Anyone gone full circle yet?

[ColoradoBackpackHunter]

I have pleasantly found that I am no longer itching to pull the trigger on every other item for sale in the classifieds this year. I have always been good at getting rid of things if they don't get used after a season or two. I has amassed a bunch of cheap junk I bought when I first started hunting out west that was a bust and had no retail value. This forum in particular helped me craft my kit without having to chase the perfect item to get each job done. It wasn't a cheap journey but I am happy that I can stop obsessing about what equipment I need and concentrate on that little thing I bought the stuff for....hunting.

 

[SWOHTR]

I got to buy new uniforms. The pattern looks a lot like subalpine, however it’s the Navy’s latest iteration of utility uniform. It’s a lot better than the blue camo we had for the last ten years.


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[isu22andy]

While I've never made a lot of money, I tried to buy the best I could afford sometimes even doing stupid shit. Between Hunting and Fishing and doing it for near 40 years. Its been a lot of money. In hind sight i wish i would have bought some land instead. Big regret.

Why , so you can sit on your 1100 a month payment , say look at my land that I have no left over money to go out places and do things ? Id rather spend money on gear go places , do things, make stories, have adventure then sit and hunt my same 40 80 120 acres. Mileage may vary on what time frame your talking about buying land , but in the midewest, its equivalent of buying another house or more. 40 acres at 3-4 grand you are talking about quite a bit for not alot.

 

[fngTony]

Yes. Clothing I burned out chasing the dragon. I don’t need to have top shelf everything as long as it does what I need it to. Done with camo, unless it’s the only option for a piece that stands out from the others.

Knives. Started with a big ol buck knife, owned or used havalon, oe, kestrel. Now I’m using a mora knife. It’s a great mix of weight, utility, ease to sharpen and edge retention. And it was $12.

 

[Beendare]

Full circle and simplifying is one thing....but in 3 pages I don't see anyone selling their Swaro's! /grin

As expected^.

Hunting is the primary hobby for many of us....so it stands to reason we want the best gear we can afford.

 

[lyle_destroys]

This thread very well may have helped me come to my senses a little bit. Ive always believed in "good enough for me". It may not be the best but its quality and works for my purpose. Within the last year or two Ive been accumulating more hunting gear and higher end stuff to do more western hunting. I know Ive spent more money than I had to. I feel comfortable with what I have for the truck camping/hunting that Im planning. Its easy to get sucked into consumerism, especially when you are young.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

"full circle" is a matter of perspective. I guess in a sense I may have gone full circle. I'm back to wearing alot of wool and very little camo. I absolutely loath acquiring anything I don't intend to use (this applies to all facets in life, not just hunting equipment) to it's fullest extent. I also try my darndest to keep it in perspective (i.e. I'd love a new boat for fishing but for the amount I get out in summer $40K just seems foolish and nothing is wrong with what I currently have). If there was one area in my hunting life I needed an intervention at it was the number of packs I had. I had way more, and spent way more than I'd ever care to admit. I'm now down to two.

How does that fight club saying go? we buy things we don't need, with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.

I've made it a point in my personal life to simplify as much as I can and not waste countless hours anymore looking at gear. Some of the best hunters I've known in my entire life got it done in buffalo plaid, carhartts, a cheap pack, etc...

 

[Billinsd]

You won't be keeping the First Lite inner wear for 10-20 years...

Right, it will probably "wear out".

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Ditched swaro EL for meopta meostars.

3-12 lrhs for a swfa 6x

Winkler for a mora.

HMG pyramid for a mountainsmith lt shelter.

Warne Maximas replaced nightforce ultralite rings.

150$ jacket replaced my arctery'x

Pretty soon I'll even ditch speedy boutique black hills 77gr tmk for frontier 75gr.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Ive done the majority of my hunting with a 30-06 and a 3-9 scope for a while now if that counts. I also dont even care about new backpacks and clothing that much because the stuff I have works....Basically, Im not getting a new kifaru bag/frame each year.

 

[Mike 338]

I'm back to a 30-06 and a 3x9 VX-2, coin turn turret. Pulled the scope off a lever-gun. Most of what actually counts when hunting is not all that much different than what counts in a job. Just being there is easily 70%. Not self destructing when your there is important. Having a little forsight to avoid the foreseeable mistakes is a biggie. Nice gear is "nice" but being gear-centric shifts the emphasis away from the mission, even if the mission is just to have a nice day in the woods. You do need a good pair of boots although I will say my first pair of "good boots" was a pair of Sears work boots. They were pretty comfortable too. Don't get lost and don't get hurt. That's money well spent. Cabela's doesn't sell common sense. The bottomless checkbook is the route for some but I think that if you want to really spend, do it with time, as in more days in the field.