As we wrap up 2025, we wanted to look back over the year and highlight the products, podcasts, videos, and articles that YOU were most engaged with.
While our recently published list of The Best Hunting Gear We Used In 2025 is based on OUR hand-picked favorites, what we are sharing in the rest of this article is based on YOUR favorites — determined by the purchases you made, the podcasts you listened to, the videos you watched, and the articles you read.
If you are interested in previous years’ data, here is the Top 5 of 2023. Last year, we only recapped the top podcast episodes of 2024.
TOP 5 EXO PRODUCTS
Since releasing K4 in March 2023, the best-selling pack model and its accompanying accessories have remained consistently popular. The top 5 sellers in the Exo line are…
- K4 5000 Pack System
- K4 Hipbelt Pouch
- K4 Stash Pocket
- K4 Nalgene Holder
- K4 Quick-Release Rifle Carrier
The versatility of the K4 5000 just can’t be beat if you are looking for a “do it all” pack system that works well for weeklong adventures deep in the mountains, but also want a pack that can compress well for simple day hunts close to basecamp.
Those accessories in the Top 5 are not only the best sellers, but they are also our favorite and most used accessories on our personal backcountry adventures.
Additional Sales Data
As a small company, we track all of our sales data very closely. We use this data to set our production schedules at our sew shop, allowing us to build exactly what we need, so that we can keep the right products in stock and keep our lead times to ship orders to a minimum.
Before packs are built, we also use this data to make purchasing decisions for our raw materials, which helps us reduce waste and excess.
We’re always working incredibly hard behind the scenes to stay as efficient as possible, which enables us to offer the best pack at the best price, along with the best service.
The K4 5000 is the best-selling K4 Pack System by far.
Ranger Green is the most popular color choice. And Fusion, which was recently discontinued, was the least popular color.
Fulfillment Times
When you look at all orders in 2025, the median time from “order placed” to “order shipped” is just 35 hours.
That is incredibly quick, when you consider that all of our Packs & Pack Accessories are cut and sewn in our shop; those sewn pack components are then assembled in our warehouse, with several quality checks between sewing and shipping. We aren’t Amazon — we don’t run a large crew (and robots) around the clock to fulfill orders for pre-made widgets.
For 7 out of the 12 months of 2025, our shipping time averaged less than 24 hours after an order was placed. But for the other 5 months, which include high volume from trade shows, peak pre-season sales, and our once-a-year holiday sale, the average lead time was closer to 48 hours.
Where did you hear about us?
For every order placed through our website, our customers have the opportunity to share, "Where did you hear about us?"" We have a drop-down list of common sources, then a text area where a customer can enter any other source not in the list.
Since we don’t use paid online advertising or affiliate marketing, which typically makes it easy to track referrals, we really value it when customers answer this question for us.
We have built Exo on two fundamentals: 1) build the best pack system possible, and 2) take care of our customers as best as we can.
Those fundamentals mean that our customers are happy to tell their friends about us, which in turn drives the majority of our sales.
We would much rather invest more money in our product and customers, instead of paying for advertising, flashy marketing campaigns, and incentivized "influencers".
The graph shows the top 5 answers to "Where did you hear about us?", which account for 88% of our total sales. The final 12% of our sales come from other sources, including Repeat Customers, Events/Expos, YouTube, and others.
TOP 5 PODCAST EPISODES
In July of this year, we celebrated a decade of The Hunt Backcountry Podcast. We have hundreds of episodes in the back catalog (which you can browse by topic or search by keyword). Although we have been doing this show for 10+ years, we are still excited to speak with helpful guests, learn more about relevant topics, and share new stories in each episode.
Lessons from 8 Years of Archery Elk Success
This episode features a listener of the show, Jordan, who killed an elk with his bow for 8 years straight. We discuss what Jordan has learned over years of do-it-yourself elk hunting, the mistakes he has made (and sees others make), and some of the tactics he learned from guests of our podcast, which helped contribute to his success and consistency.
Speaking of elk hunting podcasts, this year we put together some of our favorite episodes about elk hunting in this single resource of 40+ ELK HUNTING EPISODES.
What Broadhead Should You Shoot This Season? (No BS Reviews...)
John Lusk of Lusk Archery Adventures (@luskarcheryadventures) joins us to discuss priorities for broadhead selection, what he has learned from independently testing and ranking dozens of broadheads, and answers your listener-submitted questions about broadhead selection, budget arrow and broadhead setups, differences in blade and ferrule materials, broadhead vs insert/outsert weight, and MUCH more!
Bowhunter Data on Broadhead Lethality & Shot Distance
Jeremy Dugger (@muleymojo) is the owner of Xpert Archery. After hearing story after story about bowhunters' experiences with broadhead performance on animals, he decided to start formally collecting data on the type of broadhead used, the distance of the shot, the arrow weight, the bow's draw weight, and the lethality or lack of recovery of the animal. Now, with over 500 responses in his data collection, he joins us to share some of the statistics and the takeaways that we, as bowhunters, should consider.
Backpack Hunting Basics — How to Get Started
If you are new to backpack hunting, you are probably overwhelmed with what you need, where you can go, and how to get started.
In this podcast, we are joined by Josh Kirchner from Dialed-In Hunter (@dialedinhunter) to discuss the first steps that beginning backpack hunters need to take to get started backpack hunting.
Josh also shared this super helpful article on Backpack Hunting for Beginners.
Hunting with 6mm Creedmoor — Our Experience & Your Questions Answered
After discussing the theory behind hunting with smaller calibers and then taking a 6mm Creedmoor to Alaska to hunt big-bodied Caribou and Moose, we recap our experience and answer your listener-submitted questions in this episode.
TOP 5 VIDEOS
In 2025, our YouTube channel featured a mix of hunt films, backpack hunting knowledge, and education content about the best way to use our products. And the Top 5 most-watched videos of the year covered all of those categories.
Backpack Hunting Basics — What We Eat (And How We Pack It)
The food you bring on a multi-day backpack hunt determines how effectively you can hunt with sustained energy, how much your pack weighs, and how much space you have as you load your bag for the hunt. In this video, we share an example of what we eat in a day and how we pack it.
The Experience Project, Episode 6 — Steve's 68" Bull Moose in Alaska
In Episode 6 of the HUNT series, the guys continue hunting moose and dodging big bears. With two tags already filled, over 1,000 pounds of meat to take care of, and a storm coming, Steve and Justin find themselves far from camp and sneak within 200 yards of a giant 68" bull as darkness nears.
The Experience Project, Episode 9 — "Double-Up and Hurry Down"
Jake & Mark double up on mountain goats in Alaska before a snowstorm hits that night. With a full camp, 6 days of food, two boned-out goats, and two full-body capes, the guys have a heavy, snowy, slippery, steep packout down to the boat.
How To Load Your Gear For A Multi-Day Backpack Hunt
How you load your pack matters. In this video, we explain ways to load your pack that will increase the pack's performance and make you a more efficient hunter.
The Experience Project, Episode 5 — Two Bulls Is Just The Beginning
In Episode 5 of the HUNT series, Steve, Justin, Tyler, and Dan begin their Moose hunt in Alaska. As they split up to cover ground, Tyler and Dan fill their tags in the first few days of the hunt. And killing two moose is only the beginning of the adventure!
TOP 5 ARTICLES
The funny thing about the 5 most popular articles in 2025 is that they range from being just over 2 weeks old to being over 5 years old. Many of the views on these articles are driven by people searching Google for certain subjects and then finding our content. For example, if you search Google for “chassis for a hunting rifle,” you will end up at the most-viewed article on our site this year…
The Best Lightweight Folding Chassis for Your Hunting Rifle
When it comes to folding rifle chassis that are purpose-built for the weight-conscious backpack hunter, there are two primary options — The XLR Element 4.0 and the MDT HNT26. Here are 10 comparisons to help you choose between these two chassis systems...
FREE Backpack Hunting Gear List Template (Spreadsheet)
Over the years, we have used a simple gear list template to plan all of our hunts. No matter what, when, or where you'll be hunting, this free gear list will help you plan, prepare, and pack for your hunt. Download your free gear list template (spreadsheet) and create your custom gear list today...
DIY Backcountry Hunting Rifle Build — Mark's Upgraded Tikka
We released the "Building a Backcountry Rifle" series through the Hunt Backcountry Podcast and covered the topics of rifle selection, caliber/cartridge selection, projectile selection, scope selection, and even shooting tips. Here is the rifle I built, based on what I learned in that series.
The Essential Gear That Never Leaves My Hunting Pack
Each hunt is a unique adventure. Just as seasons, animals, and conditions change — the gear and preparations you make for each hunt should also change. But what are the essential items that never change? What specific things should you carry on every hunt? That answer will vary for everyone, but here is what I carry...
The Best Hunting Gear We Used In 2025
Like most backcountry hunters, we are passionate about the gear we use. At the end of each year, we like to highlight some of the favorite gear we have used for hunts throughout the year and discuss why those particular items made a difference for us personally. Here is our favorite gear from 2025...
