KUIU Rival Turkey Vest Review

As my buddy and I crested the top of a steep ridge, we stopped for a quick breather. The midday heat had arrived, and after ripping ourselves to shreds in the dense vegetation of middle Tennessee bluff country, things were getting sweaty. My buddy pointed at the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest I was wearing and said, “I need to get something like that. My stinkin’ vest is too dang heavy for this type of thing.”

The “type of thing” we were doing was one of the more brutal ways I’ve chased gobblers. We were in his boat on a local lake, calling and listening for birds, which in itself was very relaxing. Whenever we heard one, we’d beach the boat and go chase them. Unfortunately, the banks of the lake rise vertically like skyscrapers. That part wasn’t as relaxing.

Over the course of the day, I really came to appreciate the vest. It’s one of the better turkey vests I’ve used for running-and-gunning hunts in steep, nasty country.

In short: The KUIU Rival Turkey Vest ($249) is the perfect blend of functionality and minimalism. There’s just enough room for everything you need for a long hunt, and an ingenious seat and back support system. While other minimalist options may leave you wanting more creature comforts, and other full vests feel clunky and cumbersome, this one is sleek and lightweight.

KUIU Rival Turkey Vest Review

Ingenious Seat System

My absolute favorite feature on this turkey vest is the seat system. Most other turkey vests I’ve used have seat systems that don’t stow easily, rarely stay put, and end up clapping against my legs and catching every bit of brush in the woods. They’re generally obnoxious. This one is pretty slick.

Seat Storage

It starts with KUIU’s patent-pending “BackTrack” system. There’s a long strap running down the middle of the vest, with the seat attached by a plastic slider. When you need to stow the seat, you simply slide it up your back on the strap and secure it to two Velcro strips on the bottom of the vest. To deploy the seat, you peel it from the Velcro and slide it down the strap.

It sounds complicated, but it’s really not. I can easily store and deploy it with one hand, and when stowed, I forget the padded seat even exists. I don’t have to take the vest off to store the seat properly, and it’s the easiest, most secure seat system I’ve used. It’s gone and out of the way when stored.

The seat can also be entirely removed from the vest if you don’t need it. There’s a gap on the backside of the plastic slider that you can pull the strap through to pull the seat off. It works well, though on one occasion I accidentally removed the seat from the system while trying to stow it. It was a one-off, though, and I haven’t experienced that problem again.

Back Support System of the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest

To further improve the seat system, KUIU included its “LeanLock” back support system in the Rival Turkey Vest. At first, I thought it was gimmicky, but after giving it a fair shake in the woods, I’ve started to use it a bunch.

The LeanLock system is two straps that stow in small hip pockets on each side of the vest. At the end of each adjustable strap is a loop for hunters to put their feet in. You can then tighten the straps to virtually any position. That allows you to push forward with your feet, which presses your back into the vest itself. It turns your turkey vest into a portable chair with a back, similar to a Crazy Creek chair.

On long sits, my lower back is very grateful for the support. I’ve spent many, many years rowing drift boats for a living, and often have to move around more than I’d like while turkey hunting due to a throbbing back. The support offered by the KUIU Rival Turkey vest keeps me comfortably planted in my spots, fidget-free, for longer durations.

Additionally, it eliminates the need for a tree to lean against. Often in the Tennessee woods, all the trees around are surrounded by impenetrable brush. Sitting on a tree would result in having absolutely no shooting lanes. It also works great on field edges where there are no trees of substantial size to lean on. With LeanLock, I can pop a squat anywhere and have full back support.

Sleek Storage on the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest

On the face of it, this vest looks like there isn’t much to it. It weighs only 2 pounds, 16 ounces, and lacks all the “junk” you see on other vests. But despite its unassuming appearance, this vest offers a pretty good amount of storage. It’s well thought out and won’t leave you wanting for more, like other minimalist options such as a turkey belt or chest rig.

Call Storage

No matter what type of turkey call you use, there’s a functional pocket for it in this vest. That’s not very uncommon with a turkey vest, so I’ll only spend a brief time here highlighting some of the facets of it.

The box call holder has an internal divider that prevents it from rubbing against itself and making noise while you walk. I’ve found the sleeve is a touch smaller than I’d like, which makes putting the call in it a touch more time-consuming than I’d like, but it functions as advertised. My box call stays quiet when I need it to.

The slate call holder is on the other side of the vest, and I can easily fit two slate calls in it. In that same pocket, there are three slots for diaphragm calls. Up to three strikers can be stored in the pocket right above that which has no closure, but tabs similar to shell holders that keep things in place. They’re at the ready, at all times.

All of the call pockets feature magnetic closures, keeping the entire system quiet. I’ve found the magnets to be quite strong, and I haven’t once had the pockets open accidentally.

Other Storage

There’s a decent amount of other storage in the vest. On the front of each side of the vest is zippered storage, with one side sporting three shell holders, and the other side sporting two divided pockets inside the large pocket.

The back portion of the vest is hydration-bladder–compatible and features a medium-sized backpack-style zippered pocket. There’s also a small pocket on the back of the vest with a key ring and two zippered mesh pockets on the interior of the front of the vest

Included Decoy Bag With the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest

The final feature I’ve grown fond of with the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest is the included game/decoy bag. It has backpack-style straps, rather than one single strap, like many decoy bags.

Given how thin the vest is, I can throw my fully loaded decoy bag onto my back, buckle the chest strap, and keep my hands free. It doesn’t slide off my shoulders as I hike, and it goes with me on every turkey hunt, whether I’m using this vest or not. It’s nifty as all get out.

KUIU claims it can hold three full-sized decoys, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch. I can easily stuff two in there without much effort, but a third would be near impossible. Still, that’s better than most, and it’s a fantastic inclusion to the vest that makes the price tag sting a bit less.

How the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest Could Be Improved

So, what’s the give? This vest is thin and sleek enough to put in the minimalist category. As with anything in the minimalist category, there are some trade-offs.

Seat Padding

First and foremost, the seat isn’t as comfortable as the big, cushy ones you see on other vests. With how it stows, it can’t be. It’s not awful, and I’m fine with it, just don’t expect La-Z-Boy–level padding.

Storage for Long Days

I’ve also run into one particular storage issue: carrying extra layers. The backpack pocket on the back is just big enough to hold a softshell hunting jacket and a fleece, but that’s pushing it to the max.

When I’ve done that, it bows the pocket into my back where the seat is stored. With that extra pressure on my back, the seat tends to pop off the Velcro straps when stowed. It just doesn’t work well fully loaded.

I tried using the exterior daisy-chain straps on the vest’s rear to hold a jacket, but even when cinched tight, the jacket would often fall off. A better way to do it would be to make the backpack pocket itself expandable for those times you’re deep in the woods and need to stuff the pocket full.

So, while it has great storage for a minimalist option, I do find myself running out of room. If you have a day of backcountry turkey hunting planned that starts with cold temps but will end with blistering heat, you may wish there were more storage.

Diaphragm Call Pockets

The placement of the diaphragm call holders could also be better. I’d like to see at least one elastic diaphragm pocket on the vest’s exterior. It can get annoying having to reach into a full-on pocket every single time I need a call.

Final Thoughts

Despite those drawbacks, the KUIU Rival Turkey Vest is one of the best vests I’ve carted around. For me, it’s the perfect example of minimalism without taking it too far. I’ve got enough room for most everything I need, a functional pocket layout, and amazing back support.

And maybe more importantly, I don’t despise packing it up and down mountains all day in the Southeast humidity. If you’re a run-and-gun hunter, but don’t want to give up creature comforts, it’s the turkey vest for you.