Gear investments, what do you regret?

[Yukon Cornelius]

Getting rid of my 1852 Lowe with a 35hp go-devil surface drive. Should have brought that to wasilla with me instead of leaving it in the bush.

 

[stonewall]

Thinking of some of my regrets (and none of these are that big of a deal honestly)

cheap boots (leaked two years in a row before I finally learned my lesson)
put yellow strings on my bow...it was fun at the time, but that's not my color now (no big deal though)
5000 RPM arrow saw...it works, but for a little more I could have bought a better one

I'm sure there's more, but that what comes to mind now

 

[RILEY L]

Vortex optics. Specifically spotting scopes, binoculars and RF. I got most of my vortex optics from GOVX.com for 40% off retail thinking it was a great buy. When the time came to upgrade I was shocked at the resale value. Id only recommend them new if you wait and find them for 60% off retail. My dad had a couple ranger 1000 rangefinders in the last few years. When they would work, the reading was much different than Leupold and Sig. Typically 1-5yards depending on the angle while being used on the 3D archery range.

 

[joel_sledz]

I like to buy shitty gear first, so then when I drop a ton of money on good stuff it feels 100x better and I don’t feel bad about spending that much extra cash...

 

[twall13]

I like to buy shitty gear first, so then when I drop a ton of money on good stuff it feels 100x better and I don’t feel bad about spending that much extra cash...

You joke about this but there's some truth to that statement. I really appreciate my quality gear because I've suffered through some crappy gear first. When I buy good gear for my kids they dont know any better and don't appreciate it.

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[Dust Rider]

Vortex Diamondback scope. Looked good when looking thru it mid day. Low light, not so good. First and only Vortex.
Erberlestock (sp?) Just One pack. Just one pack out with a elk and sold it.
Outdoorsman frame pack: great with 30#'s. Sold after one trip with a elk hind quarter.
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 6.7 Diesel. Sold that quick like.
Buy once, cry once. Live and learn.

 

[bridgermgmt]

i got a set of Sitka gear that fit perfect. This is the first set that I’ve ever had that fit. But they only had my size in camo. I wanted and have mostly worn solids. Thought I’d just use these hunting but they are so nice I use them for everything.

I also regret some of the more premium purchases. I got a set of high end boots and justified them with my buy once cry once, but they have been a huge let down.

my stone glacier pack. It was light and well thought out, but the durability and comfort wasn’t what I needed.

the single worst purchase though hands down has t been Eddie Bauer guide gear. Sold saying it’s what they use on Everest and guaranteed to keep you dry. AlmosT killed me.

 

[Mike Islander]

- Cheap scopes and binoculars

Everything else has worked pretty well. Some of my early stuff is heavy, but didn't cost much and works for friends when needed.

 

[HuntHarder]

24" Kifaru frame. Just does not give me the lift that my 26" used to. Found out when I had a hellacious pack out. To Kifaru's defense, 10 years ago, Aron told me to get a 26" and I did. It worked great, but I decided I wanted to try out a 24". Aron was right.

 

[DMG]

Regrets:
mail ordered boots that don’t fit perfectly.
buying stuff I don’t need when it’s on sale


i am seeing a lot of hate for vortex here Which surprises me. I have a few of their optics from the lower end up to mid or high end and for the price point, they are all great. I also have Luepold, Burris and Nikon To compare to.

 

[SkunkCabbage]

-Brushed face rain gear. Stick with hard face for the true wet weather. I don’t screw around with anything but gore Tex as I manage to delaminate rain gear every couple of years and they stand by their products.

-Soft shell jackets. Don’t bother.

-shitty footwear without the support that’s needed when hauling loads or lacks ankle support in my case. Buy proper backpacking boots. Good luck with Scarpa

-Mid range Binos when you haven’t had the time or proper walk through why alpha glass is superior. I understand now and I’m thrilled for the pair of ELs I now own. It’s a lot of money but they can truly be lifetime items the way I look at it

-Magnum class rifles. Unless you are hot to trot on an actual magnum I wouldn’t bother with one as they generally aren’t needed for most people hunting under 300 yrd. Do I own some yes but they have specific purposes. I tend to shoot my short action calibers more often as they are pleasant and can work on better shooting techniques with the lower recoil and range work.

 

[manitou1]

I would overload the server if I listed everything!
Scent "absorbing/adsorbing" clothing
Cheap optics
Many shotguns, rifles and pistols I didn't need... shot a few times and traded or sold.
Replacing bow every couple of years.
Crappy boots: Danners and Rockies to name a couple.
Deer scent: All of it.
Various newfangled cold weather and wet weather gear prior to the internet. Now that we have reviews, it makes things a lot better.
Cheap optics.
Cheap or "newfangled" broadheads.
There has been a lot of trial and error over my 45 years of hunting.

 

[D wine]

Columbia rain jacket
Keen Boots
vortex scope


I don't count items that I bought to cut serious weight and found them lacking for me. I only think of items that I knowingly compromised on cost because I thought it would be OK.

Keen boots i Second that. Had a pair didnt last long at all.

 

[alaskanparret]

Cheap air mattresses
Cheap sleeping bags
Anything that says it’s waterproof that isn’t gore tex or rubber.


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[WinM70]

As the title says, what purchases do you regret or wish you had done differently. Like lots of people here I drop a significant amount of my income on gear to pursue this passion but there’s a few things I wish I’d done differently.

Kifaru pack: I wish I hadn’t bought a gray pack, I hate it. I love everything about my 28” tactical frame and fulcrum but I wish I’d got coyote or ranger green, I absolutely hate the fact I got a gray one.


Kimber Montana; I wish I’d dropped the few hundred extra bones and got the mountain ascent, I love the Montana (308) but the extra few hundred bucks would have been nothing at the time, now it’s not worth it to sell it and take the hit and buy a MA.

Those are my 2 big ones, what are yours?

Just curious, what is it about the mountain ascent that you wish you had it over the Montana?

 

[22lr]

I bought a keltec SU-16 because it was $400 and the last day of the gunshow and I was really hoping to buy a 5.56! Seemed perfect, super light, IT FOLDED IN HALF, ran AR mags, had a cool looking bipod thingy, the price was right. Surely it was a better buy than the Mini-14 that was right next to it for $450.

Darn thing would only feed from a single old Colt 20rd mag that I had, nothing else (not even its factory mags). The barrel was so light that after 20rds it would burn off any oil from the action or barrel and was outright dangerous to skin contact. It could barely hit the broadside of a barn with it. I hated that thing so much I sold it for $300 (with the colt 20rd mag) at the next gunshow. The funny thing, even at $300 it took me 3 days of walking the floor to sell the dang thing.

 

[as.ks.ak]

Biggest “ragerts”...

1. Eberlestock pack....j107 with all the fixins for sale. Anyone wants it make an offer. (don’t waste your money)

2. Thermarest pro lite. Switched to the neoair xtherm. World of difference in comfort.

3. Vortex rangefinder. I’ve sent it in for refurbishment, and it still only works occasionally. Upgraded to a leica and it’s amazeballs.


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[thinhorn_AK]

Just curious, what is it about the mountain ascent that you wish you had it over the Montana?

a few ounces of saved weight and they look cool.

 

[pk_]

Trail cams.

Every few years I get this itch and buy a handful of trail cams only to remember that I hate using them on public land.

 

[NUGGET]

Stone glacier pack. Bought it for sheep hunting but now it’s only used for day hikes. Not day hunts. Day hikes only.