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High end products you can't justify

Jwiggins762 said:
See i use to say the same thing until I got "high end clothing". It wasn't the camo pattern, it was more the lifetime warranty along with i went all season without washing my clothes and they never smelled.
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People who knock the “high end” hunting clothes have obviously never worn them. I hunt between 60-80 days a year and was one of those Sitka haters for many many years. That all changed when my wife bought me a set. Way more comfortable and warm. With the merino base layer the bulk you save on layering has allowed me to hike further and hunt longer. Luckily I’m a first responder and get a pretty solid discount or I wouldn’t be able to afford it. But I will defiantly stand by quality clothing as a must now. As for something I don’t believe you absolutely NEED, is a RF style arrow to kill deer haha.
 
Weldabeast said:
I find this interesting.....if u hunt local to ur location our terrain shouldn't differ too much. I've taken binoculars with me hunting maybe twice and never used them. I carry a monocular and I've used it maybe 10 times. Everybody's different I guess
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Yep, 90% of my hunting is done in Southeast GA. Primarily oak hammocks, pines, clear cuts, power lines. To me, a good pair of binos is almost useful in the thick stuff as it is in the wide open spaces. I have seen way more deer by using them to "glass" small openings in the brush and focus in on movement that isn't as visible to the naked eye.

Using them for turkey hunting has been a game changer also. They are an important enough tool to me that I feel naked if I forget them.
 
ssramage said:
Yep, 90% of my hunting is done in Southeast GA. Primarily oak hammocks, pines, clear cuts, power lines. To me, a good pair of binos is almost useful in the thick stuff as it is in the wide open spaces. I have seen way more deer by using them to "glass" small openings in the brush and focus in on movement that isn't as visible to the naked eye.

Using them for turkey hunting has been a game changer also. They are an important enough tool to me that I feel naked if I forget them.
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Same. I use them for picking up movement in the thick stuff. I’m not tying to count the kickers on antlers or spy on deer across a 3 football fields of beans. Really help pick up movement on squirrels as well.


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Catchot713 said:
People who knock the “high end” hunting clothes have obviously never worn them. I hunt between 60-80 days a year and was one of those Sitka haters for many many years. That all changed when my wife bought me a set. Way more comfortable and warm. With the merino base layer the bulk you save on layering has allowed me to hike further and hunt longer. Luckily I’m a first responder and get a pretty solid discount or I wouldn’t be able to afford it. But I will defiantly stand by quality clothing as a must now. As for something I don’t believe you absolutely NEED, is a RF style arrow to kill deer haha.
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I’d imagine the high end stuff comes in handy in crazy cold weather. Hunting in the South I just don’t see the need. A decent wool base and I find I can get by wearing pretty much anything on top of it and be comfortable. That wool doesn’t have to be hunting brand like FL or Sitka which keeps the cost down.


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iamcorey said:
I’d imagine the high end stuff comes in handy in crazy cold weather. Hunting in the South I just don’t see the need. A decent wool base and I find I can get by wearing pretty much anything on top of it and be comfortable. That wool doesn’t have to be hunting brand like FL or Sitka which keeps the cost down.


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I said the same thing until I got some as well. There is a decided weight, movement and comfort difference. Other stuff works, just not as well.
 
BTaylor said:
I said the same thing until I got some as well. There is a decided weight, movement and comfort difference. Other stuff works, just not as well.
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You feel like the cost justifies the perceived benefit for relatively warm weather hunters? Cost difference is pretty significant last time I went shopping for FL and others. Also does their warranty cover rips and tears?


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Gator said:
I'm with @ssramage on binos. I use mine nonstop! Maybe it's vision related? Maybe it's boredom? I really don't know but I also don't get when guys bring a button buck or spikes in to check station and say they didn't know it was a buck...
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Me too!
I don't think a lot of guys realize just how useful they are.
I often hear the statement that "it's too thick where I hunt for binoculars". That's were they are most valuable. Trying to keep track of several deer that are moving thru thick cover is a challenge. Look for little detail like the amount of tarsal staining, throat patches, white patches on deer feet, etc when you are trying to keep track of what a particular buck is doing. It's easy to mix-up which deer you were watching and all of a sudden you are caught off guard.
Watching wind is another use for binocs. Yeah, I know what the wind is doing within 80 yards around me but it's nice to see what the wind is doing (by watching leaves blowing on trees) several hundred yards away. It helps to learn the big picture when it comes to wind patterns.
 
Weldabeast said:
Commercial made saddles
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That’s easier said than done. Most guys don’t have the means to make there own. Especially the stitch work. I only commented on this one because the other items seem more like luxury items in a sense and most hunters can get by without. A lot of guys who want to hunt from a saddle have no choice. And some that would make there own may not know enough to safely make one.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Me too!
I don't think a lot of guys realize just how useful they are.
I often hear the statement that "it's too thick where I hunt for binoculars". That's were they are most valuable. Trying to keep track of several deer that are moving thru thick cover is a challenge. Look for little detail like the amount of tarsal staining, throat patches, white patches on deer feet, etc when you are trying to keep track of what a particular buck is doing. It's easy to mix-up which deer you were watching and all of a sudden you are caught off guard.
Watching wind is another use for binocs. Yeah, I know what the wind is doing within 80 yards around me but it's nice to see what the wind is doing (by watching leaves blowing on trees) several hundred yards away. It helps to learn the big picture when it comes to wind patterns.
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Adjusting focus to look through stuff is the most useful benefit to me.
 
LtMoe66 said:
That’s easier said than done. Most guys don’t have the means to make there own. Especially the stitch work. I only commented on this one because the other items seem more like luxury items in a sense and most hunters can get by without. A lot of guys who want to hunt from a saddle have no choice. And some that would make there own may not know enough to safely make one.
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I don't have the skill either.... I have used equipment. I just can't justify 2-3 hundred. Used or rock harness/fleece combo. I also thought about having all the material cut and templates made and just paying the people at the furniture sewing shop if that was a cheaper way. It's hard to justify hundreds...I rarely get to hunt more than 10- 15 days tops and poor boy paycheck 2 paycheck...I need real diapers more than tree diapers with fancy bells and whistles. Obviously this applies to me and not majority of peeps.... If I had the funds I probably get 1 of the fancy saddles.... Maybe I'll get 1 someday when I'm a grown-up
 
iamcorey said:
You feel like the cost justifies the perceived benefit for relatively warm weather hunters? Cost difference is pretty significant last time I went shopping for FL and others. Also does their warranty cover rips and tears?


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I wear mine in the summer and hunting, merino is legit. Yes I had a zipper break on the back pocket of the pants and shirt with tears in it. They sent me new ones.
 
iamcorey said:
You feel like the cost justifies the perceived benefit for relatively warm weather hunters? Cost difference is pretty significant last time I went shopping for FL and others. Also does their warranty cover rips and tears?


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All of my sitka stuff was bought at discounted prices but after 3-4 seasons chasing elk in CO and whitetails at home, I would pay full retail in a blink. Last year I wore mostly the mountain pants and the equinox jacket for all but 2 sits that were pretty cold for us but also had a good bit of wind. I can layer up as needed and can actually comfortably wear my down jacket under the equinox jacket due to the stretch material. I have taken a couple of pretty good slides on the mountains and I spend a good deal of time wading through briars here at home and havent snagged or torn any thing yet. For the weight and feel the stuff has been impressively tough. Now it wont protect your legs wading around in briars, they will get plenty tore up but them britches still look new. Also use the core lightweight hoody as a base early and switch to firstlite merino as the temps get cooler. Unequivocally I would say yes the cost is justified, esp if you can catch a sale or have a discount code.
 
Gosh dang...you boys about to sell me on some hunting clothes...
 
rhagenw said:
Gosh dang...you boys about to sell me on some hunting clothes...
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It's all relative at some point. When it comes to "high end" gear, for where and how I hunt out west my order would be boots, pack, clothes and for how and where I hunt whitetails that order is clothes, pack, boots. 90% of my clothes were bought specifically to cover both. I have 2 packs, 1 of which can be used for both. A good pair of mountain boots makes a difference in steep country whether that is out west or around here. A good bit of my deer hunting is in knee boots though because of the amount of hunting I do in river bottoms.
 
Guided hunt trip.

I just can't. But l dont know if it will apply 10 years from now when l saved up enough for an elk trip and dont personally know any elk hunters.
 
I'll second guided hunting trip. I thought about it a couple of times. But something changed in me dramatically the last 4 years or so. It's not about killing a big buck anymore. It's how I got to him. How I figured it out through intensive scouting before, during, and after the season. How I did it on public when no other hunter I know of couldn't.
It gives me immense satisfaction.
A guide directing me and ultimately being responsible for my success defeats the purpose for me
 
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BTaylor said:
Dont know how old you are but I didnt do my first elk hunt until 48 and I am telling you right now, do not wait 10 years to go.
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Haha that's how old I'll be. Wish l can be more optimistic. But life has a way of happening. It is a bucket list item either way.
 
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