Hunting gear that punches BELOW its price point

[hank4elk]

I think mostly side-sloping in steep terrain puts strain on those cloth eyelets.
View attachment 213030
Another problem with the Crispi Thor was half a gortex bootie that flooded crossing streams
and then ponded in the boot...a better design would be no gortex allowing drainage or a full gortex bootie to prevent flooding.

I would be full leather with GT bootie there.
Here too. Even my Lowa Camino's have full GT booties in them.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Both my Tibets have them. No problemo for me on the 4-5yr old ones. You must really crank down on them, in the hinge....OK.

Those fabric eyelets are a joke. They get eaten up very fast hunting in heavy cover. A pair of boots with those won't last through one season when I'm hunting pheasants. Even if not subjected to the rigors of hard hunting in thick brush, the inherent flimsiness of fabric eyelets is obvious just looking at them. Constantly pulling braided laces back and forth through fabric loops is not much different than attacking them with a rat tail file. There is only one reason all the hiking and "crossover" boots have gone to fabric lace eyelets; CHEAP.

The alternative is traditional grommet eyelets which don't allow for easy snugging up the boot by drawing on laces. D-rings work better but will eventually cut through laces (oh well, laces are a lot cheaper to replace than boots!). The other alternative is lace hooks. If well designed, they don't tear up the hems on pants (which are also cheaper to replace than boots). The biggest drawback to hooks and rings is probably the rivets used to attach them to boots. In theory those holes can provide leakage access through waterproof membrane. If the leather is heavy enough, this shouldn't be a problem. But of course the big selling point these days is "lightweight" so all the top sellers have switched to lace loops which don't require heavy (expensive!) leather and rivet holes. Again, as with rifles, the utility of "lightweight" has reached the point of diminishing returns.

 

[pre6422hornet]

Cabelas "buck saw" imitation. Lost my buck saw one year hiking back in the dark and tried to retrace my steps and couldn't find it.

The cabelas brand would bind up continuously even on smaller limbs. Upon measuring the blade imagine my surprise when spine and middle of blade body were larger than the teeth portion.... junk.

 

[hank4elk]

Those fabric eyelets are a joke. They get eaten up very fast hunting in heavy cover. A pair of boots with those won't last through one season when I'm hunting pheasants. Even if not subjected to the rigors of hard hunting in thick brush, the inherent flimsiness of fabric eyelets is obvious just looking at them. Constantly pulling braided laces back and forth through fabric loops is not much different than attacking them with a rat tail file. There is only one reason all the hiking and "crossover" boots have gone to fabric lace eyelets; CHEAP.

The alternative is traditional grommet eyelets which don't allow for easy snugging up the boot by drawing on laces. D-rings work better but will eventually cut through laces (oh well, laces are a lot cheaper to replace than boots!). The other alternative is lace hooks. If well designed, they don't tear up the hems on pants (which are also cheaper to replace than boots). The biggest drawback to hooks and rings is probably the rivets used to attach them to boots. In theory those holes can provide leakage access through waterproof membrane. If the leather is heavy enough, this shouldn't be a problem. But of course the big selling point these days is "lightweight" so all the top sellers have switched to lace loops which don't require heavy (expensive!) leather and rivet holes. Again, as with rifles, the utility of "lightweight" has reached the point of diminishing returns.

Well, I sent in my other daily wear Lowa's, Camino's, in for resoling which will include new laces & the leather reconditioned. The laces were still good and no wear like that on the hinge material holding the hook. The rand had worn down from the top.
NM,rocks & brush. 2 years of daily wear.

 

[Buffs35]

The older First Lite merino underwear. Had two pairs and the crotch fell apart in both of them.

#humblebrag

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Utah

 

[brocksw]

Imo most hunting brand puffy jackets. Mountaineering brands can often be had cheaper or more oz of/better down fill per dollar.

 

[brocksw]

Leupold Scopes
Vortex scopes

 

[Schaaf]

Utah

Good deals to be had on opioids though

 

[Ohiowhitetail]

The older First Lite merino underwear. Had two pairs and the crotch fell apart in both of them.

Oof. Could they be fixed under warranty?

 

[Ohiowhitetail]

Ronco Pocket Fisherman. Forty years later I’m still not at peace with that purchase.

Haha same with my uncle!

 

[Ohiowhitetail]

Benchmade. Broke the first use. They're claiming it was "abused" and therefore not under warranty.
Keen Boots, it's like the stitching is made of strands of sugar, they get a little wet and pop, gonzo.
Most pataguchi (except their fleece, which I do like)
My 90% jacket from Sitka
Anything made by Vortex (unless you like that you're always returning it to be fixed)
First lite socks, nothing special about these but the 2x price.

I returned my 90% Jacket too. What didn’t you like about it?

 

[Ohiowhitetail]

We have a thread about hunting gear that punches above its price point, so I figured we needed one about gear that punches below!

What gear have you bought over the years that was a complete waste of money or gimmick.

View attachment 205382

I'll start, deer pheromones. Growing up hunting Eastern Canada where deer density was low, I was ready to try anything to get a shot at a buck. The commercials for those deer pheromones were making it seem like a done deal... It was not a done deal... If I remember correctly it used to be something like $40-60 for three tiny vials that you had to mix with doe urine. I had more luck not wasting my time with such gimmicks.

I'd also add the Butt-out tool, but I've never wasted my money on that.

I’ve never understood why some people swear by the butt out tool

 

[Irrelevant]

I returned my 90% Jacket too. What didn’t you like about it?

Because 90% of the time it wasn't useful. It wasn't waterproof, windproof, or warm. It didn't breathe well, and the hook and loops all failed quickly

 

[Ghillieman]

Danner Boots (even the made in USA ones) have never lasted more than a season either the sole fails or a stitch or the waterproofing.
SPOT Devices

My first pair was about 40 yrs ago..damn fine boot then...... looking at em today...NO WHERE NEAR the boot they once were..

 

[pilsner]

When i was a teenager i bought the helicopter and flying lure. Don't think i ever caught a fish on the helicopter lure and i did catch a few in the flying lure, but nowhere near as many as the infomercial said i would

I CLEANED up with that dumb helicopter lure. Ended up running out of them because they got so chewed up by fish. Lol.
Somewhere I've got a pic of a 16" rainbow I caught on a flying lure using a Ron Popeel Pocket Fisherman at our neighborhood pond. Circa 2014 using stuff bought only at a garage sale.
Good times.

 

[pilsner]

Vortex Optics below the Razor line.