Badlands Recon Pack Review

                            Badlands Recon Pack 

                                 Review

       Hunting Gear is necessary. The ability to carry all your gear is essential. Badlands has set the performance bar high on their Recon pack.  Two Thumbs Up to Badlands for not only making a comfortable pack but also finding a way to defy gravity! Well, lets just say they done their homework on this one. The Recon is light weight and seems a perfect fit without being bulky.  It seems to sit with you, rather than hang on you.  Badlands KXO material is tough and proved itself in the Ozarks Blackberry thorn bushes while shed hunting last week. The Recon pulled through without a rip.  

Three Reasons Why I Purchased the Recon.

     Size was not bulky, but not too small!                                            
      Equipped with Rain Cover Built In

  Badlands Fix It For Free Forever Warranty 

  

Rain Cover Test

 Size was the most important to me. Filming most of my hunts with a Canon Xa10, GoPRO, DSLR, and a tripod means I need something with lots of room. Hunting from a tree stand mostly, I wanted something that wasn't bulky.  The Recon works perfect for all my gear and the weight doesn't even seem to put the pack to the test.  This pack is loaded with pockets. Every time I open it I find a new one! I carry the tripod, or tree arm, in the bow holder. Cameras go in the main compartment, and the batteries, lights, and other gear go in the secondary. You have two side pockets. One holds my .380 and the other holds a pair of fold up microphones. I can carry all this without the bulk. Thanks Badlands!

   Having camera equipment and Rain mix as much as a weatherman and Missouri.  I want to be prepared if comes a downpour and the Recon`s built-in rain cover gives me the peace of mind. I know it works because I personally tested the cover while it was raining.

Freeze test

 I even took it another step to see how the Recon preforms. I literally froze this pack in my freezer to see how it would work during winter weather. Six hours at a brisk Zero degrees. Things I tested were zipper noise, zipper function, buckle function/noise, and overall pack noise. Surprisingly, the zippers made no extra noise and functioned the same. The Buckles had no effect from the coldness as well. The outside of the pack was a little bit louder but the inside of the pack was night and day difference. The material inside was much louder. While I never plan to reach in my pack while an animal is in earshot, you never know when your camera battery will tire out from the cold weather and you need to swap out. A little pre-organization on my part would help in this situation. 

 The Recon is a great pack that I`m sure will be handed down to my son. It fits all my needs when I`m hunting and when I'm running the camera! I love using this pack and was a great investment for me.

*Badlands wants to know what we like in a pack and heres what I would like to see.

 A Run and Gun Camera Pack.(the camera bag is just too bulky for me) Keep the same specs as the Recon except an inch or two wider. Needs Pockets inside designed for camera batteries, a built in sd card holder (inside top of pack), a GoPro pouch on the side. Remove the ability to put a bladder in the pack(too close to cameras) and just leave that space open. Leave the bow holder on there because us cameramen use it as a tree arm or tripod holder. Make them waterproof, without the use of a cover. I want a side pock with a lithium ion battery affixed with a USB port to charge my camera while Im using my camera.!!  Call it the Revelation pack!  Ok I got a little carried away.

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                        Justin Sapp

Canon Xa10 Review

                    Canon XA10

The Canon Xa10 may be small but like the saying goes, "Great things come in small packages!" This is especially true with the Xa10.  One of the main reasons I purchased this camera was because of its size. My work schedule leaves me off during the week and self filming mostly.  Having a camera that is easily transported and carried in my pack is a big advantage. I have included what I feel are Pros and Cons to this camera.  Remember, everyone has different expectations. Something I may not like, may not be a bother to you. This is a reference for those wanting to know more information on the Canon Xa10 for filming hunts.


PROS                                           

*SIZE-  The Xa10 is a small camera but don`t let it fool you! It is packed with a bunch of extra features and the video quality will not disappoint.  Easily packed in and out without the bulkiness. Perfect for those self-filming.

*LARGE LCD SCREEN- The Xa10 is equipped with a 3.5" LCD touch screen panel. I love the larger viewing screen so you can easily look at that panel to make sure your focused on the buck of a lifetime!

*MANUAL FOCUS WHEEL- Self-filmers may be thinking, When will I use that?? Actually, More than you think!  Manual focus means more control! The Xa10 has focus assist options to help those transitioning from auto into manual focusing! You can also change the focus speed and direction of the wheel with the tap of a few buttons.

*CUSTOM BUTTONS- You get two custom buttons to set whatever function you would like. I set my first one to change from Auto to Manual focus. Why? My wife and I share the camera. She is learning and instead of going in the menu to change it back and forth, I can touch one button. Also, self-filming can be tough sometimes. If I get in a hurry , and my subject is in an open field, I can touch one button and not have to worry about my focus anymore.
   My second custom button is white balance. Doing my own editing it saves me a lot of time by getting the white balance correct!

* FACIAL RECOGNITION- A big plus to self-filmers. You can walk anywhere in the frame and the cameras facial recognition with keep you in focus the entire time. I have noticed it works on animals as well. If it does not recognize your subject , you can tap the screen on your subject and it will then lock onto that subject.

*GRIDS- I like to use the rule of thirds. The XA10 is set up with a grid you can make visible to help you keep everything just where you want it.  For those who do not like the grids, no worries, you can easily take them off!

*ACCESSORIES- The handle is great for packing in the camera if your pack is too full! The dual SD cards make it easy to sit all day without worrying about having enough storage to film when Granddaddy shows up! There are a ton of settings you can change to put you in control! Dual XLR ports for professional audio! Infrared filming for those really early morning-late evening interviews!

There are a lot of things I like about this camera but these are just a few. My advice is to set your camera is Manual mode, adjust your settings to your likings, and enjoy.

CONS

*ON CAMERA AUDIO- I do not care for the on camera audio. The buttons on the side of the handle actually shake and you can hear it on the built in audio during playback. I would look into utilizing the XLR ports and getting a shotgun mic. I purchased the RODE NTG-1 and have no regrets.

*HUNTING AND TOUCH SCREENS- You have three options. Cut Holes in your gloves, take your gloves off every time you need to touch the screen to make adjustments or use the tracking (not recommended when ole Tom is 60 yds out and also another good reason to learn shooting in Manual ) or you can purchase gloves that have the ability to transfer your touch through the glove.  Most people have touch screen phones and are already familiar with the cut gloves !!

* TOO PRETTY- Honestly there is not much on this camera that I do not like. My Mother saw my camera and commented how small, pretty, and petite it looked.  I ordered a Camouflage Camera skin from Campbell Outdoors that night!


                                                                                             Justin Sapp