Overpriced outdoor gear

[Dougfirtree]

Overall, there's a lot of value in most of the gear we use for hunting and fishing. I have a wool jacket that I've been wearing for 20 years, that looks like it will last at least another 20. Firearms last longer than we do if we take care of them.
But, it seems to me there are things we buy that are just absurdly overpriced. Things that if marketed to another group of people, would probably cost a small fraction of what we're willing to pay for them. Things that make me grumble and curse when I need to buy them. This thread is the new award show for such items. I'll nominate two bits of outdoor gear:

Waterfowl decoys (what the hell!?)

Brass tumbler media (seeeriously, what the hell?!)



Whatcha got?

 

[Corn king 60]

IDK but those fancy named camo rubber boots seem way to rich for me. Looked at a pair just the other day 185$ . Other than the color and name not much different from the 20$ barn muck boots that I’ll keep wearing. Besides the deer around the farm are used to the smell of them. Also hunting glove prices drive me crazy. I’m sure there are more but those two were on the front burner the last couple days.

 

[OntarioHunter]

The price of hunting dogs is getting plum ridiculous. Best dog I'll ever own cost $35 in 1977 which was a little more than a bargain back then. I suppose with inflation that would be ... $168 current value. Lucky if one can find any kind of dog today for less than $1500.

And how about Sitka outerwear. I mean, how good can that super dollars suff be short of having sex with the wearer?

Doug, we both know it's all about prestige in the outdoors game. The show. But I'm not buying a ticket. My 1998 Jimmy has a different colored hood, rusted out rocker panel, and 300K miles. Ain't pretty but it still gets me there and back. My hunting rifle probably shot a few Japanese in the last world war. Last pair of expensive camo hiking boots lasted three days in the field before blowing out. Cheap crap holds up better. A few months ago I bought a brand new Remington 4-in-1 waterfowl jacket, tags still on, for $35. Goodwill Store. I'm all about spending my money on hunting trips, not stuff for hunting ... especially stuff I really don't need.

 

[EKYHunter]

Found a box of Federal Premium.300 WSM 165 grain TTSX for the low, low price of $149.99!!!! Needless to say to passed. I own some Sitka stuff in the Fanatic line and others. I agree it’s way over priced. Have you looked at the price of 21 foot bass boats lately?

 

[JLS]

I’m still wearing some Sitka gear that is about 12-13 years old now. Amortized out, I wouldn’t consider it expensive at all.

 

[glass eye]

Rarely do I ever buy new. I have lots of high quality gear and pay very little. Just yesterday I bought this pack in near new condition for $45, it retails around $400

 

[Indianajoe]

every flagship bow on the market is overpriced in my opinion.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I’m still wearing some Sitka gear that is about 12-13 years old now. Amortized out, I wouldn’t consider it expensive at all.

This Columbia brand fleece jacket is older than that. Less than thirty bucks when I mail-ordered it. It's been all over North America and the world. Still killing stuff and keeps me just as warm today as it did when new. The fleece vest underneath is also a Goodwill Store special. Top quality item with some unknown tech company's embroidered logo on the front. So what? It'll last me the rest of my life. And it's the right color for hunting. Five bucks.

 

[JLS]

This Columbia brand fleece jacket is older than that. Less than thirty bucks when I mail-ordered it. It's been all over North America and the world. Still killing stuff and keeps me just as warm today as it did when new. The fleece vest underneath is also a Goodwill Store special. Top quality item with some unknown company's embroidered logo on the front. So what? It'll last me the rest of my life. And it's the right color for hunting. Five bucks.
View attachment 194300

Good for you.

 

[MTLabrador]

I wore a pair of Sitka pants hunting elk today that I bought 7 years ago, and I’m sure I’ll get at least that many more out of them. I don’t care if it’s Sitka, First Lite, Outdoor Reaearch, Patagonia or Arc’Teryx, spending for quality that lasts is worth it if you’re going to use it hard.

I’ve hunted elk in blue jeans before I got smart enough to realize that wet cotton chafing your legs makes hunting less enjoyable. Not anymore.

 

[shrapnel]

This Columbia brand fleece jacket is older than that. Less than thirty bucks when I mail-ordered it. It's been all over North America and the world. Still killing stuff and keeps me just as warm today as it did when new. The fleece vest underneath is also a Goodwill Store special. Top quality item with some unknown company's embroidered logo on the front. So what? It'll last me the rest of my life. And it's the right color for hunting. Five bucks.
View attachment 194300

The issue for some may be cheap, while others may want something more technical. Kuiu, Sitka and their ilk are designed for people that demand a lot from their gear.

Expensive gear is not all about the cost. There is a reason you pay more for Kenetrek, Lowa, Simms, Sitka, Kuiu and other gear. If it is too expensive, that can be economics or maybe you aren’t ready for that type of equipment and Walmart will stock all the brands you will ever need.

 

[MTLabrador]

Good for you.

If you can’t see that African safaris are more hardcore than general tag elk hunting that’s on you bruh.

 

[Irrelevant]

I wore a pair of Sitka pants hunting elk today that I bought 7 years ago, and I’m sure I’ll get at least that many more out of them. I don’t care if it’s Sitka, First Lite, Outdoor Reaearch, Patagonia or Arc’Teryx, spending for quality that lasts is worth it if you’re going to use it hard.

I’ve hunted elk in blue jeans before I got smart enough to realize that wet cotton chafing your legs makes hunting less enjoyable. Not anymore.

I both agree and disagree. None of my FL or sitka stuff has held up any better, or even as good as, some old Columbia gear I have. And if you just look at the function of a Sitka coat, you can find very similar performance in an REI brand for 20% of the price.

To the OP, "hiking pants" something 95% nylon 5% spandex ish. You can pay 150 for some name brand, or 25 for the Kirkland brand.

Merino underwear is another, $50 for hunter specific or $25 for the regular person version.

Wind indicating powder. $7 for a tiny bottle or $7 for the industrial size talc powder on Amazon.

Hunters almost always pay more for the same thing.

 

[MTLabrador]

I both agree and disagree. None of my FL or sitka stuff has held up any better, or even as good as, some old Columbia gear I have. And if you just look at the function of a Sitka coat, you can find very similar performance in an REI brand for 20% of the price.

To the OP, "hiking pants" something 95% nylon 5% spandex ish. You can pay 150 for some name brand, or 25 for the Kirkland brand.

Merino underwear is another, $50 for hunter specific or $25 for the regular person version.

Wind indicating powder. $7 for a tiny bottle or $7 for the industrial size talc powder on Amazon.

Hunters almost always pay more for the same thing.

I both agree and disagree with that as well. The Sitka stuff I have has been far and away the most durable technical clothing I’ve used. I have some of the cheaper stuff, Kirkland, etc. too, but it’s not the same quality.

I don’t know that hunters necessarily pay more for the same stuff. If you look apples to apples, as in Sitka to top end Outdoor Research or Arc’Teryx, there isn’t much of a price difference.

 

[JLS]

And if you just look at the function of a Sitka coat, you can find very similar performance in an REI brand for 20% of the price.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Usually REI stuff is a lot of bang for the buck, especially if you can catch it on sale.

I buy more for stuff I can use across all activities, and how durable and functional it is.

 

[belshawelk]

Sorry but I am one of those guys.
-Every penny I spent on all my Kuiu gear ( and it’s several thousand) is all worth it. Hot gear and cold gear make my hunts more enjoyable and ability to go further.
-Have yet to regret and of my fancy expensive guns. They shoot better, weigh less and make me a better hunter
- coolers- no question
- I won’t even get into cars. But drive one and you’ll understand.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If you can’t see that African safaris are more hardcore than general tag elk hunting that’s on you bruh.

And what is this?

Look closely at the black wildebeest photo. You don't see any double chin or beer gut on that guy. Hunting kudu CAN be just about as arduous as elk hunting in Western Montana. I have plenty of experience with both.

These two bull elk and eleven others were shot in the thirteen years before I moved to Canada and still I'm damn near as fit now as I was then. Still wear the same size pants. There's a reason for that. I still hunt just as hard. I'm tough enough to drive 24 hrs straight to get back there to hunt and fish ... often more than twice a year.

This moose was shot in 1991. Bought that wool shirt at Sportsman Ski Haus in Kalispell Christmas of 1979. It still hunts deer and elk (I quit moose hunting here several years ago), although the elbows are now worn through.

Haven't done it for more than twenty years because I got rid of my livestock but I'm betting at age sixty-eight I could still put shoes on a horse. We'll see if you can say the same at my age. At age fifty-seven, my last year with the Park Service, I passed the firefighting physical test for US govt: three miles wearing 48 lb pack in under 45 minutes and NO running allowed. Not only did I pass, but I blew the doors off several rock climber kids in their late twenties. Last time I was at the gymn, which has been about a year and a half due to pandemic and surgeries, I could still do three miles on the treadmill under 35 minutes with no running.

Sorry, but I take offence at some keyboard hunter blowing me off as unfit to hunt elk just because I hunt Africa. Pffft! Obviously, if I can fly half way around the world to hunt a couple of times, I can afford Sitka, Kentreck, etc. I'm just too smart to buy into their elitist better-than-everything-because-it-costs-more marketing bullshit. Maybe W.C. Fields is right and one is born every minute, but my mom didn't send a sucker down the chute back in 1952.

 

[OntarioHunter]

When I was a park ranger in Alaska I got a kick out of the dudes who would show up on the float plane with their brand new Simms or Orvis etc. flyfishing gear and flail the water like they were driving out a load of borax from Death Valley. And then I would walk down with my second hand 8 wt Hurricane rod and 3M reel with paint worn off, wearing the ragged vest my dad put under the tree back in 1962, lay a line across the river into the backing, and pull in trophy rainbows four casts in a row. Those guys would spend THOUSANDS on gear in the vain belief that it would make them a killer fisherman just because it was the most expensive they could buy. And for just one trip! Then get there and find out they can't do anything with it. A few were glad to let me give them a hand but most were not going to take any advice from someone who badly needed a haircut and fished with crappy old gear.

Those are Orvis chest waders. Discontinued Silver Medal model bought off ebay for a song. The buckle for the belt was sewn on backwards so maybe it was a factory blem reject. Same place I picked up the used rod and reel.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I both agree and disagree. None of my FL or sitka stuff has held up any better, or even as good as, some old Columbia gear I have. And if you just look at the function of a Sitka coat, you can find very similar performance in an REI brand for 20% of the price.

To the OP, "hiking pants" something 95% nylon 5% spandex ish. You can pay 150 for some name brand, or 25 for the Kirkland brand.

Merino underwear is another, $50 for hunter specific or $25 for the regular person version.

Wind indicating powder. $7 for a tiny bottle or $7 for the industrial size talc powder on Amazon.

Hunters almost always pay more for the same thing.

Solid nominations. Windicator is a great one. Like the media for tumbling brass, it should probably cost seven dollars for a lifetime supply.

 

[MarvB]

I’ve had the guilty pleasure purchases in the past, some I’ve regretted, most I still use and have paid for themselves over time with quality.

I would LOVE to have back the money I have hanging stream side in flies and lures in over 50+ years