From Complacent to Capable, Striving for Competent, By Chas Carmichael

[Dioni A]

Really liked and appreciated your article. When I got into Backcountry hunting I was dead broke and purchased ALL my gear used on Craigslist. I see people talking like it cant be done on a budget or that you can't kill animals without x product or that z brand will ruin your hunt and it drives me absolutely crazy! Thank you for the common sense redirection!

 

[SelwaySteve]

The scale is your friend! We all think about how great it might be to have "X" just in case, but have second thoughts after we have humped it up the hill! Having turned 60, I have bought a lot of gear over the years, and if I brought it all with me, I could not make 2 miles from the truck! I hope that all remember, no matter how much we spend, the elk weighs the same. Either keep a large group of good friends, or at least hunt uphill from the truck!

 

[loggerchas]

Always uphill! I've continued trimming things here also. Fortunately I spent a lot of time here learning the "what not to do's" and did well not bringing too much. I still struggle with the food thing though. I had 2500 calories per day and just couldn't eat it all. I ended up with about 20% excess. Best thing I did in that arena was my little Folgers coffee singles and honey straws. Boiled 2 cups of water in the morning in the vestibule while getting ready for the morning and it heated the tent nicely making for great morning routine!

 

[JV3220]

Great article


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[prm]

Good article. I’m a mix of spending overly freely at times, and searching for that perfect blend of price and performance at other times.

The one area that really made a difference for me was clothing. The bulk and weight I removed by going to a dedicated layering system was stunning. And it works better!

While some of it is relatively expensive, everything I have can be used year round, not just for hunting. Go to the outdoor stores, try things on to find what fits and then keep an eye out for sales. Amazon and Backcountry.com can help there, along with other sites you mentioned.

Also, what has helped me is to make a list of all the gear, and weigh each item. Then consider what product would help to lose the most weight or bulk and keep an eye out for sales.

 

[loggerchas]

You hit it right on the head - weight and bulk reduction and finding where reduction versus budget cross on the graph is key. Kohl's has also been a good store to find some deals - I found a Columbia puffy there on clearance (solid color) for 1/4th of what a similar product would cost from one of hunting companies.

Years of hunting from a comfortable base camp (wall tent or trailer), mostly early seasons or late seasons on the Colorado plains, made me blind to the advancements of fabrics and improvements in sleep systems and clothing.

 

[prm]

Here’s what I’ve settled on for now:
Prana Zion pants (the most comfy pants I own)
First lite merino base bottoms

Silkweight long sleeve base top (move moisture)
Kuiu Peleton 240 hoody (I wear this all the time. My wife is probably tired of it)
Arc’teryx Atom lt (Amazon sale, previous year model)
Kifaru LPP
Light rain jacket (it’s a low end Kuiu model they don’t make anymore.)

Leather work gloves
Some Cabelas heavy mittens that are awesome

Carhartt beanie

Costco wool socks x2 (or the wigwam off Amazon)

Salomon Quest 4D with Superfeet insoles (I wear them all winter)

The key is, everything is just my clothes, not only for hunting. Cutting wood, shoveling driveway, whatever. That system covers archery through 4th rifle in CO. I’ve hiked when it’s warmer and camped down to 0deg. While certainly not the cheapest, it’s a fraction the cost of buying all Sitka or other hunting brands, I am amortizing the costs across my regular clothes and I’m not sacrificing anything in performance, weight, or bulk when I am in the mtns.

Pick the layers you want in your system and then be a patient, diligent shopper.