Using what you got- post it up.

[robby denning]

Although Rokslide is all about gear, Ryan and I don't ever want Rokslide to become "gear-snobs only." Sometimes I go to post a photo and think for a sec "is someone going to poke fun at me?" Well I can certainly handle that, but I've talked to a few of our members who think they'll start posting when they get better gear. We never want Rokslide to become that place! I've been a young father and want to encourage you guys who might just be starting out.

I could probably beg a pack or backpack tent off of some of the best out there but I just keep using my old Kelty and Eureka until I either get the money, or a good opportunity comes along, and I know Ryan is the same way.

Trust me, even when you own Rokslide you still have to use what you got.

Let's start a thread on tried-'n-true gear we're all using, no matter how old or the brand. Show these younger guys you gotta start where you're at, not where everyone else is.

So here are some pics of a recent scouting trip with my son, Cash. As you'll see, we're using what we have and what works. Post up your pics of gear that makes you think twice!

My old Kelty 5500 (I think) with a Walmart pad and a heavy Sierra Designs sleeping bag leaned up against my old rusty truck

Cash with my wife's old Lowe Alpine pack. I've used this pack on many hunts even in the last few years.

I've used this Eureka for years for solo hunts, even into November. It ain't a Hilleberg but it didn't break the bank either.

 

[colonel00]

Here's one for you from my first mountain hunt that had us hiking in. As a flatlander from the Midwest, we didn't really know what we were getting into but it worked. Obviously I had waaaaaayyyyy too much stuff in general regardless of how fancy or generic the gear was but it worked. Check out that huge sleeping pad at the top of the pack The pack is a Cabela's Extreme Alaskan frame pack that I still have. I would probably still use it but it just doesn't work with my weird back shape which is why I have moved to a Kifaru with aluminum stays.

Here is another Cabela's pack that got quite a bit of use. I don't remember what it was called but it had the compression pod and you could carry a bow or rifle with it. Packing out a boned out muley was a chore but it got the job done.

Admittedly, I have since upgraded just about everything but this stuff would still work just fine. Mostly, as I have gotten older, I have a little more disposable income and I have accumulated things over time. I also find justification in the fact that I'm not as young as I once was and my body and old joints sure appreciate some of the fancier, lighter gear.

 

[gmajor]

Fantastic idea! I've only just bought a stone glacier after 5 heavily used years of service from a sierra designs pack. I've put that SD through the ringer, and the waistband just doesn't have any shape like it used to. But still, the pack has a great structure to it for the money. Also: the zlite. bombproof and light. I can manage to sleep on it too .

 

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

I make no secret the fact that I am new to hunting and my family members were not hunters. I guess you could say I am a first generation Cowboy and first generation Hunter. I jumped right in backpacking and never looked back. My very first trip was archery deer 11 miles from any road.

This Picture is me and my son 9 miles in and I would say 90 % of what both of us were wearing was handed down from a buddies storage unit in a hefty trash bag. My rocky boots are 11 years old as well as my russel camo sweat pants. LOL
My son was in russel denim camo jeans. My son was running a teton 69.00 dallar pack and I had a Kelty Red cloud i grabbed on ebay for 100 bucks. (I still run the same kelty) Good times




This next pic is my makeshift camo pack and PSE Nova I bought as you see it for 75 bucks. I used that bow until about 1 year ago. My red cloud is under that pack cover somewhere. Still use that cover as well.

 

[colonel00]

Here is another fun pic. I wore (and still have) a pair of Cabela's Whitetail Extreme boots for 10+ years and they served me quite well. They have some insulation which is nice when cold but can be a pain when they get soaked. But, they have miles on them chasing caribou, bear, deer and elk along with geese, turkeys, pheasants and who knows what else. They even seem to find their way to the peaks of mountains too.

Also rocking the plain old camo patterns here too.

 

[robby denning]

Loving it guys & what I was talking about. Colonel you're definitely not ounce counting when you lug in MTN dew! Unless it's water?

 

[colonel00]

Loving it guys & what I was talking about. Colonel you're definitely not ounce counting when you lug in MTN dew! Unless it's water?

Yeah, lugging in that Mountain Dew was nothing compared to packing in the gun case

Nah, that was before heading in. Got to have a proper pre-game meal

 

[muledhunter]

Robby, I was just about to start a thread like this. Being a father of 3, 2 year old and two that will arrive here in the next week its not easy. Although my wife is getting me a stone glacier!

 

[5MilesBack]

I have a SG and Paradox pack and I still wear my 10 year old Cabela's Elite Scout pack when I'm hunting out of base camp. Love that thing. It's a comfort thing that I've grown into, and it's quiet. I also still use my 25 year old Slumberjack giant oversized sleeping bag in base camp. And still drive my 27 year old Toyota, however, I believe that one is better than anything new.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Thanks for starting this thread. I have actually gotten caught up with all the gear hype and forgot about the most important things, getting out and hunting. I will admit that I have upgraded packs to am outdoorsmans and kifaru and my binos to meoptas and vortex but I have killed more elk and deer then I could imagine without all that gear mentioned. I believe that getting out and see in gods country is why I hunt. I love the meat but I would use Walmart camo and a jansport pack of I had too. I will try and post up some of my gear I have used or still used. (Family is in town, and archery is open)

 

[WoodBow]

My first two years i used a military surplus ilbe pack i bought for $90, a eureka amari pass II for $120, a magellan 30 degree mummy for $30, no pad the first year, and a cheap blue foam pad i got from goodwill the next. No fancy base layers. No synthetic clothing the first year.

This will be my 3rd year and id be using the same tent if i wasnt trying out a hammock. Taking the same sleeping bag. Still too poor to upgrade packs so i heavily modded my ilbe to resemble a kifaru style. Moving to all synthetic clothing but mainly doing so from thrift stores and garage sales.

It helps a lot if you dont have your heart set on camo or a certain pattern. You can find usable gear much cheaper and frequently that isnt camo.

 

[tttoadman]

Don't have a lot of pics which is a bummer. This is from 2012. I was still rocking the old REI tent, the camp trails frame pack, and my cotton bibs. I still love the old camp trails frame and it is even better now after some recent mods I did. The cotton is gone along with any tent without a side entrance.

My bother and I used to share a big kelty 2 man tent and pack giant sleeping bags and lipton box soup. Whatever it took to hit the hills.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I got by with this Sitka 45 POS until I finally broke down and got a Kifaru DT1. What a difference!

 

[robby denning]

When you've used less than premium gear you gain a real appreciation for the good stuff when you finally get to try it

 

[Pilgrim]

Kelty Cache Hauler, frame only, old Bass Pro RedHead day pack jimmy-rigged to the frame (zip ties and all), USMC ISO foam mat, RedHead 2 person tent (5lb 10oz), USMC sleeping system (minus the bivy sack, 10lb) and who knows what else... good times!

This was 2010-11. I've been able to gradually make a few upgrades.

 

[Ross]

My brother is more than frugal...I would say cheap on many things...he has been using this old military Board to pack elk for 3 decades and is still going strong with duct tape..........

 

[5MilesBack]

When you've used less than premium gear you gain a real appreciation for the good stuff when you finally get to try it

From my experience, I will also say that the opposite is true many times. I use what I use because I like it and it works. Every now and then I'll "go with the masses" and pick something up that is supposed to revolutionize the way I hunt and/or make my life so much better or more comfortable. Then after using it, I'm just glad that I didn't get rid of my old stuff that I tried to replace with "premium gear".

 

[robby denning]

I agree 5Miles

I just know that my FL clothing is way lighter and just as functional as that heavy Army stuff I wore for years and some of these modern tents I've used are lighter and shed the weather better.

 

[5MilesBack]

I just know that my FL clothing is way lighter and just as functional as that heavy Army stuff I wore for years and some of these modern tents I've used are lighter and shed the weather better.

I remember when I first started hunting, and all there was for base layers then (that I knew of) was the cotton waffle pattern ones. Surprised I never died out there, soaking wet with sweat all day in near zero temps. It's no wonder I'm always on the move when hunting, those memories still haunt me. Those and the Coleman summer sleeping bags that we had in subzero nights. Then people wonder why my base camp bag for years now has been a -30 bag.

Yep, there are definitely areas where premium gear has made a difference. But I think of all the different arrow rests I've used including top of the line ones like the Hamskea, and I still prefer my old Hostage rest for hunting. And I still take my 12 year old Rocky Lynx boots on every hunt along with my Zamberlans.

 

[WyoElk]

Ross, You guys have stellar taste when it comes to bed sheets.