What would you say is the latest overrated fad?

A classic example of an overrated fad is the carbon clothing craze: from what I have read, the science of carbon clothes indicates that they work to a very limited degree and for a very limited time. At best, they are useful for three years with decreasing usefulness each of the three years. If you get the carbon clothes for free (in order to promote them on hunting shows), then they are worthwhile. For the rest of us, unless you have money to burn they are not worth the expense.

I suggest that the latest overrated fad is the ground blind: the Cabelas catalog has a gazillion variations (including carbon lined!?) for up to several hundred dollars.

While I can certainly see a few situations where a ground blind is useful, the overwhelming number of situations here in the east call for a tree stand. In addition to the fact that deer don't typically expect a predator to be above them (although some deer may be wising up about this) and the probable benefit of getting your scent above the air currents reaching the deer, I also very much enjoy the improved view that a tree stand affords. The tree stand is a tried and true method of bowhunting deer: I suspect that the ground blind is mostly another way to part a hunter from his money.

I think another overrated fad is the numerous camo patterns. Does it really make any difference if you wear mossy oak, seclusion 3d, or realtree hardwoods? I can certainly see how predominantly lighter or darker camo would be preferable in certain situations, but most of us know what it is like to hang a tree stand in the early season, sit in it for a while as the sun begins to set, and have deer pass nearby while we are wearing ordinary clothes.

What about a rangefinder for bowhunting? I would not even consider wasting my money on a laser rangefinder: I can tell the difference between 30 yards, 25 yards, and so on. This becomes increasingly true as arrow speedsincrease: many hunters simply use a single pin, perhaps aiming a little high for an obviously longer shot (30 yards) and a little lower for a short shot (10-15 yards).

How about the "parallel limb" bow?I have not shot a bow of this type, but it is hard to imagine the improvement over my 2002 Hoyt being enough to make it necessary for me to run out and buy one. I think I can wait until my present bowneeds to be replaced before moving up to the latest technology.

One of the most useful aspects of a forum like this is the opportunity to question marketing "hype" and discover what is genuinely useful and worth our money.