you think you get caught up to much in the gear?

[boom]

i dig this forum. i have some gear successes and i can credit you all..what an opinionated group!! to be fair, my biggest gear fails have been all you'all as well.

i have made a conscious effort to quit worrying about stuff. i have some good gear, but i am kinda done buying it. if i need something, no problemo. but i am gonna turn my disposable income (that is dog-eared for hunting) towards actual hunts. i am not rich, i want to spend wiser.

some off the wall hunts planned. sandhill crane, backwoods Sierras grouse hunt (legal with a .22 handgun..yay), found a hunt we need to pack into hunt AZ squirrels.

am i done with gear? hell no..i have a .22 pistol on the way..haha.
my current group of hunting friends are rubbing off on me..they have great gear, but they grab a backpack..not a Kifaru, or a KUIU..whatever. they are not gear fiends.

thanks for leading in my right direction with gear...now lets talk about some secret hunting spots..

 

[TheCougar]

Let me put it this way. I have a spreadsheet with all the gear I need/want (mostly want). Next up: new FL Obsidian pants, a 7mm RM rifle build, and inflatable turkey decoys. And chest waders. And a goal zero. And a tent stove. And a Montana decoy. And new elk calls. and so on...

 

[elkyinzer]

My wife is doing the stay at home mom deal for the next few years and we've had to make some serious sacrifices to make the math work after living pretty carefree as dual income yuppies for a few years. The hunting/fishing/gear budget was among the first to be slashed. As such, my evaluation of gear has undergone quite a transition. It becomes difficult to justify any "wants" or minor comfort upgrades over the true needs. When those are your parameters, you start seeing how unnecessary most of the hyped up cool new stuff is.

That said I've never even been much of a gearhead. Shiny new stuff doesn't get me going. I am more into the durable old stuff, the beater gear that has survived decades and keeps ticking.

There's a line in a Florida Georgia Line song out now, "Nothing ain't cool 'til you wear the new off"....shitty group, FGL is, but decent song and and statement I strongly agree with.

 

[ffparamedic]

I agree wholeheartedly with you. It's very easy to sit around dreaming about hunting and itching to go and reading gear reviews makes you want to go buy another piece of gear, when in reality if I took the money I saved on not buying gear I could do more actual hunting. I don't really have a lot of gear anyway but I've been trying to be more selective and putting money away for actual events and not gear to take on the event.

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[molliesmaster]

Yes, I love this forum and all of the knowledge it provides. But I wish sometimes people would talk less about all the shiny bells and whistles and get down to the brass tax of what it takes to get a particular hunt done.

For a southeastern guy like me the task of travelling out west to hunt big game in a unknown area is already daunting enough, trying to navigate the highly-expensive, highly-opinionized gear market just makes it that worse. I still can't decide what is the gear you need and gear you buy just because it's nice to have.

It might be refreshing to one day read, well I could have bought such and such, but I didn't really need it and I still got the job done without it.

 

[Superkodiak38]

I am from the east and going out west to hunt something I have never hunted before, with a friend that has some expereince, and that is daunting enough. I got a hand me down REI frame pack from my buddy that will work, bought a few neccesaries and some clothes I can use here for whitetail, hiking etc. I can see where a guy could get hung up on gear but let's face it I am not going to stay in a hotel or crash on a freinds couch. I want to hike in, camp and hunt. I plan on being plenty tired enough to fall asleep each night ! I will have the gear to stay for the most part warm, dry, fed and get a critter cut up and back to the truck other than that I expect to get sore, a little wet, a little cold and a little hungry. Hey I can start a fire, I like starting fires People have been killing stuff with bows and arrows for thousands of years, I'll be ok

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I like gear as much as the next guy, and will continue to get the latest and greatest as long as I prove to myself it is an upgrade. All of the gear talk keeps me busy through the year, keeps me updated on what I might want to purchase, and when the time comes to use the gear it usually improves some aspect of the hunt......some more so than others.

On the flip side there are mentions about "what it takes to complete a hunt" or things of that nature, all it ever takes is to do it. You can go with just about anything. Heck if you want you can go in 15 year old blue jeans, a cotton shirt covered in oil stains from your pickup truck, and carrying a duffle bag with a WalMart sleeping bag and tent in it. The reality is anymore that probably 95% or more of hunters are at most a days walk away from civilization.

 

[LandYacht]

I know what you mean and I think you answered your own post by not even meaning to.

10 years ago when I started archery hunting I used a hand me down Bear Whitetail II bow. I never let an arrow fly, but saw the biggest bull I've ever had within archery range. I could have carried a stick for the first year and it would have been just as effective as a Carbon Matrix. I had a Rocky fanny pack and Mossy Oakbrush camo and Leupold Windriver Mesa 10x28 binos. My gear investment that year was a Nikon rangefinder. I saw plenty of elk, but my "game" wasn't up to the task of getting an animal with my bow yet. I had tons of fun and vowed to continue based on being in the woods and being closer to elk than I ever had. I killed a mule deer doe with that bow that year and was hooked.

I shot all winter and when I shot with a friend that had a newer bow I realized that there was something better than the equipment that I had. I found a used Mathew MQ32 and upgraded. My rangefinder was better than binos and chose to upgrade those that year too. I found a killer deal on Nikon EDG 10x32 (not sure why they don't get more love on here). I saw even more elk that year and had the confidence to move my effective bow range from 30 yards out to 50 yards. Shot my first cow elk that year and I knew I had found a new passion.

The next year I upgraded my "pack" to a Rocky Mountain Packs Coyote, which is a fanny pack with shoulder straps. Eberlestock and Badlands were the packs that everyone ran and Kifaru was that crazy expensive pack that I laughed at. I used a dry sack and that Coyote and could stay out for 5 days with my new tarp. I got another elk that year, but I knew that packing out carrying game bags over your shoulder wasn't the best option.
Additionally, I was tired of freezing in September with my North Face Cats Meow bag that I had been running for the better part of a decade. So I knew some upgrades were in store again.

Enter the Kifaru KU5200 and my Western Mountaineering Versalite. I now had a pack that weighed the same as my Coyote and dry sack, but I had 5200 cubic inches of space and it could carry 120 pounds with relative ease. I slept so good at night, I was starting to figure this out. But during the day in rainstorms it sucked laying down under my two man tarp. I wanted space to sit up and move around, have friends be able to hang in there and visit, or take my family scouting. Enter the Seek Outside LBO. I killed my first bull this year and I used my new bugle tube and mouth calls to help.

I could keep going, but the point is you can do it and have fun doing it with any piece of gear. There are certain pieces of gear that will make it more enjoyable or let you stay out longer and those are the pieces of gear guys are talking about on here.

I'd much rather be in the woods wearing cotton pajamas than sitting on my couch in Sitka fondling a pair of Swarovski Els and wishing I had the right pair of boots and pack to be able to go hunting.

Don't get caught up in the gear, take the advice for what it is, most times experience to help you in a big dollar decision. Otherwise, go out and find out what works and doesn't for you and then report back here for the rest of us to help make a decision on an item that you enjoyed and made your hunt better!


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[W.D. Crawford]

I think one of the reasons people get hung up on gear is the false thinking that new gear will some how transform you into a better hunter. Then there is peer pressure, if you aren't wearing 250.00 pants or sporting a 1000.00 pack have 1500.00 optics etc. You just aren't cool and you probably wont be successful. Don't get me wrong having good RELIABLE gear is important. More for safety and comfort of course than the "cool" factor. I will admit I have found my self getting sucked into all the hype from time to time, and if a guy isn't careful you can spend way more money than you need to.

 

[Schaaf]

Do I spend too much time thinking about gear? You bet your ass I do.

 

[ChrisA]

I found this place about the same time I got a new job which paid a lot more. Four years later I've got a wall tent and stove, Lowa boots, Firstlite clothing, 6.5gap4S model 7, lecia glass, SO Cimarron, exo pack....
It's gotten out of hand for a flat lander that has only hunted from the wall tent, but I should be pretty well outfitted if I finally get a backcountry hunt lined up. However, all that money would have paid a nice chunk on the farm.

Boy that new Stone Glacier frame and pack look nice though.

Chris

 

[R_burg]

I think having the right type of gear is important and helps you be successful.

Note: Type

Theres a reason most peoples clothing lists, kill kits, first aid kits, etc... Should just say pack lists... Are fairly similar. I think those things are important to get an understanding of, get prepared and get right.

I think people take it too far when they act like if you don't have Alpha gear you are doing yourself a great disservice.


That being said, I enjoy researching and discussing gear.

 

[hodgeman]

Researching and buying nice gear is a hobby unto itself, not to be confused with actual hunting or fishing.

Nothing wrong with being a gear nerd, but it tends to become a "Walter Mitty" kind of affair- researching and buying gear for trips you'll only take in your head. I've got a couple friends who have garages that look like a Cabelas took a dump in there...shelves of premium hunting and fishing gear and they haven't shot something in years now.

 

[KMT]

No. I've hunted my whole life. Most of it in jeans and boots from Kmart. Now that I can afford some nicer things, I buy some things that make life a little easier. But I don't want or need the latest and greatest. The animals that I hunt don't seem to care much whether they are being hunted by a guy with $1500 binos, $3000 worth of clothing, or a $150 knife. None of these items will compensate for poor hunting skills or being too out of shape to enjoy the woods. There is definitely a point of deminishing returns on gear.

 

[qwerksc]

Down the gear rabbit hole? It's fun to research and check out new things, yet, I like hunting rabbit more.

 

[Beendare]

Its easy for a guy to get caught up in Gear purchases.

Intuitively we all know; emphasis should be on skills....not stuff.

If a guy has disposable income for this stuff great...go for it. But when I hear a young family man asking questions about expensive clothing/hunting items.....I want to grab them by the shoulders and tell them to get their financial house in order first; build a nest egg, college funds etc...BEFORE they buy a bunch of this stuff.

 

[TJ]

Its easy for a guy to get caught up in Gear purchases.

Intuitively we all know; emphasis should be on skills....not stuff.

If a guy has disposable income for this stuff great...go for it. But when I hear a young family man asking questions about expensive clothing/hunting items.....I want to grab them by the shoulders and tell them to get their financial house in order first; build a nest egg, college funds etc...BEFORE they buy a bunch of this stuff.

Well said Beendare.
There was no way I would spend much money on gear until my kids were long gone from home.
It seemed to me that was my priority. Hunting with my boys has pretty much been a way of life for me. I really wanted to make sure they had the things they needed too. There was a time I would hate to even think about spending fifty bucks on a hunting jacket for myself.
Like you said, priorities.

Now though, I guess I don't mind being a gear hog.

 

[Gobbler36]

You can buy nice gear in the classifieds, always think that the most important items are optics, boots, pack and rifle. Buy the best you can afford in those areas, thrift, stores, good will and classifieds are you're friend. With that said I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately. Only real want is a tipi tent to host a few more people that are planning on hunting with me

 

[MuleyFever]

I don't get caught up in the gear at all. I get caught up in finding places to hunt.

 

[coachjdub]

Yes I do, getting caught up in gear is a lot better then getting caught up in other peoples lives and celebrity gossip on facebook. It's my way of getting away from all the white noise in society today. Nothing good on tv anymore, yes I use social media, but in a limited fashion. I have found myself caught up in gear over the last 3 years, with podcasts, reading articles, blogs and Rokslide. I have found a way to pay for my gear by purging what I don't use and selling what businesses waste and call trash, on Ebay. Even been toying around with the idea of getting paid for liking gear so much. Maybe start selling hunting gear for a second job, beats sitting on the couch feeding my brain with non-sense.