Where do I even start with gear?

[scott85]

So like I posted on the FNG post yesterday, I'm planning a OTC DIY elk hunt in Idaho next year or in 2018 so I'm working on getting my gear together and trying to figure out what tent, sleeping bag and pack to get started without breaking the bank. The choices out there are mind numbing and I would really appreciate the help.


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[tipsntails7]

What do you currently have? And what type of budget are you looking at?


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[scott85]

I got the rifle, binos and a ton of First Lite clothing. I'm looking at 1,000 for everything gear if I can.


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[AdamW]

Well as a fellow newbie, I focused on (and I think you'll find the consensus is) a good pair of boots and a good pack are the top couple recommendations. Last year or two years ago Kifaru, Exo, etc. model pack can be a bargain if you keep your eyes peeled.

The first hunt seems to be the audit of your gear. What you used, what you didn't, what worked and what didn't. After this season I will probably start tackling weight of my sleep system. I got a new pad from my wife this year as an anniversary gift and cut two pounds off my pack weight.

You've got a year to figure out the specific makes and models you like the sounds of and here is a great place to do it. Don't let not having $500 boots keep you from going until 2018. Get after it!

If you look for deals and stalk the classifieds you should for sure be able to get it done for $1k I think.

 

[Manosteel]

Get good boots and pack first. They have the biggest impact on the experience you will get out of the hunt, gear wise. AS others said, look out for deals. You can pick up an Kifaru Bikini frame for around 200ish if you keep and eye out, pick up a grabit it and guide lid, throw on a 80 liter dry bag and you are set. Boots I suggest looking for sales but go try out a bunch at local stores to see what your feet like.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Figure out if you are even truly going back country too that first time. If you are hiking in daily then your needs vary.

 

[Graves14]

You're off to a good start. I'd go in this order and look for deals on used gear on all but the boots.

Boots - (try a million pairs) I ordered 11 on Amazon and wore them around the house. Returned all but the ones that fit best.
Pack - there are so many deals on 2015 exos right now it's crazy
Shelter - lots of opinions here but I can't stress enough how much I like floorless shelters. You can pick up a mountain smith lt2 for $100
Sleeping bag - try to get to an rei garage sale you can nearly steal a bag that has a little dirt on it.

 

[Brightwhite]

Not necessarily in order, but these are the items I am thankful for on every hunt, no matter the season.

Boots and good socks
Backpack, I prefer Kifaru
Tent, or floorless shelter...know it and be able to set it up in wind/rain/dark
A good bag or quilt, I like a 15-20 degree bag
GPS with the OnX chip is a must
Good binos and a bino harness
Headlamp

Everything else is just a nice to have for me.

 

[scott85]

Figure out if you are even truly going back country too that first time. If you are hiking in daily then your needs vary.

It's going to be back country for sure with a days hike in.


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[AdamW]

Boots - (try a million pairs) I ordered 11 on Amazon and wore them around the house. Returned all but the ones that fit best.

I did this as well. Mild warning - since doing this I have heard of people having their Amazon accounts closed due to "abuse" of the return system. The specifics were electronics but when you might be looking at $2-3k worth of boots, just keep it in mind. Again, I did it myself ("only" $1k worth of boots in my case) but fair warning just in case.

 

[Luked]

best thing i did was to listen to Gritty Bowmen podcast with Aron Snyder and Brian Call. they can really cut a lot of options out for you pretty quick. i sit in an office all damn day so gives me something good to listen to and learn from at the same time.
biggest thing i found anywhere i went was DO NOT skimp on boots...period

 

[Nuke Man]

Boots, pack, sleep system and electronics are your big $ items. I've been using Salomon Quest 4d GTX for 2 years and love them. I think I paid about $265 for them. Pack, pick a flavor and don't look back. I went kifaru and have been happy, but $1k broker! I much prefer a tent over a floorless shelter. I picked up a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 from the classifieds on here for around $200, if I remember right. I definately want something a little bigger for the next trip though. Other than space, it was a great ultralight tent! My sleeping bag i got on a REI closeout, it's a Mountain Hardware Lamina Z flame 22 degree bag. It was perfect for early September. It was about $130. I used a cheapo liner to help keep the inside clean. I slept on a Thermarest Zlite pad that was like $13 I think. It was comfortable for me.
Electronics, I have used the Garmin 62s with OnX chips for a few years. I like how simple it is and works great! I added a Dark Energy Poseiden charger and a delorme Inreach this past trip as well.

 

[scott85]

For boots I was looking at a pair of meindl from cabelas I think I would like to stay around 300 for boots


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[jtw]

Try every boot you can get your hands on in that price range. Make sure if buying online you can return them. Theres no way to tell what will work without trying them on first.
Meindl has some good boots but they dont fit everyone.

 

[Jimbob]

Get out and do some backpack camping around home. This gives you an idea of everything you need to camp in the backcountry and how much its going to weigh. Then when its time to backpack hunt you just add your weapon, optics and kill kit.

 

[Murdy]

For boots I was looking at a pair of meindl from cabelas I think I would like to stay around 300 for boots


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Cabela's branded products are 20% off right now on the website, including Cabela's / Meindl boots.

Whether they will agree with your feet or not is another story. (I got lucky, first pair of quality boots I bought were awesome)

 

[scott85]

Cabela's branded products are 20% off right now on the website, including Cabela's / Meindl boots.

Whether they will agree with your feet or not is another story. (I got lucky, first pair of quality boots I bought were awesome)

That scares the crap out of me because my feet are funky and I have a hard time finding boots that fit right.


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[Dameon]

Buy the best boots and pack you can afford. Like other's said, try on as many boots as you can and buy what fits you best. As for the pack, use the Rokslide classifieds. You can save quite a bit of money on lightly used Exo Mountain, Kifaru, Stone Glacier, or Mystery Ranch packs. As for sleeping bags, pads, and tents......either wait patiently on the classifieds or check out MassDrop. MassDrop has a great deal on a Klymit 20 degree down bags right now. They also have Klymit pads come up for sale frequently. Sierra Trading Post is also a great place to find good deals on gear. If you want to make a game out of shopping for gear (or just fuel your gear addiction), take a look at Camofire. You will spend a lot of money, but if you shop carefully and patiently, you can fit everything in your budget. Or you can be like me and throw the budget out the window.....

 

[scott85]

I can get nice discounts on these brands. Some of them close to 20 to 40% MSRP.

Eberlestock
Badlands
Slumber jack
Sierra design
Nemo
Big Agnes
Klymit
Kelty
Optimus
Sawyer
Katadym


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[fngTony]

Something that saved me on boots was alternative ways to lace them. Everything was fine except the first knuckles on my toes would rub. Found a YouTube video that gave me a fix.