvesting big game animals at 400 or even 600 yards. For those scenarios, you’ll likely want a little more magnification. A couple of good scope options include the Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP 6-24x50 that we also use on a bolt action 270, and the Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56.

Regardless of your optic choice, it should match the ranges you plan to hunt, and the ballistics of your cartridge. If you’d like to keep the ability to effectively use your hunting rifle for home defense, or at close range, leave some flip-up sights on your rifle, and mount your scope with quick detach rings.

Accessories

Ergonomics matter. If you are comfortable, you will shoot better. Some ergonomic devices like Strike Industries M-Lok covers, as well as Picatinny rail covers, offer ways to add ergonomics, improve grip, and even mute the color of a matte black handguard with some FDE for vegetation and desert environments.

If you want to add a bipod you have two options. If you have an M-Lok bottom section on your handguard, you’ll either need to buy a bipod with an M-Lok mount, like the Magpul Rifle Bipod, or add an M-Lok Picatinny rail section, for bipods that attach to a Picatinny rail.

AR15 with m lok accessories

FDE M-Lok covers, rail covers, and a Picatinny rail section improve ergonomics, and allow a bipod to be mounted.

Wrapping Up

You don’t have to break the bank when you buy or build your AR-15 or AR-10 style hunting rifle. The rifle pictured and used as an example comes in under $800 dollars. That includes the scope. It’s accurate, perhaps not as much as higher-end bolt actions are, but it’s plenty accurate to be an effective predator hunting rifle. The quick detach rings allow the optics to swap out quickly, making the rifle a fun range gun, or an effective home defense weapon. Have any questions or suggestions, on setting up a modern sporting rifle for hunting? Let us know in the comments.

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Canada Goose Floater Decoys

| November 3, 2021
Goose Floater Decoy at Sunset
Photo Credit: Keith Knoxsville
A Hen and a Drake Green Teal on the truck bed. Not a limit on anything, but a fun morning out.
Material | EVA Plastic
Type | Floater
Flocked | No
Quantity | 6
Features | Realistic Model
Size | 22 inches by 9 inches
Weight | Light Weight
Country of Origin | China
Warranty | None
Price | $99
Realism
4.0/5

Effectiveness
4.6/5

Quality
3.0/5

Value
4.1/5

Overall
3.9/5

We bought a six-pack of Bulk Decoy Club Canada Goose Floater Decoys to try out and review. We’ve all seen the Bulk Decoy Club ads, “6 floating goose decoys on sale for $99”. Like us, you’ve probably wondered if a six-pack of floating goose decoys for under 100 bucks can be any good? Are they a good budget-minded decoy option for goose hunters? Or are they a waste of your hard-earned dollars

First Impressions

Immediately after our FedEx guy handed us the package, we opened a box that seemed too small to contain six goose decoys. Bulk Decoy Club makes the Canada Floaters from an EVA material, so they are softer and more malleable, meaning they can ship in a compressed state to take up less space, but it would have honestly been easier to get excited over a larger box.

We removed the goose decoys from the plastic packaging that kept each decoy in a compressed state and revealed the deflated decoys. We immediately went to work massaging and manipulating them into shape.

After a little bit of effort, we got the dekes mostly into shape. Things were literally and figuratively, shaping up, and the decoys looked good enough to use in the field. That’s not to say things were perfect, because we did notice a few less than impressive things while getting the decoys back into shape.

While massaging the decoys back into shape, we noticed a few thin spots in some sections of the goose decoys where the roto-molding process apparently didn’t deposit very much material. EVA is supposed to remain flexible in low-temperature environments and therefore should be a more forgiving material. In short, we are hoping the EVA plastic although thin in some spots, will hold up in the field.

Worth mentioning, the decoys utilize a tiny cap on an air inlet/outlet, just above the back of the keel that plugs up the decoy. It requires some effort to fully seat the plug, which is good, but it’s hard to imagine they will stay plugged long-term with heavy use and variable temperature environments.

Also worth mentioning, the goose decoys look really good from every angle. However, while it shouldn’t matter to the birds, the overspray from the paint on the keels is sloppy and makes a statement about a lack of concern for process, or quality control.

Canada Goose Floater Decoy Bent Keel

The bent keels on the Canada Goose floating decoys isn’t awesome, nor does it scream ‘high quality’.

Out of six decoys, more than one keel had a pretty bad bend that didn’t completely square back up with manipulation. While underwater, it shouldn’t matter that the keels are a little bent to the side, but it does add to a general concern about quality, and longevity.

Lastly, more than one cap on the keel that seals in the ballast material, was pressed on and glued in a pretty haphazard way. It’s more of an aesthetic gripe, but it certainly does not evoke thoughts of quality.

Our concerns aside, the Bulk Decoy Club Decoys are very budget-friendly decoys, that look pretty good.

In The Field

After our pretty critical initial inspection, we were pretty eager to get the decoys in the field, and really find out if they pass muster, and hold up to some abuse.

The California waterfowl season started up a little slow and warm this year, but we managed to get the goose decoys out on a few icy mornings, with sub-freezing temperatures for a couple of hours at a time. We also used the decoys on a couple of warm days, with temperatures as warm as 58 degrees Fahrenheit, so the decoys were exposed to a range of temperatures.

The goose decoys have received no love, or preferential treatment from our team, and have been haphazardly tossed in and out of vehicles, dropped on rocky shorelines of lakes, and airmailed to their decoying locations like any other decoy we try to get out in a hurry.

The dekes have taken bumpy and abusive rides on rocky roads, with blind bags, firearms, waders, and other equipment stacked on top of them, and have survived. They’ve suffered a little bit of paint chipping, but nothing unreasonable for how they have been handled. We have not observed how they do when they are subjected to single-digit weather, turbulent icy water, or a full season of use yet, but so far so good.

Goose Floater Decoy Paint Chipping

Paint chipping, from rough handling, is visible on the goose decoys.

In addition to handling our use and abuse, the decoys attract birds at a distance. The large size and bright coloration of the decoys make them more visible than our duck decoys in fog, low light situations, and at greater distances. On slow mornings with very few birds, they provide an advantage over exclusively using normal-sized duck decoys. As soon as our weather gets a little bit cooler, and we get some real waterfowling weather, we are sure they will bring in the geese, and look forward to dropping some honkers.

Conclusion

We typically use some really solid and rugged decoys, in particular, Hardcore Decoy's Rugged Series decoys, and aren’t used to the softer EVA material. With that said, the Bulk Decoy Club Canada Floaters have held up pretty well so far, but that doesn’t mean we can confidently say they will hold up to multiple seasons of use and abuse.

Quality control over paint and the janky assembly of a couple of keel caps could be better. Bulk Decoy Club could increase the wall thickness of the EVA material in the roto-molding process so that the end result is a stronger more durable product that will last the test of time.

Canada Goose Floater Decoys

Canada Goose Floater Decoys by Bulk Decoy Club in a spread on a medium sized pond.

If you are on a tighter budget, have little storage space, or just don’t hunt Canada Geese all that often, then the Canada Floaters are a good choice. They are also a budget-friendly way to add visibility to any decoy spread, attract both ducks and geese when visibility is an issue, and let you add geese instead of equally-priced magnum-sized duck decoys for a little variety.

However, if you can increase your budget by 50 dollars and don’t have a concern over off-season storage space, you can move up a tier in quality. At around 150 dollars, you can buy another brand of decoys and have a little more confidence that you will get multiple seasons of use out of them.

The Canada Floaters by Bulk Decoy Club do get the job done. They look pretty good, enough to get birds to flare, they add visibility to any spread, and for the price point, really can’t be beaten. We are hoping that our concerns over quality and durability are a moot point, that our observations are just the nature of EVA plastic, and the Canada Floaters will last the full season and many more. We’ll update our review as soon as there is a change in our opinion, or by the end of the season, whichever comes first.

For now, the Canada Floater Decoys are doing a fine job. They are holding up to the abuse we’ve given them, and we are happy to toss them into our decoy spreads for as long as they do last.

In the interest of full disclosure, and the best interest of our readers in mind, it’s worth mentioning the following. We had reached out to Bulk Decoy Club earlier in the year to see if we could do a sponsored gear review. After the initial excitement and greenlight with some gear to test, communication stopped, and we never received any decoys. We reached out a couple more times over the next weeks and months, with poor communication between both email and Instagram messages. We ultimately abandoned any notion things would move forward with Bulk Decoy Club, and bought a set of six decoys to do our review. We wanted our readers to know what they are getting into when they buy Bulk Decoy Club decoys. You will get a decent and affordable product, with no warranty, and based on our experience, poor communication should you have an issue. We haven’t had any issues, so it’s been a moot point, but we do prefer products from companies that stand behind their products with warranties and also have open channels of communication with their customers.

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