Overrated Gear

[P Carter]

This sounds awful...

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It got my attention for a bit, was shortly drowned in the general physical misery. (To be fair, it was a small, soft pine cone, not a ponderosa pine or something.)

 

[PMcGee]

Funny you mention this. When I was in my 20s working on a trail crew, I wouldn't bring, or use, TP for our 8-day hitches. Never crossed my mind. Used leaves, grass, or sometimes a correctly shaped rock. Snow patch was the absolute best option when available. Only after the other guys started giving me grief did I put some thought to it. I'm mostly a TP user now, though in the middle of some long runs I've reverted to old habits. In the middle of an ultra, I selected a pine cone and had to run over 20 miles with what felt like pine cone debris between the cheeks...

I stuck some tp in my vest this past weekend first 50k. If I used that up it would’ve been a sock or something. No way I’d try a pine cone lol. Luckily I didn’t have to use it.


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[rootacres]

SG Bino Harness. I really wanted to like this thing. I’m a huge fan of their packs. It just ended up being much more of a two handed operation than I was hoping. I have a marsupial now and don’t plan on changing. I liked the KUIU as well.

La Sportiva Trango Cube GTX. Boots are very subjective and personal. I fought these things through two hunts. I eventually gave up on them. They were the most expensive boots I had ever owned. I moved onto Crispis and haven’t looked back. I wish I had made the move 10’ worth of leukotape sooner.

 

[Honyock]

I don't think anyone would consider it overrated (because it's junk) but anything with Redhead on it.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

Goal Zero anything… crush light, solar panel and bank. All over priced junk


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[cacklercrazy]

Years ago I bought a 1000 yard Leupold laser rangefinder. Spent the extra coin and got the LED (red) reticle. I could never get ranges beyond 650 yards, and over years the reticle degraded and degraded and now only the inner most portions are visible.

That sounds familiar.

 

[Weldor]

Good reading, keep up the good work.

 

[CB4]

The new Sitka Kelvin Aerolite stuff. I have the vest and jacket and it’s been an utter let down in warmth compared to the older Kelvin Lite stuff.

It might pack down better but the new gel infused down is gimmicky. Sure wish I would have just held onto my old Kelvin Lite hoody. It’s also baggy compared to anything else I’ve owned from Sitka.

This couldn't be more true.

 

[Thinkingman]

I'll ruffle some feathers here....TOYOTA.

I bought a 2006 loaded Tacoma TRD because I heard all the hype....What a POS.

Immediately I noticed the rear springs were flat and the 'truck' would bottom out with nothing in the bed, over speed bumps.
Toyota corporate told me I was crazy until some years later when they were forced to issue a recall and then refused my reimbursement request for the springs because I didn't have the dealer diagnose the problem.

Add to that the weakest frame (Tundra, too) of any pickup, body trim that just decided to leave at freeway speeds, rear window rattled out of place on a cobble road, horrible upholstery, fuel door that doesn't even have hinges and rusted off, 'alloy' wheels that corroded and flaked at 60k, six-speed manual that had ratios chosen by first graders,...I could go on and on.
That 5' bed on Tacomas is a pathetic joke.
Just a poorly-engineered and cheaply made POS.

And the fanboy Koolaid keeps them in business.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels Vortex and Leupold are in the ranks of overrated.

 

[Smoxley]

Super overrated Freeze-Dried meals that cost $15/pouch

Yep.

 

[Dirtbag]

Mostly anything dealing with expensive ass “hunting” clothing.


Also, wrangler outdoor flex cargo pants are the shit. $30 instead of $200 because of fusion camo.

Agreed. As someone who has been very fortunate to get really great deals on all the big name brands of hunting clothing, It's all overpriced, has strange fit or doesn't last. I think because we pay so much for it we also unconsciously expect it to work wonders as well. Regardless, your outside in the elements and your always a little bit cold, or a little too warm, or a bit too wet. Kuiu has been the best overall so far for me though.

The Wrangler pants are awesome, they last two seasons of decent use and you aren't out a fortune when you finally trash them.

 

[danswanky911]

Any scent covers. They don't cover scent, they just smell like something else. Might as well rub chocolate birthday cake all over yourself and call it good. Just hunt the wind.

It is known that chocolate cake will attract unwanted attention from other two legged creatures in the area.

 

[deltadukman]

I'll ruffle some feathers here....TOYOTA.

You are literally the first person I have ever heard have this kind of luck with Toyota. Feathers aren't ruffled though, I have a 15 Tundra with 140k with no issues, 17 Land Crusier with 90k with no issues, have had a 97 Landcruiser that had 295k when I sold it, 98 Tacoma with 200k on it when I sold it that was put through hell and never had a single issue. I have had one 04 Ford F150 that was total trash and an 05 Chevy that smoked when you cranked it at 125k.

 

[Thinkingman]

You are literally the first person I have ever heard have this kind of luck with Toyota. Feathers aren't ruffled though, I have a 15 Tundra with 140k with no issues, 17 Land Crusier with 90k with no issues, have had a 97 Landcruiser that had 295k when I sold it, 98 Tacoma with 200k on it when I sold it that was put through hell and never had a single issue. I have had one 04 Ford F150 that was total trash and an 05 Chevy that smoked when you cranked it at 125k.

Recalls don't just 'happen'.
Lots of unsatisfied owners.
My 2015 F150 with 132k has needed none of the remedial engineering that my Toyotas required.
There's a reason you see so many Toyotas with aftermarket parts.
They're necessary.

 

[Nateskate11]

I'll ruffle some feathers here....TOYOTA.

I bought a 2006 loaded Tacoma TRD because I heard all the hype....What a POS.

Immediately I noticed the rear springs were flat and the 'truck' would bottom out with nothing in the bed, over speed bumps.
Toyota corporate told me I was crazy until some years later when they were forced to issue a recall and then refused my reimbursement request for the springs because I didn't have the dealer diagnose the problem.

Add to that the weakest frame (Tundra, too) of any pickup, body trim that just decided to leave at freeway speeds, rear window rattled out of place on a cobble road, horrible upholstery, fuel door that doesn't even have hinges and rusted off, 'alloy' wheels that corroded and flaked at 60k, six-speed manual that had ratios chosen by first graders,...I could go on and on.
That 5' bed on Tacomas is a pathetic joke.
Just a poorly-engineered and cheaply made POS.

And the fanboy Koolaid keeps them in business.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels Vortex and Leupold are in the ranks of overrated.

There are a ton of Toyota stans and I am not one of them. My experience literally mimics exactly yours. They do hold value but they have always felt extremely cheap to me. I had a close friend and coworker that drove a Nissan Titan. That had to be the lamest disgrace of a truck I have ever been in (apologize for anybody that does own one lol)

 

[deltadukman]

Ford just doesn't "happen" to issue recalls for vehicles like other companies, doesn't mean they aren't without fault. I point to the 6.0 diesel engines that you have to spend $10k to make actually run and not detonate. Also to the breaking sparkplugs, failed cam phasers, etc in the 5.4L V8. The last reliable 300k motor Ford made was the 7.3L diesel.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

The last reliable 300k motor Ford made was the 7.3L diesel

The 7.3L powerstroke was NOT made by Ford. International Navistar MADE them.

 

[deltadukman]

The 7.3L powerstroke was NOT made by Ford. International Navistar MADE them.

True. Which adds to my point. The ones they did make have huge design flaws.

 

[Thinkingman]

True. Which adds to my point. The ones they did make have huge design flaws.

People like to bash on Ford but in reality, their light trucks are the backbone of the domestic work fleet and arguably work harder than any other light trucks in the industrial applications.
You NEVER see Toyota represented in an industrial fleet. They do not have the capacity for work that domestic manufacturers have designed for.
Here is an example:

Wobbly

 

[twall13]

130$ helinox chair compared to cheap alternatives.

I tend to agree with this but I'm waffling a bit lately. I've owned a Helinox for over 6 years and it's never let me down. 2 years ago I purchased a cheap (sub $40) knockoff on Amazon so the kids would stop stealing my chair on backpacking trips. Overall I like sitting in the knockoff better. It's a few ounces heavier but also has some added features I like. It has a better foot design (interchangeable depending on the surface you use it on), actually has a pocket attached and is easily as comfortable. That said, after only a few uses the seat fabric ripped. I sewed it back up and now it's functional again but I don't have much confidence in it's durability at this point. My brother in law has gone through a couple of the cheaper ones as well. Yes, you can buy 3 for the price of one Helinox, but if it lets you down in the field it's dead weight. I will point out that both of those chairs were abused by kids so they probably failed quicker than they should have, but either way it has me questioning things.

Of course, I'm a self proclaimed gear junkie so I'm kind of leaning towards trying a Nemo Moonlite if I can find a sale on it. That's even more expensive, but I trust their quality more. Then the kids can beat up the old Helinox instead. We'll see, maybe I will buy another cheapo for the kids first when the other fails completely.

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