If you are anything like me, you are a Gear Fool at heart. The exciting thing about being a Gear Fool is that we are always on the lookout for the next product that will make our hunt more enjoyable and be added to our kit. Every year, I try out 5-10 different pieces of gear. Most of the gear does not get added to my kit, but the ones that do typically stay with me until I find something better. I don’t have a ton of brand loyalty as I want to use the best piece of equipment no matter who makes it.

About 20 years ago, I purchased a rifle cover from Kifaru. It was a two-piece sleeve where one went over the barrel and the other went over the butt of the gun. They overlapped at the action of the rifle and kept the gun dry. It was lightweight and worked well for years. The only downfall I found was that it did not fit many longer rifles or bigger scopes and could take a little time to remove if you had both covers on. Kifaru stopped making the rifle cover years ago, so I went without a cover for years after I wore mine out.

Years later, a friend turned me on to the Solo HNTR rifle cover. This cover worked well, and I took it all over the West and was happy with how well it worked. Always wanting to see if there is a better mousetrap out there, I decided to buy a few different gun covers and use them on my spring bear hunts. For this overview, I decided to compare two lightweight and two heavier weight rifle covers. For the lightweight rifle covers, I chose the Solo HNTR Mountain Lite Rifle Cover and the new KUIU rifle cover. For the heavier weight covers, I went with the new Caribou Gear WX Rifle Shield and the Solo HNTR Rugged Rifle Cover.

I hunt with a .300 Ultra Mag that has a 26" barrel plus a muzzle break. The total length of the gun is 48", and it is topped with a Nightforce NXS 5.5x22 scope with scope caps, which has an overall length of 16.25". This is the gun I hunted with while using all the gun covers. I also tested the fit with a youth rifle. It was set up with a Leupold scope and had a total rifle length of 37". This was used for the covers that were rated for those smaller length rifles. For the weight of the gun covers, I weighed each one instead of using the weight listed by the manufacturer.

LIGHTWEIGHT GUN COVERS

Solo HNTR Mountain Lite Rifle Cover

·      Weight–6oz.
·      Rifle Length Fit – 36-56"
·      MSRP – $39.99

The Solo HNTR gun cover first came out in 2006. This was the gun cover I used for years after my Kifaru one wore out. This cover fit my rifle and scope really well. Of all the covers I looked at, this one was the easiest and quickest to put on and take off. It is adjustable enough to even fit a youth rifle that is only 37" long. The barrel area of the cover is large enough to fit most rifle suppressors.

KUIU Rifle Cover

• Weight – 6.2 oz.
• Rifle Length Fit – 42-52"
• MSRP–$49

KUIU introduced their gun cover last year, and like most of their products, it is well made. It fit my gun well, but it was a little tight in the scope area. However, it did fit over my Nightforce scope. The barrel area of the cover is large enough to fit most rifle suppressors. One thing I really liked about the KUIU cover was it has two small Velcro tabs. One is found near the trigger, and the other is up near the bipod attachment. This allowed me to close the cover more to prevent dust and dirt from getting to the rifle.

HEAVIER WEIGHT GUN COVERS

Solo HNTR Rugged Rifle Cover

• Weight – 9.8 oz.
• Rifle Length Fit – 36-56"
• MSRP – $69.99

The Solo HNTR Rugged Rifle Cover fit is almost the same as their Mountain Lite Rifle Cover. The main difference is that it is built with more rugged fabric and reinforced barrel and butt ends. The fabric around the scope is also double layered, which adds a little more protection. The barrel area of the cover is large enough to fit most rifle suppressors. This cover was a little too big for the 37" youth gun.

Caribou Gear WX Rifle Shield

• Weight – 8.7 oz.
• Rifle Length Fit – 36-56"
• MSRP – $75.99

Caribou Gear introduced their gun cover last year. This cover fits my rifle really well as their gun cover is the most adjustable with an inner pull cord that allows you to adjust the length. There is also a Velcro tab in front of the trigger guard to help keep the cover closed. It comes with two straps that can be used to secure the cover even tighter to the gun. This cover fit the 37" youth rifle very well. The one downside to it is the barrel area of the gun cover is narrower and may not fit a rifle suppressor.

All the rifle covers I tested worked well and would be a good purchase. All are made from quality materials and are water resistant, keeping your rifle protected from the elements. If I was planning on hunting in more extreme weather conditions, I would learn toward the heavier weight gun covers. I feel that any western hunter should be using a gun cover as they are cheap insurance to protect our rifles. Most of us are shooting a rifle that costs more money than our first vehicle, and with that kind of money invested in a rifle, it is a no-brainer to pick up a gun cover.