What have you bought recently?

[_RJ_]

I'm always curious when hunting season rolls around how everything is out of stock. Is there that many new hunters annually? Are that many people trying new gear?

I just find it strange how grunt tubes or camo is never around. Does your grunt tube no longer work? Is last years camo no longer effective? What's your hypothesis? So what have you bought before the season that you've never used? Like maybe a new knife or new camo 'system'(outfit)....?

Everything around me is on fire. Since there's a possibility that I'll have to hunt in new areas that are more tightly regulated, I purchased a GPS with OnXmaps. I hunt the same areas most every year and know a lot of ground, so I've never owned a GPS. In my mind a GPS isn't something that would fly off the shelves. As luck would have it almost no one had one in stock, that I could look at in person. I guess they do fly off the shelves.

 

[dotman]

Batteries are about it, I stock up on consumables way in advance and well I don't think I need any more gear.

 

[Dos Perros]

For my first elk trip I've made quite a few purchases. I've summer backpacked quite a bit, and winter rifle hunted whitetails here in KS, but this archery backpacking elk stuff is all new. I've always bought good quality gear, so imagine my surprise when I'm reading along and find out most of it is obsolete (like my MSR Whisperlite stove), and that I could save a lot of weight by resupplying. So I got a lot of new stuff. New KUIU warm weather camo to pair with some Sitka I already had, new stove/cook system, new tarp, new Steripen classic with pre-filter, new Bushnell binos and harness, lots of little things. I know I have saved close to 10 pounds in weight had I not made any new purchases and just used my old (but perfectly good) gear.

 

[jim thorpe]

I believe most retailers have become so inventory conscious that they don't stock items unless they are absolutely sure they will turn around fast. Online shopping has become so common I find it hard to imagine how anyone other than the big boys (Cabela's BassPro,etc) can even make it anymore. I hated buying things online but have succumb to it by shear necessity. I will buy local and from mom and pop stores anytime I can, even if I have to pay a little more. There is something to be said about relationships. Call me old school.

 

[_RJ_]

I believe most retailers have become so inventory conscious that they don't stock items unless they are absolutely sure they will turn around fast. Online shopping has become so common I find it hard to imagine how anyone other than the big boys (Cabela's BassPro,etc) can even make it anymore. I hated buying things online but have succumb to it by shear necessity. I will buy local and from mom and pop stores anytime I can, even if I have to pay a little more. There is something to be said about relationships. Call me old school.

I'm with you on that. I like to touch and inspect the actual item I'm going to purchase and I think that's becoming obsolete. I know the a lot of retailers have great return policies and what not. But I'd rather not need to use it.

 

[dreamingbig]

I bought a new water filter for my sawyer gravity system. I will keep this one in my sleeping bag at night!

 

[_RJ_]

For my first elk trip I've made quite a few purchases. I've summer backpacked quite a bit, and winter rifle hunted whitetails here in KS, but this archery backpacking elk stuff is all new. I've always bought good quality gear, so imagine my surprise when I'm reading along and find out most of it is obsolete (like my MSR Whisperlite stove), and that I could save a lot of weight by resupplying. So I got a lot of new stuff. New KUIU warm weather camo to pair with some Sitka I already had, new stove/cook system, new tarp, new Steripen classic with pre-filter, new Bushnell binos and harness, lots of little things. I know I have saved close to 10 pounds in weight had I not made any new purchases and just used my old (but perfectly good) gear.

Good point. Technology is definitely advancing and a rapid rate and that's good for us. I was going to purchase a steripen to try it out but I'm packed and ready to go so maybe I'll get one later. Have you checked out the Primus camping stuff? I have a jetboil I've used since maybe '04 and it's been on a couple deployments to the sand box so it's fairly used and abused. The Primus stuff look pretty good, like more refined if that makes sense.

 

[_RJ_]

Batteries are about it, I stock up on consumables way in advance and well I don't think I need any more gear.

Can you ever have too much gear?! My wife says yes haha.

 

[mtnclimber]

I had to go solo last minute on my sheep hunt this year so i tried ordering a hilleberg enan. Luckily the guy I buy them from was already out hunting so I just took the inner tent out of my nallo 3. That thing was a palace! So glad I wasn't able to get an Enan.

 

[StrutNut]

I will get some more nose jammer for hunting whitetails, probably some more broadheads. Some Doe urine when the rut is on. Thats about it. I would love to get a pair of mukluks for late season. Since I started buying quality stuff I just dont seem to be buying much year after year. Dont need to.

 

[BroodBuster]

I just bought a hand crank grinder. I did up about 5lbs of jerky this weekend and will do another 5lbs of summer sausage next weekend.

I also picked up a spare package of broad heads since they were avl.

Only thing I really need to buy before the season starts is face paint and wind puffer.

 

[5MilesBack]

I saw some 100gr Spitfires on sale for $19.99 the other day. So I come home, find a coupon for $20 off $100, then find the NAP $5 off a package rebate, so headed out today to buy them out.....even though I'd prefer the 125's. Well, the sale price was gone........back to $39.99. Oh well, I really didn't need them anyway, but hard to pass up with all those discounts.

 

[Brado16]

As far as my Fiancé' knows, I have not purchased anything this year….

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I've bought things over the course of the past year to address some issues from last year, but I test EVERYTHING before showtime with a Tag in my pocket. I always like the "what worked, what didn't" threads each year, I could see this going that way.

- Pad: replaced old Neoair Protrail with a neoair. WAY better on my hips.
- Shelter: replaced SD Clip Flashlight 2 (approx 4.5 lbs) with a SO BT2. First trip out with my old man, floorless, sliding on tyvek....didn't go so well, so he bought me a Hille Anjan 2. Hell of an upgrade. Anjan still saves about 0.5 lb and WAY more livable. That scouting trip is a great example of why you test your stuff early, the BT2 was ok for me.....not for my old man.
- Pack: Sold the MR Metcalf, which I loved, but hated the 7lb 7oz weight, and got a SG Solo w/lid. Lost 3 lbs right off of the bat.
- Got more FMJ arrows and some more Slick Trick mag BH's for the season.
- Rangefinder: didn't have one. Have a Vortex now, testing thoroughly during Spring Bear season. First one crapped out on me, Vortex sent another promptly.
- Gloves: went from Sitka shooters to Kuiu ultra merino, simply due to fit.
- Puffy: Didn't have one, added the Kuiu Kenai jacket. Sleeves are too tight in my opinion, they got it about 80% right. Works great on the move, packs small. I'd go with the Sitka Ultralight down jacket if I had another go at it.
- Kifaru meat baggie: kicks butt. I use it as a food bag and pack liner. Got one of those tiny z-packs cuben bags and z-slick line to throw the system over a branch with, HUGE improvement, way less A$# pain.
- Calls: new rocky mtn game calls reed and open reed to replace the Primos. I've noticed the new open reed is really a lot easier to use and get consistent sounds.
- Need to replace the old sitka core with some merino.....or the new sitka treated poly. Probably won't happen before the season, so I'll be washing my core shirt every 2 days to douse the funk. the reek pretty quick.

what could possibly be left? The elephant in the room is glass, looking to get into some Swaro SLC's and a tripod, using a trekking pole for support is still quite a bit of shake at distance. Nikon's aren't cutting it at dusk, and edge clarity, CA is quite noticeable. I chose to take care of the above this year over glass, simply because I'm not doing a ton of long range glassing. Maybe not the right call, we'll see.

 

[Shrek]

I was going to start a list but that's not a good idea I realized. Wayyyy toooo much ! Every time I get shut in the house with weather and get bored it costs me a fortune !

 

[Lawnboi]

Well I didn't really NEED anything. But I wanted something.

So I bought a nice knife for the field. I acquired a few bark river kitchen knives this last winter along with a bird an trout (which rocks), and was amazed at the quality, and really fell for the convex edge.

So I bought a new hunting knife. In a2 steel, hopefully to allow for easier field sharpening.

http://www.dlttrading.com/huntsman-black-canvas-micarta

Finally will have a hunting knife from bark river to compliment my kitchen knives along with my bird and trout. Hope to chop up a few whitetail with it this fall.

Jesus, am I turning into one of those knife guys? Hope not, but I have always enjoyed a nice fixed blade knife.

 

[Sundodger]

I picked up a Nikon ED50 and the 13-40x zoom eyepiece for a pretty good deal. I solo backpack hunt for migratory mule deer, and I had to leave the liver and some rib meat behind last year due to shooting a pretty heavy deer. I think with this and a few other changes I am hoping to get every scrap out this year.

 

[H82miss]

This will be my 2nd year archery elk hunting. I learned a lot last year and have spent the last 10 months researching and acquiring gear to make this year better than last. Here's what I've got so far:
Kuiu attack pants, 145 merino zip, beanie, gloves, neck gaiter. The clothes I wore last year sucked for hiking and warm weather.
GPS: Garmin Oregon 600. Didn't have one last year.
Boots: Lowa Renegades. My 6 y/o Asolos pinch my big toe now.
Outdoorsman medium tripod.
Here are the things I have yet to buy but plan to in the very near future:
Swarovski 10x42 SLC
FL uncompaghre
Kifaru hunting frame with Nomad and grab it II

 

[Ross]

Outside of a $1000 non resident mt elk tag and about to drop another $900 on Idaho non res tags nothing much this year...looking at some late season kenetreks for November if needed

 

[RCR]

Had to swap my Kenetrek Hardscrabbles for Mountain extremes from the factory due to blister issues. Worked a trade for a duplex frame for my bikini, and splurged for a new Kifaru Slick 20 degree bag. I tend to react impulsively when something fails me, so after freezing in my 20 year old sleeping bag the last few years I had enough. I "need" a new shelter, but I can only afford so much a year.