Hall of shame - gear version

[CoffeeGoat]

A another trends I've noticed reading through this - companies often make different lines of gear that hit different price points (and quality).

I have a pair of Danner Super Rainforest boots that I picked up at their store in the "seconds" department - they area bulletproof, but were very expensive even as seconds. When I was at the store comparing them with some other options it was really easy to pick out which ones were american made (and expensive) and which ones were cheap imports.

Gore-tex is another one with widely different product lines, I have an arcteyrx shell with GoreTex proshell and it's bombproof. I've used it in subzero temps crawling on my hands and knees through snow drifts up in the Adirondacks, it still looks new and I've never once been wet. Other "gore tex" gear has immediately wet'd out and gotten me soaked. I think it probably hurts their brand to sell their cheaper stuff, but I'm sure they've counted the cost based on how many people actually use outdoor gear to the limits.

It's one of the big draws of rokslide to me is the ability to figure out which stuff is good vs which stuff just has the brand name. And better yet, which stuff is super awesome despite being cheap.

 

[Chesapeake173]

I have the same issue with my solomons. How do you get them warranted? Contact and ship to Solomon direct? Would love to be able to send mine in for some new ones. At present they look like chewed bubble gum after the last 5 seasons.

Just contact Gore Tex. They have a lifetime warranty. Fill out some forms, send them in and they’ll get you a new pair.


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[Cb750]

I use the Mechanix gloves too. they are good, but they get WET quickly. don't like the velcro that much, no cuff to speak of to go over shirt cuff. Gloves are a bitch to get right, eh? have had tons that don't make the grade.

Yes!! I have about 20 different pair and I hate spending big dollars on them just to be disappointed. I have a love hat with the velcro on my mechanix. Love it when I need it hate it when there's a need to be quite. Truthfully though will by another pair if they are still made when/if the pair I have wears out. Also the FL merino Talus glovesbwith the finger tips you are supposed to be able to use with your phone. The pair I got was not super durable. I contacted FL and had great service. The tips work a out 30% of the time which defeats the purpose. There were a few loose threads starting to hang off as well. But man they were warm and comfortable for what they were. As much as I didn't like things the upside may have been greater I am probably buying another pair since I lost one.

 

[westsloper]

I work outdoors most of the time, and I have seen failures from most brands of footwear. Lowas, Kenetreks, Zamberlans, etc. On the other hand, there are people who swear by brands named in this thread, and they trust them based on years of positive experiences. I have brands I trust more than others, but I wouldn't totally vouch for any brand.

 

[WesternHunter]

Crispi boots. I had a pair of Thors blow out in 9 months. To their credit they had them fixed on their dime. They blew out 3-4 months later, out of warranty. I'm hard on boots, but not that hard. I run 3 pairs all the time; quiet archery, regular, and insulated late season. I've had several pairs of Merrels last longer when I only ran 1 pair at at time.

My suggestion would be to go with an all leather boot instead of the synthetics. There is no way around it, all leather will be more durable and waterproof longer. Especially if you're hard on boots.
To that end I don't buy boots anymore with seams at the side of the toebox. Had a pair of Lowa Renegades that were awesome for about 4-6 months then those seams failed and it was all downhill from there.

 

[WesternHunter]

JetBoil Sol Ti.

Had my Ti do the exact same thing! To their credit they did allow me to send it in and replaced it with a newer aluminum version but prior to it melting down I liked the Ti. Good thing I was not on a hunt where it was a big deal.

 

[WesternHunter]

My rocky mountain mellow momma reeds sound great, but the adhesive on the tape doesn't make two days. I bought 10 to get me through last season. Love the size, thickness of the latex....nailed the stretch,

But the tape might as well have been ice cream.

You ought to reach out to RMHC and talk to them about this. Perhaps you got some from a bad batch or something. However, if you chew, drink with them in your mouth, suck on them all day while hunting, leave them in a hot car, they will break down. They're not meant for that. If you're used to sucking on them for the day then rotate them out into a vented case so each reed has a chance to dry.

 

[WesternHunter]

Man... reading through all these has me realizing just how much of a gear whore I am... to echo what others have said:
1. Jetboil Ti burned down on me.
2. Lowa Renegades lasted about 6 months before falling apart
3. Big agnes fly creek not meant for any kind of harsh weather or wind for sure!
4. Worked CS for Camofire and BlackOvis years ago and A LOT of the first gen Firstlite stuff had issues. Kanab pants, merino base layers, and basically sizing on every piece.

For Goretex failures on boots you can send them into Gore and they will test the boots for waterproofness, and if they fail they'll look at the tread life and determine if the boot is used up or not. I did this with the aforementioned Lowa's and they determined they were faulty and gave me credit towards a new pair. Rather than replacing with the same boot I payed some extra and got another nicer pair with the credit.

 

[Wrench]

You ought to reach out to RMHC and talk to them about this. Perhaps you got some from a bad batch or something. However, if you chew, drink with them in your mouth, suck on them all day while hunting, leave them in a hot car, they will break down. They're not meant for that. If you're used to sucking on them for the day then rotate them out into a vented case so each reed has a chance to dry.

I don't chew, but I hunt every single second of daylight during the season.

 

[Rich M]

I thought a Leica ER scope was the schnitz until it wouldn't adjust windage and had a gob of black crud appear inside the reticle. Took it off 30-06, put on 2007/2008 VX-2 and proceeded to get better groups with the VX-2. Leica said they fixed it - put ER on 243 and hoping that she behaves better the light recoil.

Had purchased a 2015/2016 Vortex Viper and returned it the next morning - was replacing a 1990 Redfield Illuminator and the Illuminator is superior in everything except the eye box, which is why I wanted to "upgrade". Let's just say it isn't getting upgraded any more.

Gander Mtn breathable rain gear failed in the arms but after about 3 or 4 years. Seems to be the main seams.

 

[sneaky]

Just contact Gore Tex. They have a lifetime warranty. Fill out some forms, send them in and they’ll get you a new pair.


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If the boots are worn out they won't replace them. Only if they are still serviceable.

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[wildhorsetrail]

Henry lever action .17 HMR. I thought it must be me at first but it would not group shots. I sent it in and it came back, no difference. I sold it back to the gun shop and bought a cheap Savage bolt action. It immediately restored my shattered confidence in my shooting abilities.

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[Alaskanopolis]

There is the “best gear” thread and the “good cheap gear” thread but let’s hear about some duds. KEEP it CIVIL. Not interested in turning this into a bash fest but what gear has disappointed you the most?

For me, my biggest let down was a set of kuiu Alpine pants from a few years ago. I was so excited to get my favorite attack pants with a knee pad that I ordered them right away. They were marketed as having a dwr. when mine arrived, I tried them on, I washed them in no scent and packed them up for a deer hunting day trip. It turned out to be a bad weather day. I was still hunting up and down a mountain temps from 30 to 35 and moving in and out of about 6 inches of snow and freezing rain. Not only were the pants not dwr coated they soaked up water like a sponge. Ruined the hunt. I had to keep moving to stay warm and I was borderline hypothermic when I finally decided to pack it in and go home. Kuiu customer service basically told me to pound sand for a few weeks and several emails (while they erased part of the description about the pant having a dwr on their site) until Jason (RIP) stepped in and said they would provide a refund. I wasn’t the only one that had the problem and I suspect the pants were never dwr coated and they knew it but sold them anyway and then tried to Jedi mind trick people like me that complained. The experience tilted me away from kuiu and I have bought very little from them since. They pulled the Alpine pants a few months later and reworked them as the new pro pant. When companies innovate products that don’t work will happen but bad CS from a top brand is unacceptable IMO.

My honorable mention comes, unfortunately, from our friends at Kifaru. First, I will say all my other products from them and their CS is top notch. However, I bought a duffle bag (not the current version) from them a few years back. I can’t recall what it costs but it wasn’t exactly cheap. It showed up and it was more “basic” and no frills than I expected. No problem. I used it as a camp bag on a few trips and the shoulder strap seam started to fray. I mothballed it and brought it out of retirement to pull gym bag duty a few months back. It popped a seam on the handle and generally seems to be falling apart more than I would expect for something that hauls >10# of crossfit gear a few times a week. Again, all my other kifaru stuff has been great and built like a tank but this duffle bag seems to be the turd in my otherwise wonderful kifaru swimming pool.

***EDIT - in fairness to Kifaru, I never contacted them about my stinker of a duffle bag so that is one me***

So...keep it civil but let’s hear about what pieces of gear turned out to be pieces of $#!+...

I don’t remember them ever marketing the Alljne pants with DWR. The opposite, actually.

 

[22lr]

As a kid, maybe 14... I saved up my yard mowing money and bought a super cool looking hollow tang survival knife with a built in survival kit. It was half the price of a USAF survival knife at a gunshow and the blade was bigger and cooler looking. Really slick looking piece of kit, cost me $25 whole dollars! Took it out to the woods and decided to try and cut a small tree limb, first strike and the handle snapped clean off. I was so disappointed.

I've had to relearn my lesson a few times since then, but that was my first good lesson in getting what you pay for.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don’t remember them ever marketing the Alljne pants with DWR. The opposite, actually.

Hmmm....let me give that a think...yes you are right, I have been living a lie...no wait...actually, you are WRONG...When they first released them, they were marketed with a Toray kudos DWR and water resistance in both the product description and the technology puff part down below On their site. In my correspondence, I sent them pictures of both Their website and the announcement page they sent to promote the pants.

after several complaints, including mine, they CHANGED the description of the pants on their site to remove the DWR. BTW, not only were they not water proof, they soaked up water like a sponge, which I guess is a testament to their wicking potential.

Trust me, I had a very long semI-hypothermic day to think about this, went back and forth over calls and emails and I am very familiar with the topic. I also, wouldn’t put this out here on this forum, in this manner unless I was 100% certain of the information.

I didn’t start this thread as a bash page. Quite the opposite and I said as much. If you scroll through here a few people have actually had their issues resolved, including me, although I didn’t get my semi nude picture of Aaron Snyder with my Kifaru duffel bag repair, that a$$#ole.

Since you asked, here is a picture of the vintage 2015 (2016?) announcement advert from Kuiu on the alpine pant. I’d draw you attention to the top right of their description Below, the part where it says “water repellent face fabric - treated with Torah Kudos DWR Finish”.

 

[Desk Jockey]

As a kid, maybe 14... I saved up my yard mowing money and bought a super cool looking hollow tang survival knife with a built in survival kit. It was half the price of a USAF survival knife at a gunshow and the blade was bigger and cooler looking. Really slick looking piece of kit, cost me $25 whole dollars! Took it out to the woods and decided to try and cut a small tree limb, first strike and the handle snapped clean off. I was so disappointed.

I've had to relearn my lesson a few times since then, but that was my first good lesson in getting what you pay for.

those knives were bad ass. As soon as I saw Rambo, I was obsessed. I used my lawn mowing money to buy one and beat it to hell until it broke. Unfortunately, I carried that obsession a little too far, in cpfact way to far over the years. I still carry more knife than I need to into the woods but it makes me feel cool.

 

[22lr]

those knives were bad ass. As soon as I saw Rambo, I was obsessed. I used my lawn mowing money to buy one and beat it to hell until it broke. Unfortunately, I carried that obsession a little too far, in cpfact way to far over the years. I still carry more knife than I need to into the woods but it makes me feel cool.

Is there such a thing as too much knife? Asking for a friend...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Is there such a thing as too much knife? Asking for a friend...

some would say “yes” but then there are some people that put pineapple on pizza and don‘t like beer, or pro wrestling or puppies, or send their fans shirtless photos of them riding a horse. So I guess I am saying some people are just wrong, and we have to live with that.

 

[406unltd]

Tried to do the lightweight boots thing for sept. Tried a UA boot and trashed them in a couple weeks, got store credit. Then tried soloman for the next season and trashed those. Store credit and got some other hunting stuff and wore my rfi issued boots for the next three years. Never again

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

I bought a used Copper Spur UL 1 person tent used at REI garage sale (reason for return: "too small"). I have used it for 3 years on early season high country hunts and twice on late season/snow hunts. Have not been disappointed and have had no bad issues. You must be careful with lightweight gear , of course. I have had no issues with zippers. Great tent IMO.

My experience has been the same. I have had mine for 3 seasons now and have had no issues. But at two pounds, what was the expectation? If I knew I would be on a mountain side with anything over 20MPH winds, I would bring my mountaineering tent, which weights about 10 pounds. Or shelter in the trees with a 2 person tent. One can also bring a fly to go over the Copper Spur to help with rain and wind. All kinds of options.

But would I bring that for a late season hunt? No.