Different hunts demand different gear.  If I am still hunting through a stand of pine close to home then I agree with the poster who claimed "boots are boots are boots".  However when gearing up to chase goats for a day (mountain, not prairie) or a week long pursuit of sheep, or a all day hike into caribou country before even thinking about actually hunting the animal, than boots are not boots are not boots!  A 40 dollar pair of department store trail hikers or your favourite pair of wellingtons ain't gonna cut it.  

I am super happy in pendeltons or wool rich plaid shirts, in fact I prefer them to any new fangled camo pattern.  That said I will spend all I can afford on boots, optics, a quality pack and a good sleep system.  I have been through the pain of the 100 dollar internal frame pack.  The first time I set foot up the sheep mountain with my mysery ranch erased any trace of buyers remorse.  I don't trade up in gear every year to stay current, I buy what is comfortable and what works.  If I am relatively pain free and have a sound sleep each night back at camp, I am happy, happy!

White cotton long underwear used to be the traditional and cheap underwear of choice. I recall seeing tons of it on sale every October. Times do change for the better.

 

The OP did say he was not talking about long wilderness hunts and he has a good point. If that was what I was doing 100% of the time, expensive clothing may not be worth it- as long as you can stay comfortable in it.

I should add that I do shop good will stores as well.  When my granddaughter asked to go bow hunting with me last fall, we made a trip to the Salvation Army and found a nice brown tone plaid shirt for her to wear over her jacket.

One day in the hills with my cheap stuff on (well except for my Winona vest that is about 25 years old:  

I think the actual camo patterns are the hype, plaid and solid colors work just as well.

A pair of sitka 90 perecnt pants and a pair of good will khakis will work, but one is like a Cadillac and the other a pinto.

It all depends on your needs and desire.

I own and wear both, just depends on what I am doing, a day hunt close to home, or a 2 week rut hunt out of state where a washer is not available.

But I am a fan of cheap and old.

I've tried to justify the cost of a Sitka or Kuiu outfit.

Just couldn't do it...not even if I won the lottery.

I've been giving a lot of my old camo to kids and relatives who are just starting, and going back to wool plaids.

Kevin said it right...if the high tech, high dollar stuff makes you feel good, do it.

For most local hunts, it isn't necessary, but if you were in the wilds for a long time, and limited to what you could carry, maybe there is a reason.

Even for hunts around home it simply makes a difference where you live and what type of hunting you do. In my normal life I wear a lot of good will wool stuff I find. The same when I'm still hunting or the weather isn't really cold. I just never found clothes that worked well for sitting in a stand for hours when the temps are single digits or even mid teens without having so many layers I looked like the stay puffed marshmallow man..... Until I bought some higher end gear.

If I always still hunted, never hunted in real cold or only hunted a day or 2 a week, I would probably have a hard time laying out the $$

Buying gear comes down to your personal hunting. A lot of gear is over hyped, but some gear is worth every penny to the people using it in its intended capacity.

My philosophy is to buy (or make) what I need for my personal hunting, and to be a good steward of the resources God has given me. Sometimes big ticket items fit into the equation, other times they don't.

I can tell you one purchase that was the best I ever made for hunting whitetails.

I get cold easy, and have had the wind run me out of the tree.

Sitka stratus with wind stopper solved that problem, I can wear half the clothes I use to and stay in the tree or ground longer.

Is was not cheap, but worth it.

you know the old saying if it works why not. i am cheap i trade for stuff i make stuff buy cheap stuff but hey it works.  

I buy leather purses at yard sales to make finger tabs. my "side" quiver is a thrift store bow quiver with a 72" leather boot lace tied to both ends. I do own a custom recurve, but most of my gear comes from yard sales, thrift stores or my own limited craft skills.

QuoteOriginally posted by damascusdave:
I never spend any effort on worrying about what others are doing...I find if I focus on what I am doing my energies are far better spent

DDave

THIS^^^

Like many other posters said here, I have a hodge=podge of gear. A lot of my clothing has come from the Goodwill, but I do try to but the best boots that I can afford ($150 is a lot for me to spend, so I save up). My camo I've bought a piece at a time, usually when I find it on sale.