Hall of shame - gear version

[Desk Jockey]

There is the “best gear” thread and the “good cheap gear” thread but let’s hear about some duds. KEEP it CIVIL. Not interested in turning this into a bash fest but what gear has disappointed you the most?

For me, my biggest let down was a set of kuiu Alpine pants from a few years ago. I was so excited to get my favorite attack pants with a knee pad that I ordered them right away. They were marketed as having a dwr. when mine arrived, I tried them on, I washed them in no scent and packed them up for a deer hunting day trip. It turned out to be a bad weather day. I was still hunting up and down a mountain temps from 30 to 35 and moving in and out of about 6 inches of snow and freezing rain. Not only were the pants not dwr coated they soaked up water like a sponge. Ruined the hunt. I had to keep moving to stay warm and I was borderline hypothermic when I finally decided to pack it in and go home. Kuiu customer service basically told me to pound sand for a few weeks and several emails (while they erased part of the description about the pant having a dwr on their site) until Jason (RIP) stepped in and said they would provide a refund. I wasn’t the only one that had the problem and I suspect the pants were never dwr coated and they knew it but sold them anyway and then tried to Jedi mind trick people like me that complained. The experience tilted me away from kuiu and I have bought very little from them since. They pulled the Alpine pants a few months later and reworked them as the new pro pant. When companies innovate products that don’t work will happen but bad CS from a top brand is unacceptable IMO.

My honorable mention comes, unfortunately, from our friends at Kifaru. First, I will say all my other products from them and their CS is top notch. However, I bought a duffle bag (not the current version) from them a few years back. I can’t recall what it costs but it wasn’t exactly cheap. It showed up and it was more “basic” and no frills than I expected. No problem. I used it as a camp bag on a few trips and the shoulder strap seam started to fray. I mothballed it and brought it out of retirement to pull gym bag duty a few months back. It popped a seam on the handle and generally seems to be falling apart more than I would expect for something that hauls >10# of crossfit gear a few times a week. Again, all my other kifaru stuff has been great and built like a tank but this duffle bag seems to be the turd in my otherwise wonderful kifaru swimming pool.

***EDIT - in fairness to Kifaru, I never contacted them about my stinker of a duffle bag so that is one me***

So...keep it civil but let’s hear about what pieces of gear turned out to be pieces of $#!+...

 

[Howell81]

Muley Freak Bino Harness -

Spent $100 on this thing. Carries my 8x32 bino pretty well. The side pockets are very tight. takes 2 hands to get a windicator bottle in the pocket. My small range finder is a struggle to fit onto the other side pocket. The front and back pockets are only good to carry a couple mouth reeds. The gun holder on the bottom is worthless. i was hoping it would hold my galaxy s8+ phone but it won't fit.

The fit is pretty good, until the strechy bands wear out then it starts to sag alot.

 

[bsnedeker]

There is the “best gear” thread and the “good cheap gear” thread but let’s hear about some duds. KEEP it CIVIL. Not interested in turning this into a bash fest but what gear has disappointed you the most?

For me, my biggest let down was a set of kuiu Alpine pants from a few years ago. I was so excited to get my favorite attack pants with a knee pad that I ordered them right away. They were marketed as having a dwr. when mine arrived, I tried them on, I washed them in no scent and packed them up for a deer hunting day trip. It turned out to be a bad weather day. I was still hunting up and down a mountain temps from 30 to 35 and moving in and out of about 6 inches of snow and freezing rain. Not only were the pants not dwr coated they soaked up water like a sponge. Ruined the hunt. I had to keep moving to stay warm and I was borderline hypothermic when I finally decided to pack it in and go home. Kuiu customer service basically told me to pound sand for a few weeks and several emails (while they erased part of the description about the pant having a dwr on their site) until Jason (RIP) stepped in and said they would provide a refund. I wasn’t the only one that had the problem and I suspect the pants were never dwr coated and they knew it but sold them anyway and then tried to Jedi mind trick people like me that complained. The experience tilted me away from kuiu and I have bought very little from them since. They pulled the Alpine pants a few months later and reworked them as the new pro pant. When companies innovate products that don’t work will happen but bad CS from a top brand is unacceptable IMO.

My honorable mention comes, unfortunately, from our friends at Kifaru. First, I will say all my other products from them and their CS is top notch. However, I bought a duffle bag (not the current version) from them a few years back. I can’t recall what it costs but it wasn’t exactly cheap. It showed up and it was more “basic” and no frills than I expected. No problem. I used it as a camp bag on a few trips and the shoulder strap seam started to fray. I mothballed it and brought it out of retirement to pull gym bag duty a few months back. It popped a seam on the handle and generally seems to be falling apart more than I would expect for something that hauls >10# of crossfit gear a few times a week. Again, all my other kifaru stuff has been great and built like a tank but this duffle bag seems to be the turd in my otherwise wonderful kifaru swimming pool.

So...keep it civil but let’s hear about what pieces of gear turned out to be pieces of $#!+...

Have you talked to Kifaru about your duffle? I would be SHOCKED if they didn't take care of you 100%.

 

[bsnedeker]

Biggest disappointment for me would be my Bee Stinger stabilizer on my bow. Seemed to work great at the range, but when I was full-draw this year for the first time on a bull elk my bow was shaking like crazy and I ended up shooting over his back at 40 yards! Must be something wrong with that stabilizer.

 

[Smithb9841]

I would have to say the kuiu guide gloves I bought last year were a big disappointment. Even with wearing a base layer glove underneath my hands froze. Maybe my expectations were too high idk I just expected more out of a $70 pair of gloves . This has been the only kuiu item I’ve purchased that I wasn’t happy with.

 

[Pezboat]

Mine was Sissy Stix trekking poles. It wasn’t so much the fact that they showed up and were defective, that happens. It was that their customer service was terrible. They told me the trekking poles were not defective and I was the problem. They have a strict QC process and I (me, the customer) just can’t figure out how to use them. It was a simple flip latch, a design that countless other trekking pole companies use. Not too complicated. What out me over the top was I had to pay $15 to ship them back for a refund. For a company that claims to have some of the best customer service around, they should stand by their product and own up to it when they’re in the wrong.

 

[madcalfe]

There is the “best gear” thread and the “good cheap gear” thread but let’s hear about some duds. KEEP it CIVIL. Not interested in turning this into a bash fest but what gear has disappointed you the most?

For me, my biggest let down was a set of kuiu Alpine pants from a few years ago. I was so excited to get my favorite attack pants with a knee pad that I ordered them right away. They were marketed as having a dwr. when mine arrived, I tried them on, I washed them in no scent and packed them up for a deer hunting day trip. It turned out to be a bad weather day. I was still hunting up and down a mountain temps from 30 to 35 and moving in and out of about 6 inches of snow and freezing rain. Not only were the pants not dwr coated they soaked up water like a sponge. Ruined the hunt. I had to keep moving to stay warm and I was borderline hypothermic when I finally decided to pack it in and go home. Kuiu customer service basically told me to pound sand for a few weeks and several emails (while they erased part of the description about the pant having a dwr on their site) until Jason (RIP) stepped in and said they would provide a refund. I wasn’t the only one that had the problem and I suspect the pants were never dwr coated and they knew it but sold them anyway and then tried to Jedi mind trick people like me that complained. The experience tilted me away from kuiu and I have bought very little from them since. They pulled the Alpine pants a few months later and reworked them as the new pro pant. When companies innovate products that don’t work will happen but bad CS from a top brand is unacceptable IMO.

My honorable mention comes, unfortunately, from our friends at Kifaru. First, I will say all my other products from them and their CS is top notch. However, I bought a duffle bag (not the current version) from them a few years back. I can’t recall what it costs but it wasn’t exactly cheap. It showed up and it was more “basic” and no frills than I expected. No problem. I used it as a camp bag on a few trips and the shoulder strap seam started to fray. I mothballed it and brought it out of retirement to pull gym bag duty a few months back. It popped a seam on the handle and generally seems to be falling apart more than I would expect for something that hauls >10# of crossfit gear a few times a week. Again, all my other kifaru stuff has been great and built like a tank but this duffle bag seems to be the turd in my otherwise wonderful kifaru swimming pool.

So...keep it civil but let’s hear about what pieces of gear turned out to be pieces of $#!+...

weird i wear my alpine pants over the attacks and pro's i find they dont get wet and dry out super quick

 

[cg2737]

I am a huge fan of First Lite base layers but First Lite Boxers just were not worth the money. I can not remember the name of them but they were from one of their original lines. I wore them two times and the entire crotch disintegrated. First Lite replaced them with a new pair and the same thing happened. Very expensive underwear that just did not live up to the hype.

 

[bsnedeker]

I would have to say the kuiu guide gloves I bought last year were a big disappointment. Even with wearing a base layer glove underneath my hands froze. Maybe my expectations were too high idk I just expected more out of a $70 pair of gloves . This has been the only kuiu item I’ve purchased that I wasn’t happy with.

Oh, I second that opinion! I'm very glad I had my chopper mitts with me the one day I took my pro gloves into the field!

 

[madcalfe]

i purchased a big ages ultralight copper spur tent used it on a goat hunt and it got shredded. zippers always got stuck in the door fabric. it was awesome to carry but not worth the money. i used the new msr hubba hubbba 2p last year on my sheep hunt fantastic tent highly recommend it but the ground pegs suck i probably broke 4 of them before my 2 weeks was up. highly recommend the tent, just by different pegs

 

[Beendare]

The Big Agnes Q core has to make the list. Mine failed on the first inflate...in my office luckily...and there are hundreds of cases of these biting it on hunts. [the BA stuff I've seen is pretty average]

The first gen KUIU merino was itchy...to me anyway....their blend stuff now is good.

Any polar fleece pants- suck...they are burr magnets.

The old Kifaru Ultra light pack of Sil nylon barreled badly...their stuff now is good.

Gore tex has been a big fail for me on multiple pieces....Just about anything else; Space rain, Precip, Kuiu, eVent- all have been much better. Anyone need a large long pair of Sitka rain pants to drain your pasta....let me know.

60X strings...yeah, they have 60 more strands than you need in a string.

Now that I've pissed off half the hunting world......adios

________

 

[Bbrinks]

First lite shale gloves for me. Loved the leather palm and breathability, but they fell apart after just a few trips. Really bummed out for what they cost. Had much better luck with a $20 pair of leather mechanix gloves

 

[Fireman03]

Mine would be the kuiu yukon gaiters, love the looks and fit of them......but I go through a pair a year. Either get some fraying, or the last set the bottom strap tore off. Was forced too try another brand. As far as their other gear, I like it and it works but it feels like I ordered from baby gap. It all runs small for me.

 

[Wrench]

My rocky mountain mellow momma reeds sound great, but the adhesive on the tape doesn't make two days. I bought 10 to get me through last season. Love the size, thickness of the latex....nailed the stretch,

But the tape might as well have been ice cream.

 

[rayporter]

rocky boots
havalon -lost a blade twice deep in a deer

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Every Vortex Diamondback and Viper scope that I have purchased the past few years have all experienced catastrophic failures. All failures occurred at the range shooting "heavy" recoiling calibers such as 223 and 6.5 CM. I'll give their warranty its due. My "replacements" were the broken scopes that I sent to them.

Have had multiple boots (Cabelas, North Face) that I have been able to wear one time. Damn cactus spines go through the soles and break off. Every step you feel the spines and each time you release pressure, the soles suck in the spines so you can't pull them out.

 

[nettereo16]

I am a huge fan of First Lite base layers but First Lite Boxers just were not worth the money. I can not remember the name of them but they were from one of their original lines. I wore them two times and the entire crotch disintegrated. First Lite replaced them with a new pair and the same thing happened. Very expensive underwear that just did not live up to the hype.

Same issue here. I really like my First Lite base layer tops but I got some of the Red Desert boxer briefs and they didn't hold up well. Too warm as well. I will say they stay pretty clean feeling after a few days.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Have you talked to Kifaru about your duffle? I would be SHOCKED if they didn't take care of you 100%.

In fairness to them, I have not. I bought it a while back and just never really thought about asking them to do anything.

I will reiterate that all my other kifaru products and experiences have been top notch. Although I question why I had to be fully naked for the pack fitting and why Aaron had to measure my inseam that many times, but that is another story...

 

[Desk Jockey]

rocky boots
havalon -lost a blade twice deep in a deer

I had the havalon blade ejector issue. I emailed after this season, my 3rd with the knife and they said send it in. They just sent me a new one. Not sure if it will be better but their CS was pleasant and quick about it.

 

[rayporter]

too bad i threw it a long, long way.