Sports gearholism
Equipment
The WSJ this morning- Friday- has an article, “ How I stopped buying silly sports stuff I didn’t need” that will hit home for all of us- at least it did me. (WSJ is a subscription only site)
I doubt there many of us that are unaware of this phenomenon- grin
Over buying sports equipment- to make us better at the sport- is common in many sports. The marketers have us convinced we need the latest and greatest to be better…when in reality its a Software thing vs a Hardware thing.
From the article; It took me years to realize that I was the technology that mattered, and my tech is flawed. I’m an aging, deskbound non-athlete who, if I really want to elevate my performance, should lay off the peanut butter pretzels. No piece of equipment will ever single-handedly raise my golf game, tennis or cycling. That lure does not make me a better fisherman, and I won’t even get into the dumbbells, which I think the cat now uses for a bed.
I absolutely despise the obsession with the manmade side of hunting. Nothing matters less, and nothing is pushed more, than flashy gear.
If you don’t own one of these you are NOT a TRUE gearholic!
I tend to agree but I’m guilty. I don’t want to look like a fashion show but some of this high tech hunting clothing is so warm, dry & comfortable. All I remember about hunting/fishing as a kid was being cold, wet & miserable. The best outdoorsmen I know all have one thing in common. They have adequate gear & spend all their time & money being out there a lot. I tend to buy most of my better gear used or on sale because I just can’t justify full price.
I often think about this. I have stuff that I like and it works for me but I would probably ok with less. The two things I will spend money and get the best I can afford: Boots & Binos. Good, warm clothes is also very important to me but being a bowhunter in AZ, not as big of an issue. Not really but kinda hunting gear is a good dependable hunting rig.
I am too savvy with my hard earned dollars to blow them on needless gear. What some buy boggles my mind, but it is their dollars. Well, was their's, now it belongs to others, lol.
Novus Toyosis - New Toy Syndrome ;-)
I fell victim to this as a bass fisherman years ago, but one day I realized that I caught 90% of my fish on about 10/15% of my lures. Needless to say I did not throw away three tackle boxes full of crap, but they were mostly excess baggage. As a hunter, it didn’t effect me nearly as much, although I do confess to being a knife aficionado (freak, dummy, idiot, insert appropriate word here) I have knives that have never tasted blood ! Same with handguns, some have never fired a shot at game. I never extended this weakness to clothing, except for boots, but that was mostly looking for a comfortable, warm boot that fit my extra wide but normal length feet. Years ago 3E boots were not on every shelf, you had to make do. It’s a different story now, and I have three favorites that I wear and have had them a pretty good while. Since I live in Texas, really good cold weather gear isn’t needed but a few days of the season, but I did almost freeze to death one time in Wyoming on an archery antelope hunt. In September too ! That Walmart camo won’t cut it when a blue northern blows in !
I have literally sold 4000.00 worth of equipment in the last 5 years, from down sizing.
We have alot of sportsmen rummage sales in the spring. They are fun and well attended.
Oh. Yes I have one of those Butt tools, ha ha ha
I've noticed some of my friends seem to get more satisfaction out of buying something for hunting than actually hunting. I've solved this by just rebranding my "old crap" and calling it "gear". I figure I've got a few more years of calling my stuff "gear" before some flat brimmer starts using a different word and then I'll just rebrand my "old crap" to that word.
You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. No one is static.
I’m a frugal guy. I live simple to save money. With that said, when I want to buy something, I do.
I’m of firm belief that you must enjoy life too. Most of my purchases my wife just shakes her head. Because she’s frugal too. But, I buy quality EVERYTIME. Sometimes, I buy the name. So, I can recoup a better part of my investment if I sell it.
With all that, I don’t stock pile better gear. I sell or give stuff away if it’s something Im not going to use. The only thing I’m guilty of is stock piling ammo and loading components. And, arrows and broadheads. Aside from that, if I hadn’t used it the last couple times I was doing something it was meant to do, it leaves.
Outdoor equipment is about the only thing I will spend any money on for myself so if I want something I get it. I usually do a good bit of research first if it's a more expensive item (to me at least).
I don't drink in the bars, do drugs, gamble, smoke or chew, chase after women or run around with bikers or ride motorcycles anymore. I hunt and I fish and spend money on some new gear once in awhile. The wife is cool with my choices. Life is good.
That Butt Out tool is slick and saves me time. If I only killed 1-2 animals per year, I wouldn't use it. I think most bowhunters are gadget people by nature. I just moved so I am now aware I have much more stuff than needed and have tried to pair back my gear. Marketing and advertising certainly makes us all feel like we need "need" whatever is being pedaled. Look at all the folks that buy a new $1500 bow every year....... The last time I had a new bow was circa 2005. I will buy a 1-2 yo bow off AT for usually less than half the new cost.
“Nothing matters less, and nothing is pushed more, than flashy gear.”
Part of me wants to agree with you; there are bows on my rack ranging from a “vintage” Wing T-bird (‘67, baby!!) that cost me $65 to one that cost the original owner over $1200 more than 20 years ago and back down to a Galaxy Black Hunter that I got in trade for a dozen aluminum arrows that I picked up on the cheap, and not one of them shoots any better than I do. And the guys spending hundreds of dollars on fancy arrows and figuring out which direction they want to rotate bare-shaft, as if they shoot well enough for that to ever matter one iota on a hunting shot…. I think they’re kinda kidding themselves…
But cell-phone enabled trail cameras, laser range-finders, OnX, feeders and all that crap? It’s not inconsequential.
And God only knows how tractors and seed drills and herbicide applicators ever became “hunting” equipment….
This hunting thing is about the OLDEST known human endeavor; the Oldest Game In The Book going back to before books were even a notion… And Tech has totally up-ended the whole equation.
I don’t think it’s good. I hope a lot of people will give it some real thought.
I had a customer at work that knew I was hunter. He asked if I watched any hunting and fishing shows. Back then I did occasionally so I said once in a while. He asked if I'd seen a commercial for some fishing lure. I said I believe so. He said that was his lure. I asked if it was as great as advertised? He said, "That lure doesn't have to catch a single fish, as long as it catches the fisherman....." I guess that's the truth in advertising!
I like new toys. I am going to keep buying them.
I don't think it's anymore prevalent then what you find in day to day society. People will chase the latest and greatest in hopes of improving their lives sometimes it works out other times not so much. I've personally found myself buying more and more "high end" hunting gear these days and am rarely disappointed with the end result. I've become a big proponent of buy once or cry once after learning the lesson the hard way multiple times. You don't always need the most expensive equipment but cheap stuff is usually cheap for a reason. Less is more with equipment if you have the right equipment. I have a buddy who loves to rag on anyone wearing Kuiu, Sitka, FTL, etc and proclaim how his "cheaper" clothes can do the same thing. I know he's never owned a pair of any of those brands in his life and certainly couldn't tell you if one works better then others. Seems a lot of people who run down the "high end" stuff are people who either can't afford or won't pay for it and decide to run down those who can to make themselves feel better. At the end of the day what another grown man does with his hard earned money is his business.
This hit me on the bass fishing side of life…my oh my the tackle boxes…
70lb draw is right tho! No butt out isn’t an option. Lol
I have become much more conservative in my gear purchases as ver the past ~5 years. Part of it is the bins of stuff I have in the garage full of “essential” hunting gear I rarely use.
Collect memories not crap
i am somewhat guilty. i have given away and sold some items within the last 5 years or so and am looking to give away and sell a few more items.
i have a few long guns and pistols i would like to get rid of, legally. i do not want to sell online and the local gun shop wouldn't take them on consignment.
i have learned not to skimp on good clothing and boots. my benelli shotgun is also money well spent and not going anywhere.
As prices for stuff has continued to climb and as I've aged over the 60 year mark, I've come to love the stuff I have more and more and realize I don't need more or newer stuff. Hows that for a run on sentence?
I love it when people tell me what to do with the money I've earned.
If I can kill a couple deer with all of last year's arrows and broadheads, I'm a happy camper. I consider those deer " free meat" . Which is part of the attraction of bowhunting for me, good food that doesn't cost much coming off your own land. The 2003 pro 40 dually ain't let me down yet!
I sometimes buy some cheap stuff and replace it later with quality stuff. I’m alway buying things for hunting. But I’ve moved away from many mainstream items for better gear. Good gear is fun to buy and use.
I broke down and bought a couple, big name, high dollar paints last year. Dont get me wrong, I'm not going to be recruited for porn films anytime soon, but the fly on those damn pants was so small I'd hurt myself taking a leek. I ended up giving them to my wife. She modifeid them to some degree and uses them. I guess the length of the fly dosen't matter all that much when you take your pants down to pee.
I buy what I want...when I want...most often at the advice of recognized bowhunting predators right here on Bowsite...rarely based on manufacturer sales rep recommendations.
I think I spend wisely for the most part. Don’t need a new bow every year or need matching Sitka from head to toe. I spend where it counts and upgrade with a couple things every year that I felt didn’t operate to satisfaction. Never had an elk ask why my pants weren’t fancy KUIU camo before I stuck an arrow in him.
I’m beyond the stage of thinking that gear or something new will make me better or more proficient or better able to take animals.
I do however, like gear. I like guns. I like comfortable clothing that wicks sweat and keeps me either warm or cool. I like backpacks for some weird reason and have a few more than I need. I like good glass. And on and on. None of it makes me better. But I sure like it
Bob you need to quit getting your hunting gear at the dollar store ;-)
I've noticed guys don't use gear anymore. They "run" it.
"I'm running the new Vortex spotter this season".
Nothing wrong with that, just jealous because I'm pretty sure I would sound silly saying "I'm running my 8 year old Keen boots that have a tube of Shoe Goo squirted in all the seams and I'm running a lawn and leaf trash bag as my emergency poncho."
Glunt, My boots resemble that remark. LMAO. I have a bad sock, glove and beanie affliction. CamoFire gets perused daily. I usually end up buying most of my gear used.
Socks, gloves and beanies? Don't look at Camofire today without being ready to buy. It's Black Ovis day
Ha! Saw it and avoided the temptation so far.
Cheap Dollar Store, Walmart, and the Little Donkey Andy pants I've been wearing seem to be way better than the big name stuff you pay four or five times as much for. I guess paying big name TV stars to promote gear costs alot. It must work for them or they wouldn't continue doing it.
Most people work the majority of their adult lives and during that time will likely have time or money or neither, but very rarely do they have both.
The passionate hunters with time and not money will spend their time hunting and tend to scoff at those “blowing their money” on good gear. The passionate hunters with more money than time will likely daydream about getting out and tend to get a little more gear focused with the few minutes they have here and there because it is the only outlet they have at the moment, and so that they know in the precious little time they have to hunt their gear will be top notch and not cost them any valuable hunting time. All this is generalities of course.
While I certainly agree that the lions share of “gear” makes extreme little difference as far as success goes (I believe 95% of what determines your success is between your eyeballs) there is CERTAINLY some gear that makes a massive difference where success is concerned.
Anyone who has invested in fishing electronics in the last 5-10 years, has a brain and knows how to use both knows what a game changer this new tech is for catching fish. It is irrefutable.
In much the same way cellular trail cameras if used intelligently can make a huge difference on whitetails. One purchase that I believe no doubt enabled me to “overhunt” a tough to reach deep timber spot is my ebike. Guys laugh at them but for years I also wished I could skydive into my spot. A bike of any kind (I just prefer not to sweat at -20) is the closest we can get. Without laying scent down you are now limited to only educating the deer that bust you on stand (unless you access upwind of animals) which I believe is only a fraction of the deer people usually educate with their ground scent. I shot the biggest buck of my life in 2021 and I do believe it likely would not have worked without my bike. The buck lived in a bluff and I had no choice but to access a certain way if I wanted to hunt at all. He was a very mature buck surrounded by hunting pressure and he crossed my ebike trail TWICE before I shot him…had that been foot scent I bet he would have buggered. I killed him with my bike 5 yards from my stand. There are game changers out there and prudent research can lead to spending your money smart. Not that I give a rats ass what someone a thousand miles away thinks about the way I spend my money.
For me, there's a huge difference when it comes to mountain hunting, specifically back country overnight spike and bivy hunting in the mountains.
Could I hunt without owning two different $1000 tents? Sure. But I can get a lot farther with my slim frame with less weight and I'm not going to freeze my ass into oblivion for another September hunt because I was using my August tent. It's not worth it to me.
And the same goes for my lightweight gadgets. I've spent enough time in the back country over the past 25 years to know that I can go farther the less weight I have in my pack. It ends up coming down to how much food I can carry, thus, how many days I can stay out.
I also have a very expensive raft and the carbon oar to go with it. I've gotten gear into a super cub that with my low body weight, means I get me and my stuff to a spot with one flight instead of two.
And I won't hunt in pants that don't have side vents. To me, it's just not worth it. I make enough money that I don't really care; like above, I don't spend my money on much else other than my kid's education. So if those pants come with a three-digit price tag, I really don't care so long as it keeps me from being less-hot when I'm walking up mountains doing the one thing that I love doing most.
I have many thousands of dollars worth of hunting/hiking/backpacking gear, but I don't consider myself a "gearoholic." I'm just an avid back-country hunter who makes enough to buy a lot of nice stuff. I'm not saying that many people don't buy frivolous stuff or that being a "gearoholic" isn't a thing. I'm just saying that just because you have a bunch of nice stuff, doesn't make you a gearoholic or some sort of diva.
"I'm pretty sure I would sound silly saying "I'm running my 8 year old Keen boots that have a tube of Shoe Goo squirted in all the seams and I'm running a lawn and leaf trash bag as my emergency poncho." "
Actually you sound 'frugal' ;-)
(And my current pair of Keens are approaching the Shoo Goo stage too. )
Agreed APauls, especially the part about not giving a rat’s ass about what someone else thinks about what I spend my money on. I’m not naive enough to think that camo is the determining factor between my success or failure on a hunt, but I can’t come up with a single situation in my hunting career (hate that term), where it was the cause of me NOT being successful. For the most part, the higher end hunting clothing that I’ve used, IMO, is more comfortable (to me), more durable, has some better qualities (dries quicker, sheds moisture better, etc) than the stuff I used in years past. Same with other hunting gear. As Ike pointed out, if the gear works better for you, and you can afford it, then I see nothing wrong with buying it. Doesn’t necessarily make me a better hunter, but it doesn’t make me a snob, a gearaholic, or whatever other term you choose, either.
Im guilty of overspending, mostly on new bows, I have a big time problem, I've got 2 new ones coming this week!
I’m in complete agreement with APauls, Ike, and t-roy. I spent way too many years in cotton clothing to not appreciate the high tech clothing available today. It may not make me a better hunter, but over the years it’s most certainly made me a more successful hunter simply by allowing me to spend more time hunting. If I get caught in a mountain rain/hail storm, I wait it out under a tree, then continue the hunt when it passes. Elk seem to increase activity then and I’m there to take advantage of it instead of rushing back to camp before hypothermia sets in.
I disagree with everyone above! Those who buy new, nice gear are snobs, elitists, and jerks. Those who hunt with old grubby stuff are hillbillies and backwoods hicks. The only true hunters are those who hunt naked...
I do lots of hunting naked Scoot....I just don't share those exploits on the internet! I've got my prey's bedding area pretty dialled in. No cameras though.
Troy brings up a great point that I 100% agree with too. I will accept a certain level of failure from myself in a quest against a wild animal. I will make the odd mistake here and there. But I refuse to accept failure on the part of my equipment. That just means I either didn't spend enough time researching prior to purchase or didn't prep properly. Those mistakes are 100% avoidable and can not be in the equation.
In an effort to get rid of some gear, about a 1/2 dozen friends and I put on a “mens yard sale” each year. We put it on FB for everyone to share and it’s very well attended. We only sell stuff guys are typically interested in like outdoor gear, gun stuff, fishing gear, tools, men’s clothing and such. No girl stuff allowed. Lots of fun every time we do it.
In an effort to get rid of some gear, about a 1/2 dozen friends and I put on a “mens yard sale” each year. We put it on FB for everyone to share and it’s very well attended. We only sell stuff guys are typically interested in like outdoor gear, gun stuff, fishing gear, tools, men’s clothing and such. No girl stuff allowed. Lots of fun every time we do it.
People tell me it's great, but, Ill never buy that thing in 70's post... It feels to mean, even though the animal is dead!
And overall, yes, it's easy to overconsume, or to update to often... Says the guy who just bought a guide series jacket from Kuiu because it was on sale and I have been eyeing them for hiking / fishing / hunting cold but not frigid weather... Despite having plenty of other stuff that works.
I’m sure enjoying my new Mathews. I trade bows about every fifteen years.
Ike, the first step is admitting you have a problem ;-)
"Anyone who has invested in fishing electronics in the last 5-10 years, has a brain and knows how to use both knows what a game changer this new tech is for catching fish. It is irrefutable." 100% truth here. I bought a simple fish finder for ice fishing a few seasons ago, and also use it on my kayak sometimes. Definite game changer for ice fishing, in a very good way. On the kayak it's good for monitoring my trolling speed, but I pay more attention to my rod tip to be tuned into the lure action. I have a nice sit in kayak I added rod holders, and I use Ugly Stick rods. No Hobbie pro angler kayak or St. Croix rods for me. Last season I bought a pop up hut for ice fishing, a new drill auger, new drill to power said auger, and got a buddy heater for Christmas. I feel like I've already got my money back on these items and they will last me many seasons. My old auger was a hand auger from 1990. I was sad when I let it go at a yard sale this summer.
