Tenzing TR18 Turkey Vest vs ALPS Grand Slam: Which Seat Vest Should a Beginner Carry?

Both of these vests fold out into a seat with legs, which puts them at the heavy, sit-anywhere end of the vests and gear section. They get there in different ways, and the difference that matters most to a beginner is how much you carry and whether the vest comes in your size.

The verdict

Looking for the Tenzing TV18?

If you searched for the Tenzing TV18 turkey vest, here's the short version: Tenzing's own store no longer lists it. A search of Tenzing's store for “tv18” returns “Your search for ‘tv18’ did not match any products or information” and suggests “tr18” instead. A search for “turkey” returns one product: the TZ TR18 Turkey Recliner Vest. So the TR18 is the Tenzing turkey vest you can buy new from Tenzing today, and this page compares it with the other frame-seat vest we score, the ALPS Grand Slam.

A note on sources. Tenzing's store only let us read its homepage and search pages, so the TR18's specs come from two Tenzing dealers, Western Rivers Outdoors (the spec table) and Mike's Archery (the feature description), and are labeled that way. The Grand Slam's come from ALPS. We haven't bought, worn or sat in either vest. Both are scored on the vest rubric on our methodology page, and both appear in our best turkey vests with seats.

Side-by-side specs

The seat: recliner vs kickstand

Tenzing calls the TR18 a turkey recliner: a vest with spring-loaded legs that converts to a hunting chair. The dealer description lists a “structured internal aluminum frame, spring-loaded adjustable aluminum legs,” a “dual-layer foam seat for cushioning and rigidity,” and an “air-cooled, padded backrest with high-performance air-mesh back panel.”

The ALPS Grand Slam uses a “sit-anywhere removable kickstand frame” with “adjustable legs and fast-locking technology” and “swivel feet [that] prevent sinking,” plus a removable memory foam fold-away seat. ALPS doesn't describe the back as padded.

Both score 10 for seat and back support, the top of our band, because both hold you up off the ground on a frame with a back. The differences are in the details. The TR18's backrest is the padded one, with an air-mesh panel the dealer copy calls air-cooled. The Grand Slam's swivel feet are built for soft ground, and its frame is the one you can leave at home.

Pockets and call storage

The TR18, per the dealer description: an angled box call pocket, dual pot call compartments that hold up to four calls, quick-tack striker pockets, a zippered front compartment with 7 shell loops, zippered hand-warmer pockets on both sides, an extra-large turkey compartment and a detachable pocket system. The spec table adds a count, 10 compartments and 5 organization pockets, and a 3,200 cu in volume with hydration compatibility. That scores 9 for storage. The dealer copy we cite doesn't name a mouth call pocket.

The Grand Slam names 11 pockets without giving a total: a removable diaphragm call pocket, two slate call pockets, a striker pocket that holds three strikers and one larger locator call, a separate locator call pocket, a smartphone sleeve ALPS says lets you use the phone while it's in the pocket, a silent box call pocket, two side water bottle pockets and two inside mesh zippered pockets. Add five shell loops, a large game bag and hydration compatibility. It scores 8.

For a beginner, both have a dedicated spot for a box call and for a pot call with its strikers. The Grand Slam adds a removable diaphragm pocket for mouth calls, and it is the better organizer if you carry an owl or crow call to make gobblers sound off, because it gives the locator its own pocket. Our locator call picks explain what those calls do.

Weight: the TR18 is 1 lb 14 oz lighter with legs

The Western Rivers spec table lists the TR18 at 5 lb 4 oz. ALPS lists the Grand Slam at 7 lb 2 oz with the frame and 4 lb 10 oz without it in the Standard size, and 7 lb 3 oz and 4 lb 11 oz in the X-Large. With both vests set up as chairs, the TR18 is 1 lb 14 oz lighter, and it scores 5 on our weight band to the Grand Slam's 4.

The Grand Slam's answer is the removable frame. Leave it home on a day you plan to walk, and the Standard drops to 4 lb 10 oz with the foam seat still attached. That is 10 oz lighter than the TR18, though without the frame it no longer holds you upright. Neither is a walking vest. If you plan to cover ground and call all morning, a run-and-gun vest like the Knight & Hale Run N' Gun 200, which its maker lists at 1.5 lb, is a different tool; see our best turkey vests.

Fit and sizes

This is where the Grand Slam pulls ahead. ALPS publishes two sizes: Standard, which fits waists up to 48 in, and X-Large, which fits 48 to 58 in. That scores 8. The dealer spec tables for the TR18 publish no size or fit range, so it scores 4, not because it fits badly but because nobody we could read says what it fits. If you wear a big size, the Grand Slam is the one you can buy knowing the numbers. If you're between sizes or unsure what to measure, how to choose a turkey vest covers fit step by step.

Noise, patterns and warranty

Neither source names the shell fabric or makes a noise claim, so both score 4 on quiet materials. ALPS does call the Grand Slam's box call pocket “silent,” which is about the call, not the fabric. The TR18 comes in Mossy Oak Bottomland per the dealer; the Grand Slam in Mossy Oak New Bottomland and Mossy Oak Original Bottomland, plus an NWTF edition in Mossy Oak Greenleaf.

On warranty, ALPS covers the Grand Slam against defects in materials or workmanship for the life of the product, at ALPS Brands' discretion. Tenzing's homepage states a Limited Lifetime Warranty for its packs; we couldn't read a TR18-specific warranty page. Buy from an authorized dealer and keep the receipt either way.

Does a first-season hunter need either one?

Honestly, not always. Both are heavy, and both are built around a frame seat for long sits away from a good tree. The National Wild Turkey Federation puts the case for a vest simply: once you're “lugging a bunch of gear to the woods,” a vest or pack helps, and some “can be lifesavers while out on the hunt as they incorporate cushioned seats into their designs.” A cushion-seat vest does that for less weight. The ALPS Super Elite 4.0, for example, lists 22 pockets and a 2.5 in fold-away seat at 3 lb 1 oz (Medium/Large).

Choose a frame vest if you already know you'll sit for hours, hunt field edges where the trees are thin, or have a back that won't let you sit on the ground. Otherwise a lighter vest plus a tree gets you through a first season, and a separate low chair is an option if you hunt close to the truck; see our turkey hunting chair picks.

Buy the TR18 if / buy the Grand Slam if

Buy the Tenzing TZ TR18 if

• You want a frame seat with legs at the lower weight: 5 lb 4 oz, per the dealer spec table.
• You want a padded, air-mesh backrest for long or warm sits.
• You want the most storage: 10 compartments and 5 organization pockets, with dual pot call compartments for up to four calls.
• Your size is average, or you can try it on before you buy, since no fit range is published.

Buy the ALPS Grand Slam if

• You need a published size, especially the X-Large for waists from 48 to 58 in.
• You want to remove the frame on walking days (4 lb 10 oz without it, Standard).
• You hunt soft or muddy ground and want swivel feet that ALPS says prevent sinking.
• You carry a locator call or several mouth calls and want a dedicated pocket for each.
• You want ALPS's written warranty against defects for the life of the product.

Consider neither if

• You plan to walk and call most of the morning. Both are over 5 lb set up as chairs.
• You'll sit against trees most of the time. A cushion-seat vest does the job for less weight.
• You want a light sit-anywhere vest with a backrest but no frame. See ALPS Impact vs Traditions.