FINAL RISE Summit vs Legacy Comparison

One of the most common asked questions, and likely the very reason you’re reading this short article is, “What are the main differences between the Final Rise Summit and Legacy System?” and “Why would I want/prefer one over the other?”

Both valid questions that we’ll hopefully answer as you continue reading on. 

A little context and ‘why’ as to the creation of the LEGACY vest, following the launch of our flagship do-all workhorse SUMMIT, back in 2020. 

When developing the SUMMIT vest, it was created around the specific hunting that I like to do out west. More times than not, a day of Chukar hunting the west deserts of Utah entail hiking before the sun comes up and finding the way back to your truck that evening with a headlight. They’re long days. 

Running two dogs, needing food for the day, shells, first aid, a full sized camera and extra layers, depending on the time of year, meant I needed a product that could handle everything I could throw at it. 

Without boring you too much, the goal was to make the best vest for EVERY upland application with the BEST materials and components. Cost aside, I didn’t care what it took to do it right, I wanted to make the very best product we could. Something we could be proud of.. The SUMMIT was born..

Fast forward a season or two and certain folks made it very clear that they did not want, nor need a vest that checked all the boxes I needed it to. We heard them loud and clear.

Because honestly.. I get it.. Everyone has their style, their way, their gear list and how they want to approach the field. That’s the beautiful thing about this passion we share.. There’s no one size fits all in hunting.. So naturally we wanted to expand our offering and offer a more minimal and streamlined vests, without compromising quality, comfort and versatility.  

Drum roll.. The LEGACY takes the market by storm.

The mission for the LEGACY was to provide a skelontonized model of our SUMMIT for the hunter/trainer who valued a more minimal style vest, but recognized the value of our belt, shoulder harness and lumbar pad designs. Plus the fact that it’s only just over 2 lbs empty and disappears when you strap it on. I’m a big believer that ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain.

Continuing on.. because we wanted to offer a simplified strap vest, reducing materials and manufacturing/sewing time allowed us to deliver the LEGACY at a lower price point.. And honestly.. For the cost, value and quality.. We’re extremely proud to go toe-to-toe with the overseas products that saturate our market. Not taking a shot at the big boys, just simply stating that when considering a FINAL RISE System, our costs are tied directly to value and quality, not import and tariff fees being passed onto the consumer. 

Moving onto the meat and potatoes, and really diving into the breakdown of these Systems and who they’re for, I’ll start by first pointing out the similarities, because by nature, they are similar in pattern, design, materials, etc. 

As mentioned, both vest models use our padded waist belt and include an integrated lumbar pad for low back support and improved comfort, which pairs perfectly with our non-padded, no-slip shoulder harness.

These two components are a large part of what sets the FINAL RISE Systems apart from anything in the upland market.

With the waist belt and shoulder harness as the foundation of both the SUMMIT and LEGACY models, we’ll first direct our attention to the game bag itself. 

GAME BAG

The first visually notable difference between the two vests is that the SUMMIT has MOLLE/PALs webbing located on both the sides and the rear of the game bag. These webbing slots enable the use of our modular accessory pockets such as the rear pocket and side pockets. These pockets are designed specifically to add additional carrying capacity and organization to your SUMMIT. 

If you guide, hunt a handful of dogs or want to always be at the ready and have all your gear compartmentalized and at the ready, the SUMMIT is a no-brainer choice.

If we look at the LEGACY, we’ll notice a simplified platform that does not have the same MOLLE attachment points, which simply means that you cannot add additional storage pockets to the exterior of this vest.

That said, it should be noted that the embroidered webbing on the back of the vest, where it says “FINAL RISE” has loops where a pair of jacket/layer lashes can be fed through.

The jacket lashes are truthfully the most simple yet useful accessory we offer. Strapping your nice soft shell or puffy to the back of the vest, where it’s out of the way and not getting covered in bird parts is a big deal to me. Especially on multi day hunts where I may not get to wash my favorite jacket while away from home. 

STORAGE & ORGANIZATION

Moving onto the inside of the game bag, the SUMMIT has 3 built in zippered pockets. In the rear panel, where the elastic bungie is seen in the product images, is a large triangle shaped pocket that’s perfect for lunch, snacks, leads, light rain jackets, etc. I personally put a sandwich or two in there for long day hunts. 

On each side of the SUMMIT is a zippered pouch. These pouches are the exact same size as the side of the bag itself and are about the size of your hand when relaxed and opened. It’s a decent sized pocket and I personally use it for a field first aid kit, on one side, and a headlamp, paracord, knife and any other trinkets on the other. 

WATER CAPACITY & DESIGN

Along the inside of the vest, on the side that sits flush against the small of your back, is a pouch that allows you to cradle the bottom of a 2 or 3 L bladder, 2 fits best, or to fully contain a 1.5L lumbar bladder. If a bladder isn't being used, it’s an easily accessible sleeve where I can put my empties or carry my little collapsible dog bowl. 

Transitioning back to the LEGACY, the only zippered pocket is in the rear panel. Because the sides of the game bag are designed to carry water bottles, they don’t have zippered pouches.

A very important note is that the LEGACY does not have a bladder clip or sleeve that runs across your back. In short, it is not designed to carry a water bladder and a key difference between the two vest models. 

While on the topic of water, we’ll also point out that the LEGACY does not include the water bottle holders or 2 x 32oz water bottles that are included with the SUMMIT.

With that said, it is important to note that because we use the same waist belt, there are attachment points on the waist belt where you can secure water bottle holders and add water bottles. This option is available for an additional cost, but a liable option for folk that gravitate to a more simplistic game bag, but need to carry ample water. 

A final quick note on water capacity, with the holsters on the LEGACY, you can carry 2 bottles in the holsters and 2 in the pouches on the side of the game bag. This can also be accomplished in the SUMMIT by simply zipping open the pouches on the sides of the game bag. In short, that means you can carry 4 water bottles + a bladder in the SUMMIT. 

If water is a MUST have for your hunting style, we’d point you towards the SUMMIT. 

With the fundamentals covered on the game bags and water carrying, let’s move to the shell pouches.

SHELL POUCHES

Starting with the SUMMIT, we offer what we’ve deemed the 3 Stage Design which boiled down means; zipped closed, lid laying closed over the top or lid tucked inside to leave the access open. 

To touch on each of the 3 mentioned stages, you’ll have likely noted that the SUMMIT Shell Pouch has the ability to be zipped closed. There’s 2 main reasons we designed it this way:

1 - There is nothing worse than going to pull your vest from the truck, or simply move it by hand, and have all your gear or shells dump out of the pocket and fall into every nook and cranny between, behind and around your truck seats or in the bed.Hell, the cost of shells alone right now is reason enough to want a zippered closure. 

2 - This zippered closure is also incredibly nice for using the pocket as another storage location, which is vital to properly balancing the vest so that it rides as comfortably as possible. Because I rarely carry more than a handful of shells in my right pouch, I utilize my left pouch for my full size Sony camera and easy access snacks so I can walk and eat as I go. 

When it comes down to storage, organization and having a place for all your gear, the SUMMIT shell pockets are a dream. 

Another important note, on the exterior of each SUMMIT shell pouch, is an additional zippered storage compartment. Sized to fit large cell phones, wallets, keys and serve as a spot for handheld (Lots of folks leave the zipper open and tether the handheld to the d-ring on the belt to have a quick and readily accessible setup) it’s a very straightforward way to have a spot for anything you don’t want mixed in with lose shells in the main pouch. 

For our second stage, with the SUMMIT shell pouch zipper open, the lid can still lay over the top and cover the top from debris while pushing brush. The lid is held securely in place by velcro and has a ‘glove usable’ tab on the edge of the lid to provide you the ability to quickly access the pocket when needed. 

Finally, the third and final stage of the SUMMIT shell pouch is simply tucking the lid down inside of the pocket, which gives the user unobstructed access to shells. Handy when hunting covey birds with a double gun and a quick reload may be required.

Turning the page to focus on the LEGACY shell pouches, we stuck to our streamlined approach when designing the system, and used a simple tried and true ‘flap top’ design that has only the main pouch for storage and has the lid lay over the top of the access hole. The lid is held in place by velcro when closed.

The lid may also be tucked back down inside of the pouch to also provide easy access when needed. 

SUMMARY

For a quick, at a glance comparison, here’s a simple bullet point breakdown to give you a straightforward understanding of both the SUMMIT and LEGACY vests, what’s included and who they might be for.

SUMMIT:

• Structured Game Bag with 3 built in storage pockets
• Compatible with ALL Final Rise Accessories
• Hydration/Bladder Compatible
• 2 x 3 Stage Zippered Shell Pouches
• 2 x Water Bottle Holders
• 2 x 32oz Soft Squeeze Water Bottles
• True weight bearing padded waist belt
• Integrated Lumbar Pad
• No-Slip Grip Shoulder Harness with no padding and accessory attachment points
• Rear panel bungie for light jackets, shed antlers, etc.

LEGACY:

• Structured Game Bag with 1 storage pocket 
• Compatible with select accessories 
• Not Hydration/Bladder Compatible
• True weight bearing padded waist belt
• Integrated Lumbar Pad
• No-Slip Grip Shoulder Harness with no padding and accessory attachment points

In a nutshell, our SUMMIT vest is truly the do-all upland workhorse vest that will excel in any hunting or training scenario. It’s also worth noting that the SUMMIT is compatible with our Turkey hunting accessories which allow you to convert your SUMMIT from wing shooting to a lean run and gun turkey setup in seconds, with the right accessories. No need to have multiple vests for hunting needs when you can do it all with one, right?

The LEGACY, while equal in value and ability to accomplish many hunting or training tasks, offers a more minimalist style for the hunter that doesn’t need to carry as much water, runs one dog at a time or hunts areas that only require short investments of time before circling back to the truck and relocating. 

Thanks so much for taking time to read this short blog and if there are any additional questions you have on these vest models, please reach out. We’re always here to help.

Take care and God Bless.

- Matt Davis / Founder