Bargain gear for the poor or beginners and tight asses.

[mfllood3800]

Wayment.... YOU actually hit a grouse? With your side by side?

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Not in Idaho, This is an older Utah hunt. You know the place where tag allotment is more important than herd health
lol

 

[jb1842]

I bought a pair of Cabela's store brand hunting boots 10 years ago, for less than $100. Still going strong and the only thing I have done was swap out the laces for para cord.

 

[16Bore]

You could fully outfit yourself from Walmart and not want for much. Except for style bragging points....

 

[deerlick]

Eddie bauer first acsent pants and tops. Awesome for the price and on sale frequently

 

[Ok GW]

Lots good ideas here guys!!! And that’s my number 10....classified deals here I come

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

Right now Sierra Trading is selling selling the Mystery Ranch Glacier, Terrraplane and T-100 packs for 150-199 respectively. Not hunting specific but rated for 90 pounds. I have the Glacier for my son and I and I have trained with 75 pounds easily.


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[Farmingdale's Finest]

I’ve been hunting remote Alaska for moose and caribou since 2002, have gone up from Maryland 13 or 14 times, and going back this year. The trip costs a lot with bush flights and airline flights to Alaska, so I have always been cost-conscious about gear.

I use a Ruger bolt action .338 Winchester Magnum, with a Leupold 2x – 8x variable scope – both are more than enough quality to meet my needs. I use a pair of Nikon Monarch 10x42 binos that I paid about $300 for back around 2004 or so, they are still going strong and may never be replaced.

I buy my clothes and boots off Sierra Trading post or Steep and Cheap – be patient and buy off-season, and they have some great deals. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $50 for any piece of clothing, and have never paid more than $115 for a good pair of Asolo hiking boots. I don’t do name brand hunting clothes, I grew up in Alaska and remember hunting in jeans and t shirts when I was a kid. I am still using the hunting pants, shirts, and jacket that I bought for my 2002 hunt. They last a long time if you take care of them.

The other thing I do to save money – I never buy anything the first time I think I want it. If I keep thinking about it, and still want it and have a logical use for it, then I buy it after waiting for a sale. Impulse buys cost people a lot of money that can be used for other gear.

Agree with everyone else on getting quality shoes, sleeping bag, and backpack. Just be patient and watch for sales, they will come…

Great advice!


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[elkduds]

WTS - Core 4 Element Lot

2 pairs of pants size 32T, 1 pair of zip in knee pads, 1 Large long sleeve shirt. All in Mountain mimicry. $70 Tyd PayPal or best offer. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

www.rokslide.com

 

[widnert]

The first thing I do every morning is check out camofire. I have some of the black Ovis merino wool that I like. The short sleeve shirt is itchy as hell when I start to sweat though. Not sure if it’s because it’s a “blend” or what. That’s also where I just picked up that big Agnes sleeping bag. I like Sierra trading post too. I picked up an Eberlestock dragonfly for like $220 a couple years ago. I love the pack but is super heavy. That might be an item I upgrade next year. I got some ajillis game bags on amazon for like $18 that’s I’ve had a couple years and they are holding up. Also thinking about getting an outdoor edge blade changer I have a havalon and I break blades a lot and they are a PITA to change. That outdoor edge has that stiffer spine and probably wouldn’t break blades as much.

I use that outdoor edge knife and carry 5 extra blades for it in my pack. Great choice. And, to add to the savings, I just re-sharpen the blades after each use when I get home. Been going for several years now with no added expense.

 

[deerkiller]

I have some nice gear and some not so nice. And alot thats way too nice for what I need. Whenever I catch myself thinking I NEED something I always think back to guys like Fred Bear or my grandpas generation. They never had that stuff and they still seemed to get it done. Ill never have Swaro glass budget, how many peoples eyes are even good enough to use Swaro glass anyway to its full potential ?

Anyway , I just piece together stuff as it goes. Merino baselayers a windbreaker and good boots are the most important things so far it seems like for me. Being cold and having sore wet feet ruin a hunt quicker than anything from my experience. You can buy alot of high end Kuiu Sitka Firstlite on the classfieds here or on Facebook for 60 percent of the cost new and it looks or often is brand new.

I have mentioned this pack a number of times here and on another forum, always get the negative responses and "cold shoulder" because it's "cheap" - I don't have to buy cheap gear, sure I'm always up for a bargain but I also just don't see the value in a lot of the overpriced stuff BUT sometimes I do see the value - I'll research and compare and put THOUGHT into a piece of equipment before I lay the $$ down (I've made PLENTY of purchases I later regretted also) I found these packs on ebay <"Hunting/meat hauling pack">, bought one a long time back and found it to be heads above anything to 2 1/2 X it's cost as a meat hauler and day pack with my original daypack carried in the meat sling, still do AND at least 20 people I've either hunted with as well as 2 established outfitters who can also see the value to "naysayer" aside I'll still say it a darn good pack for over twice the money and as comfortable under load as any out there no matter the price - MY assessment is just as valuable as anyones' and I'll put my "elk quarters packed" record up against ANY ….. and $135 is still more than "chump change" to some of us

 

[LaGriz]

My 2 cents -Minox or Nikon optics, Wool clothing or puffy on sale from L.L.Bean, or check out Goodwill. Surf the Yard Sales to find an external pack frame. Combine with dry bag and a decent day pack if you can find one either marked down or used. Don't fudge or go cheep on footwear . Buy the best fitting quality boots you can afford and break them in. Bring two pair of boots if possible and leave one in the truck or at camp.

I still remember being cold and wet on a Michigan archery hunt back in 1986. I tried to squeak by with Wal-Mart clothes, marginal insulated boots, and through-away rain gear. My top-of-the-line bow did not stop me from shivering or being miserable on this 1st out of state hunting trip.

While I understand not everyone has the funds to buy the best gear, I have never regretted the money $ spent on boots that fit, quality optics, Marino underwear, good rain gear, or quality warm clothes. Buy once cry once is often the correct philosophy on these core items in your kit.
LaGriz

 

[Burnt Reynolds]

I’ve had great success with a vanguard tripod, I’ll have to find the model was $125 if I recall. Game hide rain gear served me quite well for several years and is still going strong for a buddy of mine. Leupold Vx3i scopes do everything I need done and are relatively inexpensive, but can be found darn cheap on occasion. I sold some Swarovski binos and bought some leicas that were half as much and just as good at around $900. Outdoor edge rifle slings are great and cheap. I bought a 10 year old Leica 62 spotter here a few years back for a song and it was mint.

I’m on camofire pretty regularly and recently bought a mystery ranch selway pack for $300. I buy socks and other apparel items there.

Frankly, most of my kit is of the high end variety. While there’s plenty of great stuff out there for far less I’ve found kuiu Yukon rain gear to have few peers after being lived in for several weeks in harsh conditions.

You know who pisses away $$$ on gear? My wife. It’s stuff she can get as gifts for me. I bought my rain gear but she made sure everything else matches for hero pics lol.

 

[Silveroddo]

There are to many options on the market for the average newbie (like myself) to sift through to figure out what's worth the money and what isn't. The reason I joined this forum is because of all of the great gear information there seems to be on here. I've been wanting to get into western hunting for a long time and I've finally got the time and the money together to start doing some and I'm in the process of gearing up, I am going to do my best to "buy once, cry once" but I want to know I'm getting value and not just jumping on a band wagon. Backpacks are what brought me to this forum and my Scandinavian heritage wants to buy an alps commander or Cabelas Alaska pack frame, but I've read enough on here that I'm 99% sold on getting a Mystery Ranch Marshall because at the end of the day for what we're planning to do it sounds like an area to invest in. In the few days I've been on here I've already learned a ton on how and where to look for some deals I wasn't aware of, and there is value in that. If the average guy can save $100 here or $2-300 there getting a deal or buying something used that's going to help them spend a little more on something else or pick up something they might not have been able to, or just get out and hunt. I'm going through the learning curve and I appreciate being able to hear peoples first hand experiences that have been through the same thing.
Now, is there such thing as a 2 person tent under $800 that anyone would bring to Alaska in September? Or is that the next pill I need to swallow?

 

[bozeman]

For the newbies, I was there 3 years ago, from Bama with ZERO western hunting or people I knew. Joined here and am a Data need (IT by degree and job) and have literally tried, bought and sold countless (very blessed financially to be able to do so, Than the Lord). Here are a few nuggets I’ve found-
Wrangler pro mountain pants for $24 @ Walmart. Sold the Kuiu and Sitka
Seek Outside Unaweep 4800. Sold the Stone Glacier, Kifaru and Exo (yes, tried them all)
Don’t look thru Leica or Swaro binos if you don’t want to buy them, made that mistake and now have a pair of Leica Trinovoids (sweet view!)
Buy solid color and dual purpose (puffy jacket for hunting and town, increase the ROI).
Boots- take the $ you saved on the above items and invest in your feet! Crispi’s are an investment, but well worth it IMO.

2 years ago- at elk camp in N CO, guys all decked out in Kuiu and some in heavy coveralls poking fun of my wranglers and Cabelas windproof sweater, by day 2, could’ve sold them for whatever I wanted to- whatever you buy (ignore the above, but listen to this). TRY YOUR gear out before you take it on a trip. Couple guys ruined a back county horseback hunt due to not knowing their gear and what they had for ‘which’ weather!

Wish you the best! Past 3 years have been a blast for me!

 

[bmf0713]

Are the wrangler outdoor comfort flex pants the same thing that everyone is talking about? I just ordered 2 pair.

 

[wesGiddingshunt]

If we’re talking clothes I don’t think you can go wrong with some REI brand. Especially backpack hunting and what not. They have everything from base layers to puffy. As long as you don’t grab funky fluorescent colors you know what I mean. I like green and brown clothes anyway for hunting.

 

[fngTony]

Are the wrangler outdoor comfort flex pants the same thing that everyone is talking about? I just ordered 2 pair.

Pretty sure. There’s a couple versions of the same material with different pockets.

 

[5 shot group]

Anybody try the light weight rain jacket from Eddie Bauer? I've seen it on sale for 50% off and it has me thinking...

Don't forget to hit your local military surplus store. I've found some great wool pieces there.

 

[Buckshotaz]

Hunting on the cheap, is dependent on where you hunt and how you hunt. Late season elk, your focus should be on keeping warm. I mostly hunt New Mexico and Arizona where I don’t need Alaska or Montana type gear. What I do need is good optics and average boots, I don’t even use camo

Walmart can get you everything except for boots

 

[fngTony]

Anybody try the light weight rain jacket from Eddie Bauer? I've seen it on sale for 50% off and it has me thinking...

Don't forget to hit your local military surplus store. I've found some great wool pieces there.

There’s a few different ones. My wife has a version with event or whatever eb calls it. Weighs about 12oz and has pit zips. So far it’s done well especially for a 2.5 layer.