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Cheap Stuff that Gets the Job Done

I picked up a pair of "George" brand rubber boots from walmart. If I remember correctly I paid just over 20 for them. They have been holding up well the last couple months better then others i have paid more for in the past. They have worked well for me checking trail cameras (limiting use of my hunting boots), going to the range, chores outside and walks with the kids. At this price I'm not expecting years of use but wont hesitate or cry about being hard on them and ruining them.
I think those are the ones I bought at Walmart about a year and a half ago. They are still working great.
 
Best deal I got EVER on hunting specific boots was at Allegany and Coleman military surplus
Bought three pair genuine USGI Black Intermediate WP cold weather boots made by Bates Or Bellevelle for under $50 a pair TMD
Bought 4 pairs genuine USGI warm weather WP combat boots made by Bates or Rocky for under $42 a pair
My sons and I used the crap out of all the above boots for 3 deer and turkey seasons are are 100% satisfied with them.
Bought two pairs each Bates Black and White MMB for an average cost of $60 each TMD from Coleman's and have only used the black MMB but have been absolutely happy with them
Great value for very good boots.
Now they all have become rare and the prices have gone up significantly some at least doubled.

Saved me a bunch of money on hunting boots for my sons especially since both have my feet 14xxw.
 
These little keychain clips I found at Walmart work great for clipping things onto a lanyard. I use them to keep my calls, rangefinder or whatever from falling to the ground by clipping them into a lanyard I have tied to my pack.

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The tingley/Yoder boot combo isn't the cheapest but from years of messing with 2 separate boots (hip and regular) IMO it's the best bang for ur buck if u like to hunt around water.

After switching back and forth multiple times I finally figured out I like the webbing bridge and EWO HD sliders are the way to go. I used knots originally but the sliders much better option IMO

Cut the cargo pockets off ur old worn out pants and they make great pouches with a little modification.. I added these to my hunt vest and I was surprised how useful a cargo pocket on my abdomen was..

After messing with rain suits for years I finally come to the conclusion that the lowly poncho works best for saddle hunting....cheap, must easier to pack, weighs almost nothing and once combined with the Yoder chaps will keep u dry in the heaviest downpours...frog tog is what I have been using...add military surplus poncho liner and u can loose a layer or possibly the whole jacket on cold wet days

All the store bought hunting clothes I have are starting wear out and I have been slowly replacing with surplus clothes. Cheap, high quality, rugged, clothing that is already brocken in and soft. Bdu pants are easy to find at good prices and same goes for shirts/jackets. U can build a whole layering system fully decked out with fancy socks, gaiters, gloves, etc and 3-5 full sets of clothes on an extreme budget and have IMO just as, if not more, higher quality stuff than the fancy clothes companies...might not 100% all match camo pattern but they all close enough....timber pimp camo is also cheap and it definitely gets the job done

When u wear a vest that ur gear attached to it's a little harder to stay legal with ur orange requirements. A cheap alternative I found that definitely gets the job gone is a sun sleeve in blaze orange. It's the same material as the fishing neck gaiters but it's a form fitting sleeve. SA company is what I used and they holding up good.. https://safishing.com/shop/arm-sleeve-neon-orange-small-black-shield/

The rubber coin purse is another cheapo that gets the job done ..I stuff it full of rabbit fur since we don't have milkweed readily available here and pinch off ur desired amount. Water resistant (not water proof)....the 1 I currently have is starting to wear out and I found an upgrade I'll be incorporating into my hunting system soon enough.... Screenshot_20210209-072733_(1).png

Vet wrap... I put that sh#t on everything

My mother in law have me 1 of those external battery that has the little solar panel built in....so far it works great..I think it's called power patriot or patriot power...she said it was cheap and it gets the job done
 
One for the squirrel vest, one for the hunting pack, one for the ambush straps, one to stay in the car, one in my life jacket, plus a few spares.

When you hunt 40,000 acres of flat palmettos and tupelo, you learn the hard way what it feels like to not know where you are. It's not a pleasant feeling
Yup, never leave the truck without putting my hand on my primary compass and I use it every hunt. Don’t have to, because I carry a GPS but I l like to use the compass for most of the walk in or out as a quick reference and then use the gps at the end to find the exact location. The time to learn how to navigate with a compass is not when your GPS suddenly dies. That’s also why I don’t want any friggen magnets in my gloves pockets or anywhere else in my clothes. Had a frustrating walk to the stand one morning until I figured out that the flip back, half fingered gloves I was wearing had magnets in them. I also carry one of those orange compass, match, whistle combo’s as a back up. I cut the whistle off to make it more compact and the match compartment will hold 6 bright eyes in place of the matches. Great place to store those.
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One of my cheap ideas is with clothing. A good jacket and pants are worth it but I skimp with other things. I buy some things cheap and get several and wash often. I buy a 12pk of digital camo hats From amazon and wear them for a half day and wash them with other hunting clothes. I buy cheap stretchy gloves and use hand warmers with a muff. A while back I bought like 10 Cabela winter hats with the mini visor, ugly as hell but I love those. I have a few eBay ugly down vests for cold weather and layering. You can’t beat down for warmth. I’m currently looking at military surplus down pants for layering. I have several champion gear under armor knock off mock neck shirts for base layers.
I am looking to spend a little on decent rain pants. And considering a first lite jacket but I can’t make myself do it at the moment.

Also what’s your secret to keep a mora from rusting?
3M chain lube. It’s wax based, but it has Teflon in it. Goes on thin and dries in a few minutes. I use it on my high carbon tools and on my Ducati chain. Prevents rust!

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Seeing ur keys reminded me of a cheap thing that has saved my butt more than once......floating hi viz boat keychain....I had a zipper fail on my bag once and was out still hunting all day on a pretty big wma. Once I got back to the truck I realized my keys were gone....I retraced my tracks with the free gps app I have on my phone and was able to find my keys because if the big hiviz float....

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I have a paracord loop with a small biner on it that I girth hitch around the belt loop above my pocket. Clip the biner onto your keys and drop them into your pocket, no more worries about losing them and you can use the cord to pull them out of your pocket when you need them.
 
Yup, never leave the truck without putting my hand on my primary compass and I use it every hunt. Don’t have to, because I carry a GPS but I l like to use the compass for most of the walk in or out as a quick reference and then use the gps at the end to find the exact location. The time to learn how to navigate with a compass is not when your GPS suddenly dies. That’s also why I don’t want any friggen magnets in my gloves pockets or anywhere else in my clothes. Had a frustrating walk to the stand one morning until I figured out that the flip back, half fingered gloves I was wearing had magnets in them. I also carry one of those orange compass, match, whistle combo’s as a back up. I cut the whistle off to make it more compact and the match compartment will hold 6 bright eyes in place of the matches. Great place to store those.
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Dr. Sheppard has an awesome story about a ride out of the woods with a compass that aligned with the frame on the 4 wheeler...he rode quite a ways "north" before realizing he had been heading every direction but
 
Yes, they're similar. Vanity Fair Oultlet (if you have one near) has the fleece lined as well.
I just bought a pair of these and the regular outdoor ones. Wore my black ovis pants and columbia fleece lined a ton this year. Columbia were $75 on sale so i hope these wranglers are close to the same. Don't really care about camo anymore, as long as they are earth toned.
 
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