Bad spending decisions!

[HellsCanyon]

I will say one thing, I bought a badlands 2200 that was I believe an '04 model and used it from 2005 through 2010 and that pack treated me VERY well. I hauled out 2 bears, 5 deer, 1 elk, and a cougar with that thing (actually strapped and entire gutted doe to it in 2009!) and it performed flawlessly. However, once it started to go downhill, it REALLY went downhill. I sent it back to have some stitching repaired and a zipper tabs replaced. Got it back and it never seemed to fit right again! I did love the batwing design of it though! Here's a picture from quite a few years back of my Idaho bull...

Mike

 

[weaver]

Bowtech--->Elite--->Strothers--->K&K--->______ fill in the blank with the next one.

Obsession.

 

[slim9300]

They were a Tuning nightmare! I sold mine after about a week.

Yep. Other than that it was a great bow. Lol.

 

[slim9300]

Obsession.

Lol. They are just a rebranded K&K with Binary cams (the same ones that he tried to use with both SA and K&K and Rex stopped him from using) KS has no business ever building a hybrid cammed bow ever again. He needs to stick with what he knows. He still has a huge chunk of money from everyone who paid for bows or retro cams (binary cams) for their bows that wouldn't tune. Needless to say I will talk badly about him for the rest of my life and would
never consider another one of his bows unless it was used.

 

[phinneas_gauge]

Promaster tripod head. Apparently, it's made of poop. Not sure if I just got a lemon or something but it bleeds off no matter how hard it's tightened down.

Some "backpacking" bag I had bought - like a Coleman or something. 40 degree bag for a meager 4 pounds and compressed to the size of a 5 gallon bucket. My dog got a running start at it, ran through it like a tunnel and blew the bottom end off of it. A spectacular sleeping bag death, especially since there was a person in it at the time (not me, thank goodness), and a great reason to throw it away. I almost had to throw my good one away (that I was using) because I was dangerously close to peeing my shorts when I witnessed the aftermath. It was one of those times when I was thinking to myself that I really needed to be disciplining my dog but, at the same time, it was one of the funniest things I'd ever witnessed.

 

[HellsCanyon]

That sounds like an epic sleeping bag death! Hahaha

Mike

 

[BMB]

leupold hd binos, badlands 4500, mathews outback, kelty diode tent (think that's the name), countless other piles of crap i've gotten rid of over the years.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Some "backpacking" bag I had bought - like a Coleman or something. 40 degree bag for a meager 4 pounds and compressed to the size of a 5 gallon bucket. My dog got a running start at it, ran through it like a tunnel and blew the bottom end off of it. A spectacular sleeping bag death, especially since there was a person in it at the time (not me, thank goodness), and a great reason to throw it away. I almost had to throw my good one away (that I was using) because I was dangerously close to peeing my shorts when I witnessed the aftermath. It was one of those times when I was thinking to myself that I really needed to be disciplining my dog but, at the same time, it was one of the funniest things I'd ever witnessed.

That is funny sh#!

 

[broncoformudv]

Promaster tripod head. Apparently, it's made of poop. Not sure if I just got a lemon or something but it bleeds off no matter how hard it's tightened down.

Some "backpacking" bag I had bought - like a Coleman or something. 40 degree bag for a meager 4 pounds and compressed to the size of a 5 gallon bucket. My dog got a running start at it, ran through it like a tunnel and blew the bottom end off of it. A spectacular sleeping bag death, especially since there was a person in it at the time (not me, thank goodness), and a great reason to throw it away. I almost had to throw my good one away (that I was using) because I was dangerously close to peeing my shorts when I witnessed the aftermath. It was one of those times when I was thinking to myself that I really needed to be disciplining my dog but, at the same time, it was one of the funniest things I'd ever witnessed.

This is the best gear death story ever!

 

[broncoformudv]

Well I must get really lucky or don't buy much gear since I can only recall one piece of gear truly failing me and pissing me off. Crooked Horn bino harness, this thing had all sorts of reviews on it and I had seen a lot of people using them so I gave it a try. Needless to say I took it off after the first hunt and it now collects dust in my basement. Not sure why I didn't throw it away but I did think about selling ti once and decided I would feel horrible screwing someone over with that POS.

I am sure there are some other items I have used over the years but I can't think of them right now. Unlike some of you I am not going to ask my wife or she will say "what about all that junk in the garage and basement?".

 

[thru-hunter]

Well I must get really lucky or don't buy much gear since I can only recall one piece of gear truly failing me and pissing me off. Crooked Horn bino harness, this thing had all sorts of reviews on it and I had seen a lot of people using them so I gave it a try. Needless to say I took it off after the first hunt and it now collects dust in my basement. Not sure why I didn't throw it away but I did think about selling ti once and decided I would feel horrible screwing someone over with that POS.

Glad I am not the only one!! I switched to an AK Guide Creations pouch and love it but I am still baffled every time I see someone recommend the Crooked Horn online. Even better is when I mention that I found it to be complete garbage they get seriously offended! It is marginally better than just using a neck strap but no where near the same level as one of the GOOD pouches or retaining systems. Mine flopped around constantly, didn't keep snow/water/twigs out worth a darn, had to be adjusted to glass or the straps would add resistance pulling down on the bins basically making them feel like they weighed 10lbs instead of 1.5, readjusted to travel between glassing spots... Needless to say I also have a set in a tote somewhere in the garage that I would feel guilty to try and sell.

 

[BuckSnort]

Binoculars... I spent hundreds of dollars on multi pairs of bino's from $50-200 a pair..Seems I was buying a new pair every other year.. Finally when the Swaro EL's came out I dumped some coin and bought a pair... Wish I would have bought good glass 20 years ago...

 

[Nick Muche]

Binoculars... I spent hundreds of dollars on multi pairs of bino's from $50-200 a pair..Seems I was buying a new pair every other year.. Finally when the Swaro EL's came out I dumped some coin and bought a pair... Wish I would have bought good glass 20 years ago...

I have a feeling many have experienced this...

I bought exactly ONE pair of bino's before my Swaros.. They were the Nikon Action's for about 75$... I gave them away two years ago to a kid who didn't have any.. He loves them and treats them as good as I treat my Swaros, so I guess I done good

 

[Yellowknife]

Binoculars... I spent hundreds of dollars on multi pairs of bino's from $50-200 a pair..Seems I was buying a new pair every other year.. Finally when the Swaro EL's came out I dumped some coin and bought a pair... Wish I would have bought good glass 20 years ago...

Yep... been there. One of the worst was a pair of mid range Pentax. They said "WATERPROOF - FOGPROOF" right on the bino, but when they fell apart a year later I found NO seals on the ocular side and the lens were held in place by big globs of hot glue.

A set of Steiner Predators I had would rank right up there with the worst purchases also.

Yk

 

[broncoformudv]

I switched to an AK Guide Creations pouch and love it

Thats the same setup I switched over to as well and love it! I can not recommend them enough. At this point just about everyone I hunt with and or know that hunts owns at least one pouch.

 

[luke moffat]

Thats the same setup I switched over to as well and love it! I can not recommend them enough. At this point just about everyone I hunt with and or know that hunts owns at least one pouch.

They make other types of bino pouches?!?!?! Going on year #5 with my AK Guide Creations bino pouch and won't be switching it up anytime soon. Granted the binos carried in there have changed from Swaro SLC 10X42s, Swaro EL 10X42s, and now Zeiss Victory 10X32s, but the pouch stays the same.

 

[pyroducksx3]

They make other types of bino pouches?!?!?! Going on year #5 with my AK Guide Creations bino pouch and won't be switching it up anytime soon. Granted the binos carried in there have changed from Swaro SLC 10X42s, Swaro EL 10X42s, and now Zeiss Victory 10X32s, but the pouch stays the same.

Probably way off topic but I noticed that you and aron switched from swaro to zeiss, why?

 

[hodgeman]

I could fill a page with this....

Latest worst purchase was a Kuiu 6000.... straps unwound as I walked. Literally tied the tails in knots to keep it on my body on a sheep hunt. Frame squeaked like a bordello bed frame. Wouldn't stabilize 75 pounds.

A dozen calls to CS, 6 months, 1 set of "keepers" and 2 sets of straps later I sold it off at half price. Buyer is happy with it so maybe it's fixed...but I'm not going to jump on the 2nd Gen.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I came really close to pulling the trigger on one of these. I vacillated back and forth between the KUIU and a Kifaru DT1, finally went with the DT1, and although I haven't laid my hands on it, I think I made the right decision.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Both Sawro and Zeiss make great optics, but my eyes like the Zeiss glass better....

I've been using the new Vortex Razor HD's for the last few weeks (review coming soon)....amazed so far!