Thread: The gear wars

Just wondering if anyone actually wears out any gear these days? The posts I see are often including all the latest stuff off the shelves and not much of last year's gear. We must have cupboards full of stuff that will never be used again. A mate of mine commented about my old top a while ago and I replied that it was the latest thing ten years ago. I think that guys are every bit as bad as the girls when it comes to shopping. Just different stuff. C'mon folks. I challenge you to have a sort out and give it away to young guys and girls who are keen as mustard and cant afford much.

Good call. I usually wear everything until it’s full of holes or doesn’t work anymore. Or I get too fat for it, whichever comes first


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I have a small wardrobe of such gear. Have noticed that the two H&F tees bought years ago and used daily in winter, are getting very thin and have faded. It’s taken almost a decade to get to this stage. One thing I have noticed with the Ridgeline replacement top recently bought is that XL is more of a M size so advise you to try before you buy.

Originally Posted by HOO

Good call. I usually wear everything until it’s full of holes or doesn’t work anymore. Or I get too fat for it, whichever comes first

Me too! Warehouse fleece (and a few Ridgelines), Warehouse $10 shorts, NATO socks and redbands most of the time. Will get some good boots soon, but not $600 Lowa's ;-) A Buffalo River knife or a Victory $35 knife....... Good to go......

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Me too! Warehouse fleece (and a few Ridgelines), Warehouse $10 shorts, NATO socks and redbands most of the time. Will get some good boots soon, but not $600 Lowa's ;-) A Buffalo River knife or a Victory $35 knife....... Good to go......

Haha. Yup
I’m in the market for new boots too. Was hoping to find something halfway decent for under 250.


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Depends what you buy i was chewing through clothing for a while, Now I have changed the brands i was purchasing and havnt had to buy any replacments in 3 or 4 years

I've tried giving gear away on a few occasions with no takers, I guess it's just cause I'm a big tall bugger.
Of all my gear I have I favour 2 of my shirts and 1 of my shorts for warmer weather hunting and one pair of longs, got plenty of back ups too though

Originally Posted by HOO

Haha. Yup
I’m in the market for new boots too. Was hoping to find something halfway decent for under 250.


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If you can get your feet used to a pair of Skellerup Bullers, your problem is solved - very durable for long life (compared to anything else I've used in shale rivers or other environments) and probably the cheapest boot you'll find that are able to handle shitty country and not fall apart..... - combined with zero maintenance (unlike Lowas etc).

Regarding boots, I thought I'd have a go at some trail shoes after talking with a guy in the Tararuas a while back who was using just that. Anyway I ended up with a pair of Salewa Mountain Trainers from my local Macpac. Old season stock so down to 100, then got an extra 20% off for club discount so 80 for some new rubber. Good aggressive tread, nice rand around the front. Nice toe box to accommodate woolen socks. Low cut and let water in but dried out nice and quickly. Anyway, full pack in for a few days camping recently and heavier pack on the way back out These shoes were every bit as good as my boots that I nervously left at home. Not once did I feel lacking in support for my feet/ankles and the rubber and tread pattern performed brilliantly. A big plus was them being lighter I don't think I caught a rock or root once where usually on a walk back out with tiring legs I would stumble now and then when really tired. I'd probably leave these behind in really cold conditions, but these will be my go to now. Def worth a look if you're after a cheaper footwear option.

I sometimes walk into gear shops, then walk out again carrying absolutely nothing.

I bought pretty much everything I need years ago, apart from consumables like food and fuel and specialist items like lightsticks for emergencies.

Re; boots. I talked to a lot of backcountry farmer friends and the majority recommended these. About $220.... Really good bang for buck Highlander 2.0 | John Bull Footwear It may be different if I was tahr hunting etc

As an aside; I find that the Warehouse Back Country branded fleece and gear lasts really well.

I tend to wear apparel and boots out. This can somewhat be attributed to my Scottish bloodlines. When I'm finished with them, nobody wants them.
I do however have a reasonable churn on scopes and rifles.

Originally Posted by Hiawatha

Just wondering if anyone actually wears out any gear these days? The posts I see are often including all the latest stuff off the shelves and not much of last year's gear. We must have cupboards full of stuff that will never be used again. A mate of mine commented about my old top a while ago and I replied that it was the latest thing ten years ago. I think that guys are every bit as bad as the girls when it comes to shopping. Just different stuff. C'mon folks. I challenge you to have a sort out and give it away to young guys and girls who are keen as mustard and cant afford much.

I know @sambnz has had the same pair of longjohns the whole time I've known him... they look like fishnet stockings now but he still uses them Haha. I don't buy "hunting brand" stuff and I'm a farmer so most of my "hunting" clothing gets worn on a daily basis. Had a Swazi tahr, old goretex model for about 10 years that was the only thing that was hunting only and I didnt use it on the farm, it finally started to leak a bit so bought an Aegis Tahr Xp a couple years back to replace it but the old one still gets used as a windproof layer. I have gone full circle with quite a lot of my gear, ie tents, bought a Terra Nova a few years back, used it for a bit, then drank the cool aid and started buying different tents and now back to using a Terra Nova again.

I think there's something to be said for buying lots of gear to begin with (Cue applause from all hunting stores) for two main reasons:

To have a backup in case an item of gear gets lost, or you need to lend it to a mate (I'm talking genuine mates here, not idiots who are out to use and abuse)

And most importantly, to begin the journey of finding what you like, what suits you, and in the end, what works best, and may one day save your life.