Since everyone is griping about the prices of everything, I’d like to gripe about the cost of hunting clothing and gear. I’ve been looking for a new waterfowl jacket or shell and the prices on some of this stuff is insane. $400 for a waterproof shell jacket and $300 for a liner (Sitka)! I’m not sure how we got to the point that average folks are perfectly acceptable paying that much for a jacket. There has always been the high end gear but it was generally not well represented in the field but I see lots of it in the field now. Then you have smaller companies trying to break into the market by pricing themselves in the same bracket, which is an odd strategy to me. Appears some apparel manufacturers think the higher you price it the better it will appear to be to consumers. I guess I’m too cheap and behind the times
I don't wear any super expensive gear and 25 below (and colder) along with wind is pretty common. I think the most expensive outer gear I have is a quiet, soft shell gore-tex from Cabelas. Quite often when it is nasty I am wearing a German Army Gore Tex surplus bibs and a shell as an outer layer. My expedition style Outdoor Research gloves are not cheap but they are not grossly expensive either. Keeping hands warm is a priority in my mind.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/NOwfQ7E.jpg)
There is no reason (in my opinion ) to spend 500-600 on a big name camo. Elk and deer don't know Coolio camo from German Flectarn . But If a guy wants to spend his money on it, then that is their business. My Scottish heritage runs too deep. I watched a guy rip one of those jackets in a small town gas station in Idaho. He snagged it on something (on the display) walking by and it ripped. It tore open and from what I could tell it appeared to be pretty darn thin. I will stick with my military surplus polarfleece and Goretex
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/xHM83iz.jpg)
