Thread: Hunting Gear

Originally Posted by Ned

My approach is to try and go modular. For example my sleeping bag is rated -3, but with a mid or heavy duty sea 2 summit thermal liner it stretches it into colder conditions. Or use a light weight puffer which you'd probably already have to boost what the bag can do.
Same for tent. Something that is easy to set up fly only or with inner.
Pack like the osprey aether 85 has a pretty capable day pack which attaches as the top lid.

For most things I'd stay clear of the cheap Ali express type things. NZ designed gear is designed for NZ conditions after all so I'd start there mostly.

Haven't watched yet but this might be of interest.
https://youtu.be/7oQqJ6565sA?si=wt6QfuNZM6POL7yZ


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Thats great advice mate thanks! Being a northland boy I’ll definitely be wearing 500 layers at all times haha so maybe a lighter sleeping bag and a thermal liner will suffice. I will look into the osprey pack. Yeah mate too much at stake to be relying on shitty cheap gear from wish, im sure other guys have found that out the hard way
Cheers


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Originally Posted by Say yer prayers varmint!

IMO If you’ve paid at least $600 bucks for an item it tends to be good quality to last years e.g boots backpack sleeping bag, binos, plb & some tents.

Pack to be warm and dry in all situations

Don’t skint on cheap boots - Bestard have been a game changer.

Mid range warmth sleeping bag/good for spring/summer - one planet
Add thermal sleeping bag liner (+11c°) in the colder months.

Hot water bottle & woolen bed socks if your a skinny pussy like me but it could save your life. Hot water bottle chucked on fire gets very wet tinder to burn haha.

Don’t skint on tents - I took black wolf to Fiordland (ok) mate took a one planet goondie. Now have a second hand msr carbon reflex to cut weight.

Msr microlight e bivvy for when my 800gram tent blows away.

Waterproof everything - “Tent magic”

Large pack is great when you need to pack camp up fast in shit weather. Stuff wet tent/fly/clothes in front pocket which acts as day pack. K2 85l made for the Antarctic.

HQ Waterproof stuff sacks for your sleeping bag bed clothes, electronics.

Real meals & BC Mochas made hot..
Second hand Jet boil flash

Wet wipes… quarts/shingle hurts after a while..

Crocs or gubba gubbas for around camp - keep ya feet dry.

whistle,

Vaseline,

Make ya mate carry the heavy shit.


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Yeah that seems to be about the golden number for alot of gear. Might hire a PLB in the early stages. Yeah those bestard boots look epic, same with the k2 packs. Chrissy coming up so hopefully be a few sales. Haha not so skinny but a pussy b*tch none the less. Wet wipes, vaseline and crocs are a great idea! Yeah ive got a fit mate with a big pack who hunts too fast and needs to be slowed up a bit lol


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Bushbuck bino harness great bang for buck, if you've got a big rifle get a eberlestock pack so you can put the gun inside, worn in boots and best quality socks are important multiple pairs, pack away jacket stowit or halo, layer your clothing do take massive bulky jackets etc, cheep crocks for river crossings at camp etc, gaiters can be a lifesaver, rangefinder even if not planning to shoot far if you think it's 200 and actually 300 it will be a miss or wounded deer

Should have a pack dump thread, got heaps of inspiration from the odd one that's popped up from time to time

Bincoulars- I would save up and get the Zeiss Conguest or Leica Ultravid if your budget allows you and enter the start of the higher end optics.
Harness - Kuiu or Marsupial
Pack - Stone Glacier for me have two set ups and love them
Tent - If you can a Hilleberg , if not then MSR ,
Marmot , Tatonka , Blackwolf , Exped.
Sleeping wise - Anything sea to summit for me
Cooker - MSR or Jetboil

You also don't need to spend shitload s of money on Zeiss for your first pair of bino's. Have a trawl round Skippers Mate (@cooeebay on here) for some very reasonably priced 8x or 10x Vortex. My 8x28 surprised some hardcore leupold fans. I also managed to pick up some older Leupold 10x42 for $200-something.

Harness - also not the most expensive stuff will do the job. I picked up a $150 badlands bino harness that I prefer over a twin needle harness. But also managed without one for quite some time.

Pack - whatever you have - $80 60L macpac something carries more than what I need and will prob outlast me.

Tent, some people swear by kiwi something, or Orson tents. If they get un-waterproof, just mix the ol' clear silicone in turps and you're back in action for a third to half the price of the tents named above... or just buy a fly and/or a bivi bag.

Cooker - Ali express will see you right to begin with.

Don't get sucked in to having to buy the best and shiniest shit. Look at the threads here, look at what people like Tahr, Brian, MickeyDuck, XR500, and Woods223 say about kit, and you'll see you don't need fancy expensive shit to get out hunting. I'm embarrassed by what I carry!

Also, meant to say, look at the cost of hiring a plb, and I think worked out after hiring for 4-5 trips, you could have bought your own one of these: https://skippersmate.co.nz/ocean-sig...con-pouch-kit/ and they are tiny!

And (apart from PLB's) avoid buying new. I would seriously think about ever buying a new rifle again.

And-and... read what a lot of people say about bushbuck, and basically buying "hunting" kit in general. Most things with a hunting label on them are way less capable than non-hunting-brand kit in the same price range. Just search "ryan_songhurst earth sea sky hydrophobia"

Another good thread on this topic: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....3/#post1476513

Re. bino harnesses - mine is an old Kathmandu travel shoulder bag that was the perfect size. Strap goes over my neck with a second strap from another old bag added to go around my chest.

My point is, you don’t need much flash gear to get you started. Get out there, start hunting, and your experiences will prioritise your purchases and inform your decision-making.

Time is on your side. Good brands second hand. You can save heaps on better brands and not go through the buying cycles. Add one planet goondie to your quality tent list.


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Originally Posted by Sauer270

Bincoulars- I would save up and get the Zeiss Conguest or Leica Ultravid if your budget allows you and enter the start of the higher end optics.
Harness - Kuiu or Marsupial
Pack - Stone Glacier for me have two set ups and love them
Tent - If you can a Hilleberg , if not then MSR ,
Marmot , Tatonka , Blackwolf , Exped.
Sleeping wise - Anything sea to summit for me
Cooker - MSR or Jetboil

Ah the good old days, a pair of jocks and the old swandri with open sighted old three o three. Under a log or a piece of plastic which was conveniently stashed around the corner from one's hot hot spot for next trip. And the pack was a large sugar bag. I carried some (lots) of deer out whole in them, the string nearly cut your arms off. Bring back the conscription.

Great to hear you're getting into deer hunting and planning a trip with your dad and mate—those experiences are priceless. I totally get the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, especially when it comes to essential gear like binos, packs, and sleeping arrangements.

Originally Posted by Charmser

Great to hear you're getting into deer hunting and planning a trip with your dad and mate—those experiences are priceless. I totally get the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, especially when it comes to essential gear like binos, packs, and sleeping arrangements.

For binoculars, you might want to look out for the top Black Friday Optics Deals. They're durable, give you great image clarity, and were a steal at the discounted price.
As for an 80L pack, I've had good luck with Osprey. They're not the cheapest but definitely reliable for those longer trips. Tents and sleeping gear are a bit subjective based on how much comfort you want versus weight you're willing to carry.

K2hunter pack..waited 20 years for one to come up cheap enough while I had funds....
huntech 3man bivy.... again waited till one cheap enough...love it and 3 people a squeze 1person and dog happy as pig in shit...me in camp stretcher primo.
old school cheap closecell foam pad works and when flash harry inflatable pops (dont laugh its happened twice to me) yo uwill be glad of it.
sleeping bag...one place I will spend decent coin,saying that we got a fairydown everest off trademe dirt cheap that hardly had been used.
cooker....KMart now sells a knockoff of the windburner....for $60ish and they are great to boil water,lets face it dehy and cuppa tea is the normal fare these days.... you can sort adapter to use frypan etc there is thread on them coming up cheap week back.
knife is subjective but bacho will get you going.... bushmans friend by green river of knifecut rabbiters are same thing just heaps cheaper.
boots....Im bush hobbit so lace up ashley gummies suit me.

Tramping gear is just as expensive as hunting gear.

Anything aimed at a particular activity will generally cost more than stuff made for general use.

Well I may be wrong but hey,

Kmart jetboil works great at $60
Bushbuck tent goes great.
Wouldn't touch hunttech as I think the quality is a bit off
Vortex diamond binos are great value but save for a good/big front pack.

Spend money on a pack and boots as you use those the most.

Sleeping gear has to be up to the job. And you suffer if you skimp on it.

Good quality gear is worth it, but if you can know when to be cheap you know what features to look for when buying expensive gear. Allot of stuff in NZ is straight from China so be aware some gear has a high price tag but may not be worth it.