I've been wondering this for a while now. It's insane the prices of some of this stuff. Let's take First Lite for example, of course all their stuff is insanely expensive but if you were to get their long johns set you would be spending over $200! Long johns. 1 pair of briefs is $55! That's just wild to me.
So if you were to buy their $155 vest or $300 coat, what is their profit margin on that? I can't imagine it costs a quarter of that to produce.
I might be totally wrong. Anyone have a thought one way or another on the subject? Will spending a grand on camo make all the game I can handle magically appear and start running circles around me? Lol
I just wrote about this topic on another article. I think new hunters need a mentor, someone to help them choose clothing. What you need depends on what you're hunting and the environment in which you're doing it. I hunt in woods with a good amount of thickets where animals run into to avoid being killed. They're filled with thorns etc. We have a pretty good rainy season and depending on the weather and location, SNAKES. So plan jeans and BDU type stuff is a waste of money, cotton T-shirts are a no go. You can't get through the thickets with that kind of gear on, so I wont' say the most expensive gear is necessary, but definitely the bare necessities for your game and environment ARE. Good shoes, snake protect is a must. Be prepared for water and long hikes (not a lot of vehicle transit allowed) where I am. I also have to say a GOOD gun, again not necessarily the most expensive, but one that works properly. Unfortunately for all this there is a level of expense, but otherwise you can't enjoy the hunt. Too cold, feet wet/cut/fatigued, hands cut up, you keep getting stabbed by random thorns, you can't cross small bodies of water, you're liable to get snake bite. a mentor will help you and your dog gear up at the least expensive. But i DO hate hearing the whole "just a pair of BDU's and a T" - that's not very realistic for me (and a pair of boots). If you're gonna say that, say where and what you're hunting and the time of year. So i agree you don't need the most expensive stuff, but you do need the stuff you need to enjoy the hunt. a decent gun, briar proof clothing, snake proofing, and water wear, in winter you need a good coat and some thermals and some boots - grab some hot hands, rest easy, decent head gear as well. always have some gloves, gloves that can handle the brush. Buy 2nd hand, i have several pairs of 300 and 500 dollars boots I got for under 100. Cost depends on what you're hunting and under what conditions. If I was giving advice i'd say "DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE TELL YOU ABOUT BDU'S AND T'S, find a mentor who hunts what you want to hunt, and get the bare minimum" skip the BDU's it's a waste of money, you'll just go back and buy the right stuff. I can probably outfit someone for 2 to 3 hundred, head to toe - all weather (1 coat, layers - socks shirts thermals everything, 1 pair of boots, a briar shirt, briar chaps, head gear). The next expense would be the gun and that's a whole nother ball of wax. again, it's what u hunt and the environment, ducks? what do your duck holes look like. ****? night hunting, dogs. It matters. What do i hunt? rabbit, squirrel, upland birds, ducks, hog, deer, ****, turkey, geese. I'm night hunting, hunting ponds, hunting lakes, hunting land, hunting winter, (just stopped hunting spring this season too many snakes) . I'm training, i got dogs for squirrel, rabbit, upland birds/waterfowl, hog and ****. BDU's?? Nope, won't get it. Maybe in an open field, but i'd still have on snake boots!! Clothes don't make the hunter, skill does, but poor gear/no gear can definitely cause you problems. I've seen guys who've been hunting forever, hunting without the basics, AND THEY STRUGGLED. but basics is relative, they got the latest tracker for the dogs, but only have on jeans - i went into the brush cause they didn't have the briar proofing or snake protection to go deep. I have both. agian, i don't say u need the best, u just need what's gonna allow u to do the job and enjoy (which is relative)
