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Post by scrub-buster on Aug 5, 2021 15:35:49 GMT -5
I've been picking up some new camo clothing for an elk hunt this fall. Shopping around has got me wondering what really is the difference between cheap camo and super expensive camo? When you look at the fabric label they are similar if not the same. I avoid anything cotton. Most of what I buy is 100% polyester. I saw a set of bibs at a hunting store for $350 this week. There is no way I would pay that much. I can understand wool or some other special material being more expensive but the polyester clothes look the same to me. Is it all just because of the brand name? Do they use some kind of special coating or something? When I go to a hunting store and look around I think this has become a rich man's hobby. $40 for a long sleeve T shirt is ridiculous. I can get the same shirt from Walmart for $10. The only difference I see is the camo pattern. Maybe the expensive brands will last a little longer but I only wear them 2 months out of the year. I don't recall ever wearing out an article of clothing so the cheap stuff is working for me. I think the most expensive piece of camo clothing I've ever bought was a wool coat for $40 at an archery shoot trade blanket this summer. What are your thoughts on this?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Aug 5, 2021 16:00:17 GMT -5
I am inclined to spend more on boots and base layers, and even then I hunt the clearance sales. The outer layers are not nearly as important IMO. The main thing I look for is will it shed water, how does it stand up to thorns, can it be easily layered, etc.
Most of my hunting out West is done in merino wool socks and base layers, lightly insulated hiking boots, and Wal-Mart or Rural King sourced outerwear, usually not even camouflage.
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Post by Ahawkeye on Aug 5, 2021 16:46:10 GMT -5
^^^^^This base layer socks and boots are way more important in my opinion. That said I have good base layers and my outer layers are running on fumes I am looking for clearance items as well but not all right before the season kind of keep an eye out all year long. Same stuff you use here will work out there you are right to stay away from cotton, smart whool socks rock and whatever non cotton long underwear and your outerwear you use here should be just fine, good boots help a lot. I tend to pack an extra pair of socks with me as I hunt. If you hunt all day and can change socks it's pretty nice to have a dry pair to take a mid day nap in. Carry them in a zip lock bag and place your dirty ones in the bag just don't forget to take them out when you get back to camp or your pack will smell like đź’©
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Post by scrub-buster on Aug 5, 2021 17:16:29 GMT -5
I have decent base layers. Bought from walmart of course. I'm not much of a cold weather hunter. I like to get my freezer full before the freezing temperatures move in.
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Post by jjas on Aug 5, 2021 17:47:55 GMT -5
I tend to buy things during the off season.
Scentlok has pretty good sales and while I don't really care that much about the scentlok aspect of the clothing, I do like the quality. I've purchased $150 jackets for $50.00 in the past.
You can check their closeouts @ Scentlok.com, but it's pretty picked over by now. Late Winter into Spring is usually a great time to get a deal.
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Post by freedomhunter on Aug 5, 2021 18:00:53 GMT -5
I have decent base layers. Bought from walmart of course. I'm not much of a cold weather hunter. I like to get my freezer full before the freezing temperatures move in. You going to pop up the blind again in 80 degree temps? |
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Post by swilk on Aug 5, 2021 18:01:11 GMT -5
I think clothing is a lot like optics anymore....
The cheap stuff is adequate for most casual hunting.
The mid range stuff is all soooo good anymore and will do 99% of what 99% of us need 99% of the time.
The high end stuff is just fantastic and worth every penny if a man can afford it and doesn't mind paying.
I find myself in that mid priced category more often than not. Badlands runs 50% off sales pretty frequently and most of my current outer layers are from them.
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Post by firstwd on Aug 5, 2021 18:07:31 GMT -5
Personally I think most camouflage is a lot like fishing lures, way more for the human than the critter.
What I do find most interesting in the world of camouflage is what you see most professional guides (not TV walking advertisement guides) wearing. It's usually some form of wool and fairly generic single color or blotchy combination of a few colors at most. Makes me miss that old wool WW2 era Army surplus stuff I had as a teenager a little bit more.
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Post by Woody Williams on Aug 5, 2021 18:50:08 GMT -5
I tend to buy things during the off season. Scentlok has pretty good sales and while I don't really care that much about the scentlok aspect of the clothing, I do like the quality. I've purchased $150 jackets for $50.00 in the past. You can check their closeouts @ Scentlok.com, but it's pretty picked over by now. Late next Winter into early Spring is usually a great time to get a deal. I picked up some Scentloc pretty cheap late 2019. It is quality stuff for sure and in my preferred camo - Predator. I don’t wear it for it’s “scent protection”, just quality in Predator. |
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Post by treetop on Aug 5, 2021 18:51:04 GMT -5
I think clothing is a lot like optics anymore.... The cheap stuff is adequate for most casual hunting. The mid range stuff is all soooo good anymore and will do 99% of what 99% of us need 99% of the time. The high end stuff is just fantastic and worth every penny if a man can afford it and doesn't mind paying. I find myself in that mid priced category more often than not. Badlands runs 50% off sales pretty frequently and most of my current outer layers are from them. So very true about the mid range stuff As said if your going to walk any distance boots are the one thing that can make or break a hunt. I also changed socks midday if I had walked much for me it always felt better and if I felt better I hunted better at least in my mind I did Base layers in my mind are more important than outer the wrong materials can make you sweat walking to the back of your truck from the cab and also can let you freeze to death in 50 degrees My choice in outerwear is how does it hold up to wind water Is it quite to walk in will it rip on the first nasty brush I hit. And yes I believe some of the higher end stuff is overpriced but they have to pay for tons of advertising and all the tv guys they have |
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Post by greghopper on Aug 5, 2021 20:13:47 GMT -5
Buy what fits best and what your comfortable paying….. You can kill a Trophy in Blue Jeans if it’s your Day.
I would practice shooting in whatever you buy though.
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Post by sculver7 on Aug 6, 2021 7:01:18 GMT -5
I think there is a fairly significant difference between the low-end or "cheap" stuff and the mid-range priced stuff. I still buy cheap from time to time based on what my purpose is. However, most of my outer camo would fall in that mid-range price point. For deer, I wear Huntworth. They have fantastic outerwear for a fraction of what the high-end stuff costs and I can tell really no difference. Again though, anything will work for anyone. Most guys used to hunt in red flannel, so....
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Post by esshup on Aug 6, 2021 8:52:08 GMT -5
It depends on the type of hunting I'm doing and more importantly WHERE I am hunting. If I'm hunting where I can't get back home quickly to dry off, or hunting in rain/snow, I want my hunting outerwear to be Gore-Tex or another one of the waterproof breathable fabrics. Screw the cost, (but I'm not saying to go out and buy the most expensive thing that is out there) I NEED something that will work and not ruin a hunt.
Case in point:
I was back in Indiana for about a year from spending 10 years in Ca. Got drawn for the Dunes State Park Hunt. 1st day it rained so hard that even the papers in my wallet were soaked and I was shivering. I bailed out of there, drove the 45 in home, jumped in the shower to get warmed up, changed clothes and went to Dicks (this was before they became a Dick) and bought a set of outerwear that was insulated and had a Dry Lock lining. Bibs and a jacket with a hood. It was EXPENSIVE for that time - 1998 I believe and it cost a combined $350 or so. I can sit in the snow and not get a wet butt, sit in a tree stand and have 2" of lake effect wet snow covering me and not get wet. With long underwear and another layer or 2 under it I can be outside in 0°F temps all day and not be freezing my butt off.
I still use it now for winter hunting and it is STILL keeping me dry. When you figure out the cost per year and how many days I've used it, it actually was pretty durn cheap.
The biggest thing I've found out about hunting out of state is to make sure your gear will do what you want it to do, and Test IT BEFORE you leave on the trip. I guarantee you that if your gear fails you on a trip, the best outcome is you have to run to the nearest local sporting goods store and pay thru the nose to buy replacement gear. Worst case it ruins a trip and there is no telling what that will cost you when you figure out how many $$ and hours went into the trip.
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Post by steiny on Aug 8, 2021 8:58:56 GMT -5
I can't bring myself to cave in and buy any of that high end KUIU or Sitka Gear stuff. I'm sure it's nice, but I have a lot more fun making fun of the "gear snobs" wearing that stuff when we kill nicer critters in our cheap Cabelas and Gander Mountain stuff.
Boots are extremely important when mountain hunting. I wear Meindl boots and they have been great. Kennetreck also makes a real good boot. Have heard stories about Rocky boots falling apart.
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Post by mossberg500 on Aug 9, 2021 8:49:18 GMT -5
Most if not ALL my camo is or was bought on clearance . The only piece of gear that was bought not on clearance were my waterfowl waders . I use to buy shotgun shells made by ACTIVE and I personally thought that they shot just as well as did the name brands but at a fraction of the price . I believe that a good portion of hunters feel the need to buy the most expensive gear as posable ( bragging rights ) . Now some gear I will not go too cheap on but mid range in price .
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Post by Russ Koon on Aug 9, 2021 10:00:51 GMT -5
For most of my hunting life, I shopped the army surplus stores for my outer layers. The ripstop BDU's were very durable, light in weight and available at about the same price as the cheapest jeans and work shirts at Walmart. I usually just got them in a large enough size to wear at least one layer of good underwear and after the thermal fleece stuff became available I'd double up on that for cold weather. Camo didn.t matter at all except I wanted the underwear to be a drab or brown color.
For colder weather outerwear, I liked an insulated coverall, and usually wore some Walls that were very reasonable. A decent fluffy vest and good hat gloves, and a few chemical handwarmers in my pockets for extreme days got the job done at little expense.
These days, most of my hunting is either in a blind or a tree stand, so I just want something black for the popup to make any movement harder to see.
I don't bowhunt in any significant rain, but I do usually have a poncho in the truck in case I need to do some bloodtrailing on a wet day or for the drag out.
I did find good socks to be worth the higher cost. Made all the difference in foot warmth and all-day comfort when I began buying the thickest ones I could get that were Merino wool with only a small percentage of nylon or other material added, and went up a half size on my boots to keep them from being too snug.
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Post by esshup on Aug 9, 2021 11:01:40 GMT -5
Most if not ALL my camo is or was bought on clearance . The only piece of gear that was bought not on clearance were my waterfowl waders . I use to buy shotgun shells made by ACTIVE and I personally thought that they shot just as well as did the name brands but at a fraction of the price . I believe that a good portion of hunters feel the need to buy the most expensive gear as posable ( bragging rights ) . Now some gear I will not go too cheap on but mid range in price . Activ made some great shotgun shells. FYI, Kent bought all of Activ's machinery when they quit producing shells. I still have a bunch of wads made by Activ, they patterned the best for me for shooting the games, and I loaded them in Federal Gold Medal Paper hulls. I still have some factory loaded Activ ammo, both in 12 and 20 ga. |
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Post by firstwd on Aug 9, 2021 15:07:11 GMT -5
Most if not ALL my camo is or was bought on clearance . The only piece of gear that was bought not on clearance were my waterfowl waders . I use to buy shotgun shells made by ACTIVE and I personally thought that they shot just as well as did the name brands but at a fraction of the price . I believe that a good portion of hunters feel the need to buy the most expensive gear as posable ( bragging rights ) . Now some gear I will not go too cheap on but mid range in price . Activ made some great shotgun shells. FYI, Kent bought all of Activ's machinery when they quit producing shells. I still have a bunch of wads made by Activ, they patterned the best for me for shooting the games, and I loaded them in Federal Gold Medal Paper hulls. I still have some factory loaded Activ ammo, both in 12 and 20 ga. I have a couple boxes of Activ lead shot sheets as well, plus a case or two -maybe more- of Kent Fasteel waterfowl rounds. Watching the online stores for clearance sales towards the end or after seasons is standard procedure here. |
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