New gear advise please!

[cookecitybud]

Looking to upgrade to some new gear and wondering what everyone thinks. Looking to spending as close to $1,000 as possible. My items are...
New boots
Binos 12x50
Kuiu clothing system

I have an older pair of Leupold green ring 10x42, Cabela's boots and no brand clothing. What do you think my order of importance should be with my price range?

Thanks

 

[Ntuttle15]

Depends alot on what type of hunting you plan on doing, where you're located, etc.

 

[Throwin Darts]

Boots
Binos
then clothes

That's the order I'd spend in.

 

[cookecitybud]

Live in Midwest looking to archery elk/deer hunt along with some rifle speedy goats too.

 

[Ntuttle15]

Live in Midwest looking to archery elk/deer hunt along with some rifle speedy goats too.

Well like was stated just before, a good set of boots, zamberlan, crispi are always top of line. And I would throw in a decent pack into the mix. Idk what you have concerning that. Then Binos and then clothes. You can find good vortex binos on here for 150 bucks. You can even find boots in good shape for that price on here. Clothing, I'd say avoid Kuiu for their sizing stuff. I looked into Kuiu for months before deciding to go with First Lite. And I love their stuff. Glad i didnt go with Kuiu. You kind find all of this stuff in the classifieds and on facebook marketplace or the facebook First Lite Buy Sell Trade Group. That'll save you a lot of money! I've got well over $1,200 worth of first lite stuff that i have spent right around 600 on.. some people say brand stuff isnt worth it, and you can find stuff new and spend about the same on everything by going with mountaineering brands. But I'm weird and like to have designated items for what I'm doing, so I have all my specific hunting clothes for hunting of all types. And I'm fortunate to be able to do it. That's what I would suggest. If you have the time. Join a Buy Sell group. Watch the classifieds and see what kind of gear is always for sale. If it's always for sale then there might be a reason it's always for sale.... be patient and hunt deals

 

[cookecitybud]

Thanks for the info! I have the outdoorsman's long range pack and am satisfied with it. I guess I'm not dead set on kuiu either it was just easier for me to understand their layering system over others.

 

[Ntuttle15]

Thanks for the info! I have the outdoorsman's long range pack and am sati I guess I'm not dead set on kuiu either it was just easier for me to understand their layering system over others.

Yeah, just spend the time to get to recognize other brands. I wouldnt do sitka. Way too expensive. I decided on FL. Love it. Wouldnt trade it. But Kuiu has some good peices of course

 

[LightFoot]

Solomon GTX are good and can be found at a good price. Cabelas by Meindl are great, too.

Maven & Vortex make some decent binos for reasonable prices. Many deals to be had.

Stick with the classifieds for used Kuiu.



>>>----JAKE----->

 

[JMDavies]

I'd do this:
1-Good rain gear. If you want to stick with Kuiu, I'd go with the Yukon. Kuiu also has a web page dedicated to discounts. It can be hit and miss, but sometimes a guy gets lucky. Stone Glacier just came out with some great stuff. I don't own any of it, but have heard good things from friends.
2-Boots
3-Binos I looks like you own a pretty good set now. I'd hold off on these until later.

Just my two cents.

 

[RJC]

Nothing against Kuiu- just wouldn't feel the need to commit to a specific line of clothing unless you're real concerned about matching patterns. Sitka/First Lite/Krypek/Kuiu/Pnuma (I'm sure I'm missing a few as well) are all respectable brands and you can piece together a nice kit off the classifieds. Also check out the mountaineering brands for layers and non-camo items- there's more discount sites and sales.

Couple real awesome pieces I've found over the years...
-First Lite Merino boxers
-Patagonia R1 (quite possibly the greatest piece ever created IMO)
-Sitka Heavyweight Hoody
-Kuiu Ultra Merino zip-off bottoms


That being said, and to answer your original question.
1. Boots
2. Optics
3. Clothing

 

[cmahoney]

If you don’t have a tripod and bino adapter, I’d put that on your list before binos. I second the Soloman’s, I get them for around $100 and wear them until there is significant snow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Honyock]

Boots
Binos
then clothes

That's the order I'd spend in.

what he said +1

 

[flatlander51]

in the same boat

 

[Indian Summer]

Crispi boots are on Camofire today. They’ve been on there several times in the past few weeks.

 

[Jordan Budd]

New podcast coming soon on all of the gear choices that are available, but here's how I did it.

Sleep System - Shelter/Sleeping bag/pad and backpack cooking system - If you do a truck based hunt you can save some money by cutting this out. You don't need to spend so much in this area if you aren't going to use it in the back country. You can rough it in the back seat of your vehicle with only blankets if need be. Could be a great way to get your feet wet before diving into a backpacking commitment. Chances are a lot of you will have family type camping tents with a canvas/flannel sleeping bag already.. maybe just use that at the vehicle and get a new sleeping pad to start out with.

Backpacks - If you are cutting out the multi-day backpack hunting portion then you can skimp a little on the backpack. However, I'd recommend you don't skimp too much. If you look at the prices some of these new Eberlestocks (seem to be popular) they are maybe $100 new cheaper than a used Kifaru, SG, Exo, etc. I really look at packs as a buy once cry once. BUT, lets be honest if your doing a truck type hunt where your within 1-2 miles of the vehicle you can tough out an uncomfortable pack.

Optics - Depends on the hunt and depends on the optics you already have. Assuming you have some kind of descent binoculars already (maybe even $2-500 options)... My opinion for a mule deer hunt is you need a good spotting scope. So put more money into a spotter in that situation. For elk in most archery situations you definitely don't need a spotting scope and you can probably get by with fairly little. But if you need a new binocular on a budget, look at the lower powers like 8's. Listen to the optics podcast we did with Matt Cashell on the Rokcast. BUY A RANGEFINDER... We had a client here this year from WI that didn't own a rangefinder and had a hell of a time. Guessing ranges when it's open and flat is way tougher than judging out of the treestand your used to... I'm pretty used to judging distance in the open but when I get in the treestand it goes to hell. It's just different. Be sure you have one.

Clothing - One of the most over thought of things out there. I've been on sheep hunts where the guys show up in head to toe (name your brand) and a pair of Rocky turkey hunting boots. Don't overthink or budget a ton to clothing. I do recommend a good base layer to get away from cotton. I like a lightweight merino like the first lite wick hoody. But synthetic like sitka sells is good. After a good base layer I think a good puffy jacket is necessary. Merino wool socks are a must for me. Lastly for pants, you can find companies with more budget friendly pants like SKRE or any used of the "bigger" brands. Outside of that you can probably get by on what you have in your closet.. just have a good grasp on the layering concept.

Boots - Footwear is THE most important in my opinion. Doesn't matter what "level" of hunting your doing, they are always on your feet. That said they are the toughest to recommend and get right. This is where I'd put the most time and financial resources to start out with.

The rest like kill kits, lights, weapons and accessories I wouldn't stress too much about. Get a descent reliable backpacking stove like the MSR pocket rocket + GSI minimalist cup for around $60-80 for the set and your really on the right track. Buy a used bow/rifle if needed and become proficient with it. 60 yards for a bow and 400 yards with a rifle is what I recommend at least practicing them. The most important thing to success is field experience and I'd never recommend someone to spend so many resources on gear that they can't get out and about for the experience.

Hope some of that blabber helped.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Footwear. Footwear. And then footwear. Read reviews but try them for yourself before buying anything. Get fitted by someone who knows that they are doing. Don’t just assume your normal shoe size is the size hunting boot you need. Be picky.

Sleep system is the next most important thing for me when I’m spending time in the backcountry. If you aren’t using you vehicle as a base camp you need to make sure your sleep system is enough for the conditions. Buy once cry once especially on whatever tent you end up with. Hilleberg has my vote as my go to tent. Western Mountaneering for my sleeping bags. A good sleeping pad with a high enough R value is a must as well.

Optics are overthought quite a bit, myself included in that statement. This season I’m switching from a 10x42 Bino in the harness and 15x56 Bino in the pack to just a 12x50 in the harness and then the spotting scope in the pack depending on the hunt. You can absolutely tear country apart with a good 12x50 Bino on a tripod with a pan head. I run Meopta Meostars.


Clothing is probably the most overthought portion of hunting these days it seems. I’m super guilty of it and have multiple systems for different applications and weather conditions. I’ve used all the brands and have ran them hard. Firstlite base layers are as good as it gets. Just about everything else I use is either Sitka or Swazi for western hunting. I have some Patagonia stuff as well that is absolutely top notch. For whitetail deer I run a Firstlite system... Don’t get stuck on one brand. Mix it up and find pieces that work for you. You’ll learn as you build different clothing systems what works for you and what doesn’t.

It’s easy to blow through that $1,000 budget very quickly. Start with boots and binos/tripod and you’ll be tapped out. Next save for sleep system and after that I’d go clothing. Check classifieds here for deals just make sure you have a plan and don’t start buying stuff just because it’s a deal.