Back in the day

[WapitiTalk1]

So you seasoned hunters, tell us a story about wooden pack boards, PVC grunt tubes, camo'ing your own bows, etc. I clearly remember the days of plastic bread sacks over home made knit socks to keep my feet dry and relatively warm in a cheap pair of sorrels. Tell us a story

[Lefty]

Uninsulated hip boots and waders with electric socks were the only way to trap beaver in Minnesota
Only wool pants and jackets for deer hunting

Remember the insulated quilted bottom underwear
cotton long johns

buckle snow boots
two pair of Jesey gloves with the index finger cut off for a shooting glove
The warmest gloves I owned were Army surplus gloves inside hockey gloves all that foam padding in the back

The warmest gloves ever; goose down, leather and beaver fur backed
How about stocking caps
military surplus face paint,.. or was that sandpaper that turned my face brown
Flannel shirts were early season camo
Ray-o-Vac Sportsmans 6 volt flashlight
a compass

[foxvalley]

Ouch! I can still feel the bite of the wooden pack frame(the first and only year I used them) on my shoulders.Thank goodness for something better, talk about borderline torcher.
I don't know how far back you are talkin,but my elk hunting started in the 80's,before the high tech fabrics of today,when we didn't know any better by dressing in cotton army fatigues,cotton socks, and cotton clothes......suprised we even survived drenched in sweat,climbing up,then being on borderline hypothermia when you stopped.I remember the cheap pair of boots one year,can't remember the brand,but I do remember my feet sloshing around in them,never drying out,and my feet one big blister.Thank god for russels,and I never looked back.
I also remember the spray camo job on the Darton MC60 that I had back then,and the "new thunderhead broadheads" that replaced my "savoras"I bet not many guys can remember those! I also had the army issue paint stick to camo your face,you had to rub so hard to get any on your face,it almost took the skin off.And of coarse army issue "MRE's" that I took one year,not sure if it was the mre's or lack of water,that almost did me in,ya, like in dead.So begins my story.
After being in the middle of knowwhere for a couple days into my solo hunt,eating MRE's,dressed in cotton,and not drinking enough water,I remember heading back to camp late one morning as something didn't feel right. All my energy was suddenly sapped,and it felt like I had 40lb. weights on each leg by the time I made it back.I got into my tent,and didn't move for 24 hours,litterly,I layed on my back and didn't have the strength to move a finger.No food, no water,nothing,I just couldn't move. The next day,I managed 1 piece of hard candy,and some water,and knew I had to get out of there asap.About noon,I felt well enough to walk the 2 miles back to my truck,with only the cloths on my back,I left everything.It was a terrible walk out,as I was still in way bad shape,but did make it back out and to my friends cabin where I spent another two days recovering on his couch.