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Where To Scrimp

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Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 19, 2019 •  [Post 1]

New and younger hunters have a lot to do and purchase to go out West to hunt big game. I see a lot of things they are advised to purchase and sometimes I cringe when I see somebody new being advised to buy $99 for a three pack of broadheads, or $2,500 for a spotting scope. Considering all that a new hunter needs to have including a out of State license and tag, where would you scrimp on your purchases assuming that you are not the heir to an oil field?
Here are some of my ideas.
GPS- I recommend a good GPS, but it does not need all the bells and whistles available
Transportation- You need good tires and a reliable vehicle, but it does not need to be a 4X4 for most early hunts.
Sight- I like a good pair of 7X-10X binoculars, but they are not necessary if you have good eyesight and you do not often need a spotting scope.
Broadheads and bullets- They have gone from good to a gimmick. Use the old tried and true.
Ultra-lite- You do not need the ultra-lite equipment if you are not backpacking in a long ways.
Kitchen equipment- If you are not backpacking in the stuff at home will be fine or you can get all you need at Goodwill.

So what else?
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby wawhitey » 07 19, 2019 •  [Post 2]

I think there are so many ways to waste money, an easier list would be where not to scrimp. A few that come to mind right away:

Boots
Good base layers
Serviceable range finder
Head lamp

Im an advocate for saving money for good hunting stuff by not wasting it on cable tv, $5 daily coffees, expensive nights bar hopping, tobacco, movie theatres, vegas vacations etc.
Real eyes realize real lies
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Tigger » 07 19, 2019 •  [Post 3]

Swede wrote:New and younger hunters have a lot to do and purchase to go out West to hunt big game. I see a lot of things they are advised to purchase and sometimes I cringe when I see somebody new being advised to buy $99 for a three pack of broadheads, or $2,500 for a spotting scope. Considering all that a new hunter needs to have including a out of State license and tag, where would you scrimp on your purchases assuming that you are not the heir to an oil field?
Here are some of my ideas.
GPS- I recommend a good GPS, but it does not need all the bells and whistles available
Transportation- You need good tires and a reliable vehicle, but it does not need to be a 4X4 for most early hunts.
Sight- I like a good pair of 7X-10X binoculars, but they are not necessary if you have good eyesight and you do not often need a spotting scope.
Broadheads and bullets- They have gone from good to a gimmick. Use the old tried and true.
Ultra-lite- You do not need the ultra-lite equipment if you are not backpacking in a long ways.
Kitchen equipment- If you are not backpacking in the stuff at home will be fine or you can get all you need at Goodwill.

So what else?



I would not even buy a GPS. Buy OnX for your phone. I think GPS units are going to go the way of the buggy whip.
I do think binoculars are an absolute necessity.
I think you need quality broadheads and bullets, but not the latest fad. Don't buy cheap stuff to save money here, buy quality, but don't buy anywhere near the top of the line.
No way would I go into the mountains on a DIY hunt without a 4X4.
Costco headlamps are better than most everything out there for cheap.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 19, 2019 •  [Post 4]

I lived near Winthrop Washington for years, and hunted even longer with two wheel drive. I deer and elk hunted into November with two wheel drive for many years. Back in the 60s few hunters had 4X4. The Forest Service had very few 4X4s until the mid to late 1970s. Now people must think they are necessary for the daily commute around town. I have a 4X4 these days, but rarely use it. I do not remember the last time I felt it was necessary. It certainly was not on a September archery elk hunt. Chains still work and getting out of the mountains if a storm moves in. Moving down the mountain is a better plan. Four wheel drive gives s a little greater margin for error, or allows us to get around in a little more snow, but 4X4 is limited too.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby saddlesore » 07 20, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Re 4wd. A person can find mud anytime, usually more prevalent in September. Unless you have weight in the back of 2wd, the rear end only floats.Even with a bumper pull trailer there is not enough weight on the rear end. Put 1000 pounds in the bed and 2wd will get you most places if you have low enough gears. I did it with a 70 Dodge 2wd pickup for years. During ML season, even if it is dry, to get to my camp spot, pulling a trailer loaded with mules and gear,the road is steep and gravelly. Without 4wd, I would spin out the rear wheels on the gravel and not make head way.

I don't own a GPS and most places I hunt have no cell service. A $300 muzzle loader will kill elk just as well as a $600 one and a $200 scope on a rifle will work just about a good as a $800 one. As long as you don't push them at magnum velocities, and use heavy for caliber bullets, Sierra, Hornady Speer and even Remington Cor-Loks C&C bullets work just fine on elk.

Buy good boots , good wool socks,and decent rain gear .The poly base layers that Costco sells work as well as the Sitka stuff.

Spend money on the hunt rather than all the techy gadgets. Topo maps and compass will never die from batteries that run down and you don't have to have the ability to pick up a satellite signal
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 20, 2019 •  [Post 6]

You guy certainly make valid points on the 4X4 issue, and I like my Ford F150 with four wheel drive just fine. What we have not talked about is the fact that as hunter we choose how, when and where we hunt. Not every hunt requires 4X4. Right after I got married we had a 64 Ford Galaxy. It was limited, but it got me many places that I could not have reached just walking from home. I then got an older Chevrolet two wheel drive pickup with a straight six engine. It had great traction and I went even farther back into the forests. I almost always carried chains and a hi-lift jack and learned to use them.
I still remember taking my brother-in-law, who was visiting us from Los Angles, and driving him back into the forest and getting stuck. He was amazed at how fast we were back on the road.
Dad was a logger, hunter, wood cutter, etc. and never owned a four wheel drive vehicle. He worked and hunted from the coast range of Oregon and Washington to the Wallowa mountains. We never did without good hunting opportunity. Like Saddlesore, he just prepped (Chains, high-lift jack and good tires) the pickup and went hunting. Since dad cut timber and we burned wood for heat, he liked to cut some blocks of wood at times and throw them in the back of the truck for added traction. When the hunt was finished the wood blocks were split and stacked in the wood shed.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby saddlesore » 07 20, 2019 •  [Post 7]

I did a lot of hunting out of a 56 Chevy sedan, 61 Ford station wagon and 58 Ford 1/2 T short box, 2wd with a stock rack and one horse in it.. Then these darn mules came along and you are talking trailers, bigger pick ups ,then more mules,then bigger trailers then bigger trucks.

It is a wonder I ain't dead from hunting in cotton long johns, blue jeans, cotton flannel shirts and un-insulated steel toed work boots. My water proofing was plastic garbage bags over my socks in my boots. I was too dumb or poor to know I was scrimping
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 20, 2019 •  [Post 8]

Vince, we wore bread sacks in our boots long before I ever heard of Gortex. Plaid was our first camo and I know it is as good as any commercial pattern out there.
Scrimp and do not buy any camo clothes. I have hunted wearing four buckle artics (rubber overshoes) and kept my feet warn and dry. I still use mine handy for foul weather. They are still hard to beat.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby saddlesore » 07 20, 2019 •  [Post 9]

I remember wearing 5 buckle artics.There was a felt pack with a hard sole on it. Warm as can be. I still have a Woolrich red plaid shirt jack. I have some BDU camos my buddy got me from the AFA PX and a few other pieces I got on the cheap.I will never buy another pair of camo gloves . Drop them in the AM when it is still dark and you never find them
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 21, 2019 •  [Post 10]

GPS, Cell Phone, InReach, Range Finder, Ozonics, HECs. ScentLok and other super expensive hunting clothes!!!!

Makes a feller wonder just how many guys would be hunting if they didn't have all these fang dangled devices! :shock:
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Lefty » 07 21, 2019 •  [Post 11]

wawhitey wrote:I,,,Im an advocate for saving money for good hunting stuff by not wasting it on cable tv, $5 daily coffees, expensive nights bar hopping, tobacco, movie theatres, vegas vacations etc.

When I was in high school i didn't waste money on girls :shock:

As an adult Ive also tossed in "new pickups"
Some of the scrimping depends on where and how you are hunting. One of my late season back country/trailhead rifle double digit below zero temps all day ,.. warm clothing and an easy starting snowmobile. Everything else was minor. I had good "construction work wear from Minnesota boots and gloves,.. nobody else .. managed more than an hour at a time hunt.

Being a smart shopper: base purchases on your individual need not advertisements.
I could hunt New Mexico grasslands archery with Walmart cotton sales clothing You may not need a range finder if you hunt from permanent blind

Most could hunt with grandpas bow or rifle

Overall the further from "safety" the more you will need to spend. If your hunting from a heated stand over a private hay field you could scrimp on everything except snacks and hot chocolate 8-)
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Lefty » 07 21, 2019 •  [Post 12]

>>>---WW----> wrote:GPS, Cell Phone, InReach, Range Finder, Ozonics, HECs. ScentLok and other super expensive hunting clothes!!!!
Makes a feller wonder just how many guys would be hunting if they didn't have all these fang dangled devices! :shock:

Im sure the woods would be less crowded, better toss in Pickups and ATV's
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 21, 2019 •  [Post 13]

Lefty wrote:If your hunting from a heated stand over a private hay field you could scrimp on everything except snacks and hot chocolate


When are you going to take me along on that hunt? You can forget that Mormon coffee (Postum), but don't come short on the chocolate.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby BrentLaBere » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 14]

If you go camping of any type and are already hunting with a rifle or bow, you're set. Just get the tag and go. If you are new and are set on backpacking it is a little bit different. You still don't need to go over board. I would say a great piece of gear would be renting an inreach or SPOT of some sort for an emergency.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Indian Summer » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 15]

No cheap bourbon. Jim Beam is the only way to go. If you want to save money buy off brand cola for mixer.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Tigger » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 16]

Just an FYI, you don't need cell signal to have your phone function as a GPS. Been doing it for years. In fact, the battery lasts longer with it turned on to airplane mode.

I get the idea of the post, but just because you can, doesn't mean that is the best way to go. We used 4X4 AND tire chains to get out of the mountains from 26" of snow. No snow was in the forecast when we went in. The mud was horrible on the roads where the snow had melted. Glad we had them.

Clothing? Sure, you can hunt them in everything and anything. But for comfort and durability, some of the new stuff is fantastic. It helps me hunt longer and I am not as worn out at the end of the day. But if anyone wants to go back to Carharts and bread sacks, go for it!
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 17]

Tigger wrote: It helps me hunt longer and I am not as worn out at the end of the day.


I guess you have me wondering about the land where you hunt. Does the sun stay up longer there than where us old timers venture? Even on the ground I know I hunt slower than a lot of younger hunters do, but I rarely nap at mid-day. My time out is as long as the other hunter's in the land where I hunt.
All of the goretex boot I have purchased over the years begin to leak and soon they are the same as no goretex lined boots. I have to chance bread sacks daily or they leak too, but they are just bread sacks.
4X4 is great, but our point is that you do not need to go hunt 26 inches of snow. That is a choice even for elk hunters. I have hunted deep snow and found all the elk had dropped down onto the ranches where I could not go. All I was hunting was snow. I have hunted where and when it was 90* F and did just fine. It is a choice and if you goal is to get elk, and not just going out in the mud and snow, plan a hunt where the conditions are suitable for two wheel drive. That is an area where you can scrimp.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Tigger » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 18]

Swede,
My point is, we woke up to 16" one day with no advance warning. The roads turned to pudding. We didn't have an option that year to hunt where you could access by 2WD. I don't think it is good advice to send someone off into the mountains in September with 2WD. If you want to preface that by saying hunt desert elk where the roads don't turn bad with precip, then I guess you can make it work without 4X4.

Mebbe if you had the newest clothes you wouldn't have to hunt slower than all the others! :o Every year the mountains kick my butt. I want every advantage I can get. But every year I am sure someone shoots an elk out of mama's minivan dressed in carharts while wearing Wonder Bread sacks under their Nike All Stars.

My last pair of GoreTex boots made it 9 years before they weren't waterproof. Then I did a really good couple of treatments with Obenaufs and they were waterproof again. But they aren't cheap.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 19]

That is interesting. I have bow hunted over 30 years in the mountains and have never had to even chain up. I have never need four wheel drive, and you are saying we can't live without it. I have hunted for over 60 years total and can say every time I found myself in a place where it was important to have 4X4 is was a choice. I do not know about your goretex. Maybe it is better than what I have. As far as hunting slower, it is so I can kill elk nearly every year. I am not out for the scenery or the exercise.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby saddlesore » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 20]

If anyone ever got into colichi mud ( sp) know a 2wd won't cut it. Several years ago hunting Colorado 3rd season we got dumped on with 3 ft of snow. By chaining up all four wheels on two pick ups and then chaining those two pick ups together,we were able to tow both 20ft d goose neck stock trailers out on eat a time empty and then we went back in and ponied the mules out behind the pick ups.Pretty common occurrence in late seasons in Colorado
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 22, 2019 •  [Post 21]

Folks, I am not saying that there aren't times and places where you will actually need four wheel drive to get around. I am just saying hunting those times and places are an option. Hunt September and October. Camp near an open maintained road. Have a good set of tire chains, and hunt lower down if a snow storm sets in.
I cannot say they is any correlation between needing four wheel drive and getting elk. At least I have not seen it. If I had to analyze that matter, I could make the case that needing four wheel drive has an inverse relation to getting elk, but that is just my experience.
One nice thing about colichi is that once it fills in your tire treads, you are not wearing out your tires when driving around. You are wearing out colichi.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 23, 2019 •  [Post 22]

Amazing how some of these post go off on a tangent. So, what the heck, I might as well chime in!

For early September in Colorado you can usually be safe with 2WD or 2WD with chains. Notice I said usually. ;) Later on when the big snows come, the elk are smart enough to get out of Dodge. You should be also.

A good rule of thumb would be to go in with 2WD. When you get stuck, put it in 4WD. If you get stuck with 4WD you are in deep do-do. :o Then is the time to break out the shovel and Handi Man jack and put on the chains and turn around and leave.

I hate it when guys think they can go anywhere and tear up and rut out the forest service roads!!!
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Indian Summer » 07 28, 2019 •  [Post 23]

Scrimp on little daily and weekly things throughout the year. Don’t buy that beer. You can live without golfing. Skip the desert. But don’t scrimp on your elk hunt! Keep in mind I’m always talking about mountain elk hunting. It’s what I do. Mobile run and gun spot and stalk tent camp hunts. Not living in a camper and hunting foothills behind private land or being stationary. The weather is unpredictable so you have to have a solid camp. Rocky steep hills and packing quarters.... that stuff will tear up boots, blow out zippers etc. That kind of hunting puts everything you use to the test. Failing gear or gear that’s just not of sufficient quality to get the job done puts your mind and body to the test. One of my favorite sayings when it comes to preparing for an elk hunt is “Hope for the best but plan for the worst” Something as simple as a headlamp deciding to take the day off can be a serious setback. On the mountain on a coal black night without a star in the sky the scrimpers say.... I’d give a thousand dollars for a working headlamp right now! I honestly cannot think of anything I scrimp on when I’m elk hunting. Knowing I’m as prepared as can possibly be makes me even more confident. Confidence affects my decisions all day everyday. Confidence kills elk! Likewise a lack of confidence and having the right tools to get the job done results in near misses. We’ve all taken screw out with a butter knife. It works lots of times but it’s not nearly as easy and sometimes the knife ends up in the garbage. A good screwdriver lasts forever. Don’t go elk hunting with butter knives, Wal Mart flashlights, and sled riding clothes!
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 07 28, 2019 •  [Post 24]

I agree with what I.S. just wrote about not scrimping by purchasing low quality junk. Actually that is not scrimping at all as you will end up paying more in the long run. You buy junk, then you have to buy the quality product, and in the meantime you have one blown hunt. Definitely no savings there.
I.S's. post make me think that we buy for the style of hunting we are doing, and how we use our equipment. You do not need to be prepared for an Oregon September hunt the same as for a January Klondike hunt. You do not need to be equipped the same for a ground blind as for a five mile hike and then hunt in the wilderness. And lets face it,; some people are just hard on equipment. You know who you are and how you plan to hunt. Scrimping should take into account all the factors you are dealing with.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby 7mmfan » 08 01, 2019 •  [Post 25]

Lets face it, technology has made the act of hunting far more comfortable and efficient than it ever has been. But very little of it is necessary. It's a luxury. You can be very successful with very little. I've wasted a lot of money over the years on stuff that I thought I needed, or that was perfect for XYZ activity, but nothing else. It took me some time to figure out what was really important to invest money in, what wasn't, and to put a little forethought into my purchases and how they may be used in the future.

Packs are number one on that list for me. I've owned 5 different packs in the last 15 years. However, in that time frame my style of hunting has changed dramatically as well. Started with a simple day pack, but hunted close to camp, and always came back for lunch. Progressed to a larger day pack for no reason other than it looked cool and I was 18. That one only lasted a couple years before I moved to a pack with a frame so I could pack animals out from further distances, to an actual pack frame with a bag on it, to my Exo Mtn Gear 5500 now for long range, overnight, pack full loads from the kill site hunts. I don't blame myself for wasting all the money, I had no way of knowing at 20 that I'd be going to Idaho every year and hunting 7 miles from the truck. It just wasn't on my radar.

I guess the point of all that is that you need to set yourself up for the hunts that you are going to do (early season truck hunts, mid season back pack hunts, late season hunts, etc...) and prioritize the equipment necessary for those hunts to be successful. At the same time, try and consider how your hunting style and timing may change over the years and maybe invest in gear that can be functional in multiple situations. For me, that gear is:

Pack
Boots
Clothing
Optics
Weapon

If I have a good pack, quality clothing (not necessarily camo or uber expensive KUIU/Sitka, just quality), quality optics and a reliable weapon, I can deal with the rest. Hell I'd take my wife's car hunting if that's all that was available to me. I would just adjust my location and expectations based on my current limitations. I know that I will hunt more effectively if I have a comfortable pack, boots that don't hurt my feet, clothing that keeps me comfortable, binos that don't hurt my eyes and let me glass well and a weapon that I have confidence in.

Items I don't think are necessary for most hunts:

Spotting scopes
$20 super fancy dehydrated meals
Latest camo pattern, or camo in general
New truck
Lightest backpacking tent, or wall tent for truck hunts
Custom rifles, or $1500 bows
Kifaru 2 million pack, or my Exo pack for that matter

I could expand on that list, but you get the idea.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Indian Summer » 08 02, 2019 •  [Post 26]

I say it ALL THE TIME.... the answers to gear related questions are all based on the style of hunting and the area hunted by the person answering them. I went for 30 years without a spotting scope in Montana. Never leave camp in Wyoming without it and use it every day. I put boots higher on my list than other clothing or packs because that’s literally where the rubber meets the road. You can’t carry the best backpack anywhere or pack elk out with it if you don’t have good boots.

I’m really curious why you don’t feel that a wall tent is a necessity for a base camp? Assuming you’re not in a cabin or camper..... The best boots and pack aren’t going far without proper sleep/recuperation and dry clothes.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby 7mmfan » 08 02, 2019 •  [Post 27]

Indian Summer wrote:I say it ALL THE TIME.... the answers to gear related questions are all based on the style of hunting and the area hunted by the person answering them. I went for 30 years without a spotting scope in Montana. Never leave camp in Wyoming without it and use it every day. I put boots higher on my list than other clothing or packs because that’s literally where the rubber meets the road. You can’t carry the best backpack anywhere or pack elk out with it if you don’t have good boots.

I’m really curious why you don’t feel that a wall tent is a necessity for a base camp? Assuming you’re not in a cabin or camper..... The best boots and pack aren’t going far without proper sleep/recuperation and dry clothes.



I say it begrudgingly because we camp in a 15x18 Davis tent with a stove and all the fixins. It is definitely very comfortable and helps with the rest and relaxation part. However, is it NECESSARY? No. Dad hunted for years in a Coleman 4 man tent with a tarp and a Buddy heater in it. It offered plenty of room to get out of the elements, could get warm in the evening and morning while prepping for the days hunt, and a cot with foam pad offered all the sleep he needed. So no I don't think you need to spend $1500-$2000 on a wall tent when you can spend $300 on a decent dome tent, tarp it, and get a heater.

The angle I'm pursuing here is that the barriers to entry for new hunters can be significant financially. If a guy can save $1000 or more on his shelter for a few years to get his wheels turning, and still be satisfactorily comfortable, then I think it's a good idea. If in 3 or 4 years that guy (and his wife, I mean come on) have decided that hunting is something he is going to continue doing on a regular basis, and maybe even more frequently, then it would be a good time to consider investing in the other parts of his set up, like a wall tent, or a silnylon teepee, or fancy pack, etc...
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Indian Summer » 08 02, 2019 •  [Post 28]

You’re paying too much for wall tents!

A 14x16 wall tent is only $1000 from the Wall Tent Shop and most people will find that a 12x14 will do and that’s a hair over $800. An 8x10 is bigger than any dome tent and that’s a drop in the bucket at $575! Compare that to binos, bows, boots and that’s cheap. What did you pay for that Exo Mountain Gear Pack? Whatever it is that’s not necessary. Haha :lol: A place to live is. Add to that the fact that a canvas tent has at least 3-5 times the lifespan of any other material and it becomes obvious that it’s not an expense it’s an investment! We’re talking truck camp here where weight isn’t an issue and performance is.


I guess if you’re not sure about your future elk hunting plans you could make do in a cheap nylon done tent with a little heat in the mornings and evenings. But a quality dome tent costs the same as a wall tent of similar size and they have less head room.

Someone above mentioned that it’s not scrimping if you have to go out and make a second purchase because the first one just wasn’t sufficient. If we are steering new elk hunters in the right direction I’ll have to respectfully disagree. My advice would be get the smallest wall tent you can from the Wall Tent Shop (free shipping) and split the cost with your partners. Tell your wife if she really loves you she’ll get you one for your birthday or your next anniversary.... whatever it takes. “I wish I’d never bought this wall tent” said no one ever!

7mm... tell me you’d trade that wall tent for dad’s 4 man dome for even one hunt! :shock:
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby Swede » 08 03, 2019 •  [Post 29]

I can see both 7mm's and I.S's point. They both make sense to me. Let me explain:
I went many years with different tents and campers before I purchased a 12X14 tent from the Wall Tent Shop. The wall tent is such a great place to stay, I wonder what took me so long. It is very comfortable. I have an old army M1950 tent to store junk in, so we can sit around in the evening eat dinner, look over maps and visit in the 12X14. It is roomier so I actually prefer it to a small trailer.
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby >>>---WW----> » 08 03, 2019 •  [Post 30]

For a base camp,when comparing a good wall tent with all the other fix'ns that go with one, (Stove, stove jack, cots, tables, chairs, tarp, shower tent & shower) and what ever else you can think of, you are looking up close to the price of a good used trailer with all those things already built in. Maybe not quite as much, but close enough to think about before you buy either one! But hey! It all comes down to what ever floats your boat! :lol:
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Re: Where To Scrimp

Postby 7mmfan » 08 05, 2019 •  [Post 31]

Indian Summer wrote:You’re paying too much for wall tents!

A 14x16 wall tent is only $1000 from the Wall Tent Shop and most people will find that a 12x14 will do and that’s a hair over $800. An 8x10 is bigger than any dome tent and that’s a drop in the bucket at $575! Compare that to binos, bows, boots and that’s cheap. What did you pay for that Exo Mountain Gear Pack? Whatever it is that’s not necessary. Haha :lol: A place to live is. Add to that the fact that a canvas tent has at least 3-5 times the lifespan of any other material and it becomes obvious that it’s not an expense it’s an investment! We’re talking truck camp here where weight isn’t an issue and performance is.


I guess if you’re not sure about your future elk hunting plans you could make do in a cheap nylon done tent with a little heat in the mornings and evenings. But a quality dome tent costs the same as a wall tent of similar size and they have less head room.

Someone above mentioned that it’s not scrimping if you have to go out and make a second purchase because the first one just wasn’t sufficient. If we are steering new elk hunters in the right direction I’ll have to respectfully disagree. My advice would be get the smallest wall tent you can from the Wall Tent Shop (free shipping) and split the cost with your partners. Tell your wife if she really loves you she’ll get you one for your birthday or your next anniversary.... whatever it takes. “I wish I’d never bought this wall tent” said no one ever!

7mm... tell me you’d trade that wall tent for dad’s 4 man dome for even one hunt! :shock:


Ok I'm back! IS, no i would absolutely not trade our wall tent for the dome tent. The clincher is though, I didn't have to buy the wall tent, stove, pole kit, etc...

I guess my argument here is that if I was a new hunter and I was looking at a gear list that someone on Wapititalk gave me that said these are the critical items you NEED to go elk hunting this fall for the opening week of general rifle season in Idaho, and a wall tent/stove was on there, it could push the guys budget out of range. He probably already has a tent that he's camped in with his family, so by making that work for a year or two until his feet are under him and he understands his hunt plans better, it significantly lowers the barrier to entry. I can say for a fact that if my Dad had felt that he had to buy a wall tent when he started hunting, on the shoestring budget they were working with, he probably wouldn't be hunting. Dome tents and truck canopies and a buddy heater got him through many years.

And you're right, and I think I admitted it in my list, that my Exo pack is not necessary. There are MANY lower cost options that will haul meat just as well. It's a luxury item for sure.

I'm just hoping that a guy in a year or two that's doing some google research for what he needs to start elk hunting comes across this thread and maybe realizes that he doesn't have to refinance his house to take up elk hunting. Do the best you can, get the best items you can afford at the time, and plan on dedicating a certain amount every year to increasing your gear selection. Don't fret if you can't get the full camp setup from the get go.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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