Prices for Camo clothes

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Dec 30, 2014
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A friend/mentor has been using dark green wool pants bought at a thrift store for $5 successfully for years.. A guy doesn't have to spend the money if he doesn't want to but it's nice not wondering if you'd have been more comfortable in something else.
 

LBFowler

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I'm having a very similar conversation on another forum as well.

The value that the clothing gives to you has NO correlation to how much it costs. Maybe you are much better served by cheap offbrand stuff, just like I feel I'm best served by cheap used cars from Craigslist. That doesn't mean I go and say X new car is overpriced because I only paid a few thousand for mine.

The price of products is by and large determined by how much they actually cost to make. Just like a Ford today with backup cameras, power windows and airbags is going to cost more then a '70s Pinto, we are talking about whole different animals with the high fill-power down, goretex, and fancy chemical technologies we are leveraging in our clothing today. Don't need any of that stuff? Go buy a Pinto, it will still get you there.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2015
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I'm having a very similar conversation on another forum as well.

The value that the clothing gives to you has NO correlation to how much it costs. Maybe you are much better served by cheap offbrand stuff, just like I feel I'm best served by cheap used cars from Craigslist. That doesn't mean I go and say X new car is overpriced because I only paid a few thousand for mine.

The price of products is by and large determined by how much they actually cost to make. Just like a Ford today with backup cameras, power windows and airbags is going to cost more then a '70s Pinto, we are talking about whole different animals with the high fill-power down, goretex, and fancy chemical technologies we are leveraging in our clothing today. Don't need any of that stuff? Go buy a Pinto, it will still get you there.
Excellent analogy!

Some people must have the latest automobile and technology every year.

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Titan_Bow

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Another point that should be made... take some time and research that fabrics and materials themselves. What is there intended "mission" ? What are they good at? Once you have a better understanding of what the fabrics are actually doing for you, you can then determine if it's even needed, and you can start shopping the clearances and outlets more for specific materials, it starts to open up a lot more choices. If you are buying a head to toe setup of Kuiu just to sit in a tree stand in the southeast US, then yes, it's not worth it. But if you are going deep in the back country in the mountain west, Alaska, BC, then the materials offered in brands such as Sitka and Kuiu, are well worth the investment.
 
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Check out Hunt of the day or camo fire. Or even the classifieds here or ebay. Lots of good deals out there. Solids are cheaper and work great. I wore the brown FL this year and actually had a pronghorn decoy into me and had a cow think I was a calf lol!

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boom

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i find that the value/cost relationship is directly proportional to the amount of disposable income one has.

my camo clothing is expensive to some and junk to others.. i dont worry about it.
 

Tsnider

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i used to hunt in Vertx pants and cheap shirts. Once i tried krypteks nicer stuff i wont go back. only difference now is i start buying new gear in october so i can have it all paid for by September
 

fngTony

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I was a long time hold out for top self camo. Here's my experience at least for shirts. The $12 walmart one works fine for about three months then gets trashed because of pilling and stitching coming apart. The expensive stuff will last me three times longer and give a performance benifit. So a merino shirt for about $75 on sale vs. three walmart shirts $35 total = a $40 merino shirt in my mind.

For me high tech fabrics keep me comfortable in a wider temperature range, allow freedom of movement, keeps me dryer, don't need as many clothes. If I can feel as comfortable in the field as I do in my living room I can spend more time hunting and be better focused.

I wondered about a middle ground and its called buying good stuff on sale. Seriously I tried descent stuff from sporting good stores but its all marketed towards hikers and runners so its bright and reflective.

In the end it's what is important to you and your budget. I think most of us spend too much in at least one area for hunting. Definitely buy on sale when possible and sometimes you can find a real deal on clearance.

Definitely not hurting my feelings, your thoughts on camo is my thoughts on archery accessories.
 

LBFowler

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Another point that should be made... take some time and research that fabrics and materials themselves. What is there intended "mission" ? What are they good at? Once you have a better understanding of what the fabrics are actually doing for you, you can then determine if it's even needed, and you can start shopping the clearances and outlets more for specific materials, it starts to open up a lot more choices. If you are buying a head to toe setup of Kuiu just to sit in a tree stand in the southeast US, then yes, it's not worth it. But if you are going deep in the back country in the mountain west, Alaska, BC, then the materials offered in brands such as Sitka and Kuiu, are well worth the investment.

This is a huge part of it I think, backpack hunting is a growing thing but still a tiny part of the Hunting market, so when two different groups talk about "hunting clothing" they start to think each other are really on different planets. For the huge majority of hunters cheap and cheerful gets the job done all day every day, but if you are pushing your limits on multiday trips deep and far, thinking about how much money you saved is small consolation for a heavy pack and cold, wet clothes.
 

ianpadron

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Another point that should be made... take some time and research that fabrics and materials themselves. What is there intended "mission" ? What are they good at? Once you have a better understanding of what the fabrics are actually doing for you, you can then determine if it's even needed, and you can start shopping the clearances and outlets more for specific materials, it starts to open up a lot more choices. If you are buying a head to toe setup of Kuiu just to sit in a tree stand in the southeast US, then yes, it's not worth it. But if you are going deep in the back country in the mountain west, Alaska, BC, then the materials offered in brands such as Sitka and Kuiu, are well worth the investment.

Hit the nail on the head right there. 98% of hunters don't need KUIU or Sitka or First Lite. The ones that do would gladly pay twice the price (myself included). When you're miles into the backcountry, the last thing you want to be thinking about is how heavy your clothes are and how they are going to weather the coming storm. I've made it through some downright GNARLY conditions in both Sitka and KUIU gear, and not for one second did I regret being warm and dry. Hunting in the mountains is a very special thing that requires even more specialized gear. Taking clothing out of the equation you have more time and energy to focus on hunting, which IMHO is worth every penny spent.
 
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