Go To Guys N Gals

[TheCougar]

Please don't let this thread degenerate into back-biting. Bottom line, some gear reviews are good and some bad. Some guys have street cred and some guys are self-appointed experts. By and large, rokslide is a solid source of information if you can critically think and use some discernment. Find guys that you respect and hunt like you hunt, in conditions you hunt, and that is a pretty good starting place.

 

[TheCougar]

Another place I've found good information is Western Hunter/Elk Hunter magazine. They hunt like I hunt, in places I hunt, and there are some knowledgeable guys who write for them. They do tend to suffer from a case of "the positives", which many magazines suffer from, where they only list the positives of a product and they dance around the negatives, presumably to prevent losing sponsors/advertisers. Like I said before, using discernment is key.

 

[Trial153]

There are plenty of people on here and couple other forums that if you know who your conversing then your golden. You can get some great options and advice and save some leg work.

 

[charvey9]

Its hard to say. I'm not sure that I put a lot of stock in any particular person, and have never purchased an item simply because I saw a hunting "celebrity" using it. However, I do take a look at what successful hunters are using and then check into that gear myself. If it seems like the real deal, I'll give it a shot and see how I like it.

I think the best resource is the gear junkies who can afford to buy whatever they want, like to try new things, and do a lot of hunting. Fortunately that is most of the core group on Rokslide.

 

[16Bore]

I have a strange method for judging gear. I'll buy what looks like it will do what I want, and sell it when it doesn't. Way too many gear club fanboys.

But if Mossberg and BSA called tomorrow, I'd tell you how wonderful their shit is...

 

[ChrisS]

Most products are cheap, effective, or durable (or some other combination of three key traits) and people only get to pick two. I like to find out where the company is putting their effort (e.g., if they're making complicated gear with cheaper materials to hit a price point vs. a company not caring too much about price, but to make something out of the best materials available, etc.). As well as what the effective difference is versus their competitor. If one thing costs 50% more than another, but is only 10% more effective, does that 10% really mean that much to me personally (while that could mean a lot to someone else like super durable rain wear for AK sheep guides vs a weekend deer hunter).

 

[elkyinzer]

At least you can filter the paid endorsements. There is some money to be made in the hunting world and I understand why certain people would want to pursue that by pimping themselves out. I find marketing to be a fascinating aspect of the business world; that some really shitty products and services are able to defy their general shittyness and achieve decent sales figures based on marketing alone. I would like to think having this awareness I am somewhat immune to marketing but it probably influences me more than I would like to admit.

What irks me more than honest paid advertising is an an advertisement masked as a shitty "review". There is another hunting website that used to have a great bow review feature, but sold out and now "reviews" the new Mathews flagship every year which was surely sent quid pro quo. It's just dishonest and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's one thing to have a transparent paid endorsement, or even just be a fanboy, but it's an entirely different matter to try to pass that crap off as an honest review.

 

[Stwrt9]

as condescending as the original post is. I think your doing yourself a disservice if all your doing is follow the marketing strategies of some companies without doing some leg work yourself. i find it kind of funny when you watch some of these hunting shows on tv and there all sponsored up and the guide next to them is wearing something different or even better blue jeans. Most guides are no bullshit hard working people who will only wear what really works for them and not what they are being paid to wear, so you can get a good sense in that regard. but ultimately you need to do your own research and product testing to find out what works best your you individually. what works or fits for one won't work or fit for another so to speak.

 

[Jimbob]

A gear review is only as good as the reviewer. Rockslide is by far the best place to find good gear reviews. I take every review with a grain of salt and look at the reviewers history and hunting style.

I have been a member on here from the beginning and its all because of Arron's reviews. Reading that guys pack reviews on Bowsite and it was pretty easy to see that this guy is the real deal. You can see by my post count that I just don't have the knowledge to share on here what many others do.

So read more than you post and you will start seeing what guys know their stuff and that you can trust their word.

 

[16Bore]

Why the hell is it OK for a weekend hunter to get soaked, but not a goat hunter? K*** and a few others sure have snowed the "hunting world" into believing that folks, for the first time ever, are actually going outside and it might be chilly. Or wet. Oh the love of the Googlenation.


Ok, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to let Rokslide and the rest of the world in on a mindblowing secret. This could possibly change your life. Maybe the way you view the world of high performance hunting gear. It could start WWIII. I might have black helicopters flying over my house, so if anything happens, it's been a good life and tell my kids I love them dearly.


Ok, here it is:







All this high performance outside stuff has been at ski shops and hiking shops for a very, very, very, long time. Shhhhhhhh.......

 

[IanF.]

I'm always testing what I own and looking for patterns in others, be they friends or celebrity's. Let's for instance consider Randy Newberg, Western Hunter (Tv) and Meateater. Depending on the season the overtness of the marketing varies, it's obvious. Look at the conditions they're in, are they comfy or miserable looking? Consider the sheer number of animals that are killed, quick kills or long trailing jobs? I mentioned those here shows as they tend to show the hunt, not the kill and are somewhat honest as to where the hit is.

How many elk has Randy killed? A lot, look up his video on calibers - says a lot.

You know my best friend in high school would see 2-3 movies a week, his tastes and mine aligned so his reviews mattered to me (pre-internet). I see much of the market, marketing, opinions etc and don't know if I think aligns with me, my beliefs and hunting style.

So I look for patterns, patterns over time and test when I can and learn from mistakes.

Ian

 

[IanF.]

16bore

Sitka, kuiu and first lite all openly admit that they got their inspiration from those industries and brought it to the hunting world. The biggest obstacle being printing on the technical fabrics and hunters accepting the costs of good gear

 

[16Bore]

Before all the hype, guys went army surplus, hiking/skiing/mountaineering, or a combo of the two. I remember hunting in steel toed Redwings, cotton long johns, jeans, flannel shirt and a gas station acrylic blaze orange hat that itched so bad it left "rug burn".

Of course the hardest part was "picking" ammo. Hmm, green box or the red one?

It wasn't complicated....

 

[16Bore]

But, OK. A First Lite Chama Hoody is the absolute cats ass....

 

[tater]

I watch the guides also and the locals especially

I know Flashmo flamed on the guides and how the industry works (and he is right), but there is a lot of truth to asking what the locals use. There is some gear that just seems to be more suited for particular places than others, and asking someone who hunts that particular region or type of terrain/climatic zone often yields gold.

I know when i had a very specific gear question, i addressed it to a particular moderator here that i know hunts the way i do in almost identical terrain and i got a straightforward answer that i know was based on experience rather than a pro staff deal.

 

[Clarktar]

There are a few people whose opinions I seek out when it comes to specific things. Mostly for me this revolves around various firearm components, caliber performance, and reloading. Things that I just do not know a ton about. I am not fortunate enough to be able to shoot a wide variety of makes, models, calibers, or use a large variety of components. So I seek out those that have or do and ask opinions. Ask most people on here, I have no problem messaging someone and asking.... I am shameless really.

When it comes to other "categories" I feel I have the money, time, or experience to figure it out on my own. Doesn't mean I wont read or look for posts on others experience or opinions. I have been backpacking, and skiing for a fair amount of time and have an idea of what type of things will likely work for me.

 

[elkguide]

Before all the hype, guys went army surplus, hiking/skiing/mountaineering, or a combo of the two. I remember hunting in steel toed Redwings, cotton long johns, jeans, flannel shirt and a gas station acrylic blaze orange hat that itched so bad it left "rug burn".

Of course the hardest part was "picking" ammo. Hmm, green box or the red one?

It wasn't complicated....

Is there a problem with cotton long johns?????



It's always the green box, in case you're wondering. (We didn't have the red box)

 

[hodgeman]

I'm loving the perspectives offered here.

As a guy who grew up hunting in thrashed out Army Surplus and spent many, many nights shivering my ass off in a wet, crappy sleeping bag in a piece of crap tent... asking me which brand or make or model of rain gear or wicking merino base layer or high end mountaineering boot is better than another feels weird. It is ALL so much better than the gear I started with...orders of magnitude better. As hunters, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to gear these days.

 

[jmez]

Like any forum, there is a lot of good and bad info posted. I find it far easier to weed out those that don't. Take this thread for example.

 

[16Bore]

Is there a problem with cotton long johns?????



It's always the green box, in case you're wondering. (We didn't have the red box)

Come on now, trying to pull your jeans over the long johns you slept in the night before? Ass all saggy and what not, soaked to the core after walking for ten minutes. Then there was always the sock issue. Pants on the inside or out? Long johns over socks or under?

Either way, your ass was in for a loooong cold day. And nobody to text.

Red box, old skool federal.


You could be dropped in the middle of nowhere, outfitted completely from Walmart (rifle included) and not want for much. Just look at 99% of the kids out there. They've got it all figured out.