I hate gear, I hate spending money, I hate shopping— I’d hunt naked if I could. Gear is just a necessary evil to me.
It’s not exactly the gear I hate, but the details that go along with it. My life is crazy busy—I run or co-run three companies, am responsible for 25 employees, and have a busy wife who signs our kids up for every sport imaginable (Lord, please don’t let her discover Olympic Curling.) I just don’t have much time in my life right now for sorting through details. I’m a big-picture person and when I’m forced to do the details, I and everyone around me suffers.
The “old” me? Cabela’s fleece Gortex pants (patch came later after I walked into the propane tent heater) purchased 1998 and Woolrich coat bought circa 1990. I thought I was pretty cool until I met Aron Snyder
In my twenties, when I decided to dedicate my hunting career to big mule deer, I spent a few years choosing and testing gear. I had the time then and refined my list to include the best available at the time. It worked and much of that gear has served me well for over 20 years.
The main gear I use right now—binocs, spotting scope, pack, outerwear, rifle, bow—has an average age of 15 years with my Buck’s Bag Pack and Woolrich Coat leading at 22 years old. I’ve had many things rebuilt and repaired, but by and large, most of it was paid for in the early 90’s and is still serving me well. I just upgraded to a 1990 Ford Pickup with 100,000 miles as my 1985 turned in her resignation last fall at 215,000 miles. My vehicles aren’t much different than the rest of my gear.
However, working with Aron Snyder this last year has forced me to admit that if I spend some time, effort, and money, I can take advantage of all the product innovations these last few decades. He has affectionately named me “Maynard the Mayonnaise Farmer,” after seeing my videos and pictures. The name has nothing to do with mayonnaise, but captures everything Aron would expect to see a redneck like me using and wearing in the woods. Case in point, when I posted the video in “Game on” with Cindy Wamsley of me wearing Tree-Bark camo with toilet paper sticking out the holes in breast pocket, Aron called me from some 12,000-foot Colorado peak to say “Dude, we gotta get you some gear. Those videos are painful.”
If you can stand it, see post 203 at
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?3188-Game-on/page11
He’s right and now that I can “earn” gear through my writing, I’m going to give this whole gear upgrade a try. I’m not an easy subject to please, though, as I have a whole garage full of gear that is paid for, tested thoroughly, and best of all, I’m very familiar with it. If I try a piece of gear and it doesn’t quickly prove itself, I have no problem putting it in a box and sending it back as I guarantee I have something already that will perform.
So stop by here over the next few months as I’ll be testing clothing from First Lite, a pack system from Nimrod, some Vanguard binoculars, and more. It’s shed season around here so I’ll get this stuff in the hills and let you know if it is worth your time and money. My cousin owns the local Army Surplus store and I’m one of her best customers. She just might cry if she sees this blog.
How do you feel about the whole gear revolution these last few years?
I really like reading your blog robby this is the only blog that i read keep up the good work. I like the new equipment improvements I used to have just jeans and what little I could find at used stores. When I finally started to look at the new clothes I found that I could hunt more and more comfortable with the new clothes. Now I can hunt more and not have to worry about the weather as much i dont get alot of time to go hunting so i have to make the most of the time i have. Just my two cents
Robby, I would suggest you try out Core 4 Element gear, Sitka, and Russel out doors for clothing when you test out First lite. I am partial to the Vortex line of optics, mainly due to they are great optics and their customer service is head and shoulders above everyone else. Also, you may want to try out the Shangri-La 3 from Golite. I have several Eberlestock packs that work well for packing out elk, and as far as archery gear, you can’t go wrong with Gold tip, Montana Black Gold, Hoyt or Shuttle T. Try to find people who have some of this gear, so you can borrow it, instead of buying it. It will save you some cash. lol Have fun with this blog, I’ll be checking in.
I used to use my military gear, and after 25 years in the military, and multiple deployments, I realized the military gear was heavy, bulky, and not what I wanted to use when hunting. I have found the above mentioned manufacturers to be top notch.
thanks Bruce and Shawn. Since I wrote the blog, I spent two days in the hills looking for sheds. I was testing the First Lite clothing and initially, I’m very impressed with comfort and lightweight. Bruce, you’re right about the military stuff being heavy and bulky. Thanks for the tips on the other gear manufacturers.
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