Every year, the load of gear I need to carry afield while hunting seems to increase. Hunting knives, elk calls, gloves, binoculars, snacks, camera gear, phone battery banks—all of it needs a place.

It was 8:55 a.m., and I was trying my darndest to get out of the tree as quickly as possible. “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” I reminded myself. At the base of the tree, I took off my insulating ...