When is enough...enough!!!
 

Man I see you guys talking about paying $200-$250 for camo and $150 for 1 dozen arrows got me to wondering. How do you justify spending these amounts. I have 3 different sets of camo that I wear during a typical season and I probably don't have $120 in all three. So my question is when is it finally enough?

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

It'll be enough when I'm dead.

This is my hobby, my passion, my obsession. I do it because it makes me happy, thats my justification. I can afford to, which helps.

Perhaps things will change slightly when I have a family to support, but I doubt it.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I think it all depends on your budget. Some people buy the latest, greatest and most expensive stuff every year, if they can afford it then i guess thats fine, but i have other things to spend money on :D(still hunting stuff though) haha

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

It's enough when the wife says so.;)

Then you just sneak some more. :D

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Don't they still make "stuff"?

If so.....I'm likely to buy more.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Hahah, that funny right there. I don't care who ya are...

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

When I want something and I have the means, I get it. I work hard, I play harder.:D

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I try to pace myself, both for my wallet and marital bliss. I usually try to pick up one big thing a year (bow, gun, etc.), often for Christmas/Birthday, and then I am on the lookout for a few smaller things throughout the year when I see a deal and the wife isn't looking.

I also think some people here are focusing on quality and not just quantity. Even though I just bought an ASAT 3-D Suit, I really haven't bought any camo the last 3 hunting seasons, and I intend to use this suit over various layers throughout the year. Same thing with my X-Scent socks, they cost 12 bucks, but I bought one pair and now my feet don't scare off deer for miles.:D

But I hear what you are saying, my little brother has a real gear addiction, he buys stuff that he never uses and has the best in every category of gear (hunting, sports, vehicle), and it pisses me off. Not always b/c I am jealous, but b/c he is wasting his money, and not paying off debt, and saving is a word I don't think he could define.

Buying gadgets and gear is something I think comes naturally to most guys, so if you can afford it and are not mortgaging your future to buy it, go for it.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Well said Lebeau Hunter. My friend is the same way. Our other buddy says "if I really want something bad enough, I don't buy it. I just wait long enough for himto buy it and then ask if I can borrow it." :D

That said, I "need" a lot of gear since I've only been at it a few years. I spread my purchases out over the year and that way they don't seem so signifigant. Plus, if you have a good relationship with your spouse and you work hard to provide for your family, you can get away with a lot.

Afteryou do some really labor intensive task around the house that she couldn't or doesn't want to do and that she really appreciates, start talking about how happy hunting makes you and then say, "But I really shouldn't buy it. So and so down at the pro shop just showed me how cool it is, but I'll just make do with this one for a few more years." :D

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I wear mine untill they are full of holes and glow in the dark in low light.Well,I guess I'm still wearing them,just not to bow hunt deer.I try to replace or add to mine every couple of years.Normally nothing real big $$$.My light weight stuff wears out most of the time.atleat it is cheaper to replace.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

chucker,

Did we read the same book :D

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

There is certainly nothing wrong with buying the latest and greatest gear and camo. If hunting is your hobby, why not?

On the other hand, nothing impresses me more than when a hunter that doesn't buy the latest and greatestbow, arrows or other gadgets and gear,goes out year and takes big bucks year after year.

Look at Greg H., that guy doesn't fall into the habit of going out and buying all the new camo and gear, yet he consistently goes out and takes really nice bucks that would make any hunter proud.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Discounts. Period. I wouldn't have 90% of the gear I have if I hadn't worked my tail off to be finally in a position to get discounts. I am staff shooter/hunter for a few companies, and I work in a proshop so I buy everything at cost. Plus the shop owner lets us employees keep a running tab, pay what we can when we can and he just doesn't worry about it. HE may not, but I do. I keep my tab under $100 at all times....Period.

I also don't take a DIME out of the family bank account. I sell stuff I already have or I use birthday/Christmas moneys. I also do some side jobs in the summer. If something comes up, oh, like.....if I had to pick something.....We blow an intake gasket in the van or something, I use that money for that.....

My absolute passion in life is archery/bowhunting. I do whatever work is necessary to support that without putting my family in the poorhouse.And all of that is made possible by the grace of God. God provides me the means to pay for the stuff I "need." For that, I am very grateful.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Yup. Same thing here. I don't golf. I don't drink/go to bars. Don't spend my money on much else besides hunting stuff. It's a healthy habit and I thoroughly enjoy it.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Life is all about priorities.
One of my mainpriorities is bow hunting.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

He who dies with the most toys wins!

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

While total respect goes out to GregH for his accomplishments, it's not the gear or camo that makes the hunter, I think we all could do what we do with or without most things we use or more importantly, updated. It's still fun to keep going and going and gong. Take my new bow, it shoots the same as my bow of 10 year ago, but it's not 10 years old. My truck of 10 years ago might take me to the woods just the same as my new Titan but I still bought a new truck. ;)

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I pretty good with the hunting gear. I have a lot of stuff over the years. It's the fishing crap I spend a lot on. For hunting, I'm good for about 600 a year if you total all the misc stuff during the season, license, arrows, tips, beer and ......
Don't go asking about my fishing bill. I always need a few more rods and reels.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Ditto for me. Besides fly fishing , bowhunting is my addiction.
My wife would rather see me in the woods, than in a bar. I share this passion w/ my wife and kids. We all shoot and it keeps us in touch w/ each other.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

So True.:D...LOL

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

everything I was going to say as well. That's how crazy the insanely obsessed hunters such as me and washington get. And I'll justify it just like washington said. hobby, passion, obsession. Well put!

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I don't need to justify it.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

During the season I read post on what people are using and there opions on it.
At the close of season the proshops aroung here start discounting camo and thats when I buy the next seasons gear.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I don't buy alot and whenI do,I usually get the expensive stuff so I don't have to replace it often.I finally replaced my 10 year old cover alls this year because they just didn't keep me warm anymore.The replacement bibs and parka set me back $375.00 but I didn't get cold this year.Money well spent imo.

I used to buy a bow every year but being on staff allowed me to buy one and not be out anything when I sold it.I sold my shooter bow from last year and I am still shooting an xtec from a couple years back.


As far as arrows go.That is the MOST IMPORTANT part of your gear.Save the money on the bows guys and put a little extra into the arrows.I shoot Acc's and I am shooting the same arrows I bought 3 years ago but I got a hell of a deal on a dozen for $55.00.They were rejects that had to be cut and couldn't be sold as new and they were flawless.Plus,being a shop shooter gave me a few more dollars off.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Everyone's circumstances are different.My criteria would be if you are not shorting your family buy what ever you want within your means.
I always have wants,I rarely have needs.My thing is having top quality stuff,once I have it though I will stick with it until it no longer does what it is supposed to do.I have one bow that I have had for 5 years now,I have a simple battery of rifles,a 22,a 12 guage,a .270,a 30.06,a muzzle loader.I drive a 10 year old Toyota Tacoma.
I am fortunate in that I can afford to do much more than I do but my sense of value and my sense of personal responsibility keeps me from purchasing the lastest this or that.
My current focus over the last couple of years has been quality clothing for all my hunting scenarios's.I am two or three pieces from being done with that and then I wont likely be purchasing any thing for quite a while.
If your weapon is reliable and you are clothing is comfortable then you can place all your focus on your hunting.Thats how I view it.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

its the same as anything else you spend your money where you want. some of us buy used cars because we can't justify the price of a new one others get a new car every other year

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Actually, that is a common misconception. There are segments of the market who could afford it but don't see it as functional so they will not pay for it. There are also segments of the market that can't really afford it, but will spend the money so people think that they can. Then there are the people in the middle who can afford it and do buy it. It takes all kinds. That is why marketing is such a great job. There is someone out there for everything. All you have to do is find them and make them find you.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I really am left wondering why you would ask this question? What one considers 'enough' maybe very different than the next. I have a certain budget, and a set of priorities that I maintain, which includes many charitable contributions, etc. What my particular place in life financially, academically, socially, etc.,is not determined by the same factors as yours or the next guys, and may be less or more, depending on who I am talking to. I am a steward of what God has blessed me with, and it maybe less than yours or someone elses, and that is all that I am responsible for.IfI feel the freedom to take a trip to Illinois, or next year to only go tothe woods behind my house or to purchase several new sets of camo or a new bow,it is between me and Him. I am delighted when I hear of someone else getting to go to Canada. It something that I want to do one day--but if I never do and you can 10 times, thenI will celebrate with you, and be contennt with the oppurtunities that do come my way.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

That's a great post manuman,

I think the author was getting less at trips and land,etc., but sort of a gear worship. As someone else said, it isn't the people in the middle who buy a nice level of gear or the rich who decide they don't need great gear, but the people who don't have, the young guys who spend their entire paycheck the second they get it and hoc their future for some stuff (which moths and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal). I don't think most people really believe that he who dies with the most toys wins or is really at peace with himself.

This is all about materialism, which is rampant in our society. I know, because I am guilty of it much more than I would like to be. Half the time I'm thinking about the next "thing" I'm going to get: truck, house, hunting gear, instead of being grateful for what I have and spending time connecting with my family and my God.

Every now and then it is good to rethink your perspectives and priorities, and step back from a large purchase or stop constantly dwelling on the acquisition of more and more stuff. Prayed about that this morning. ;)

Don't interpret this post as saying you can't reward your efforts with a nice truck or buy your family a nice house, it is just a basic post about priorities and how our society is inundated with materialism, which affects different people in different ways, just like drinking, gambling, etc. I personally struggle with materialism.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Depends on who you are asking. My Wife thinks I have too much now and I think I could "use" a few more things. I have a lot of Camo.....nothing real expensive, because I buy all of my stuff at the end of the year when it all goes on sale. My bow is 6 or 7 years old.

If you can afford it have at it. I for one don't need the latest and greatest things on the market or have a desire to have them.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I think that some of you are really getting my point, and please don't think that I'm slamming anyone for buying all of the gear that thier particular budget will allow. But do you really think that Wolfskin is worth $300 a suit and the other day in some catalogue I saw arrows for $350 per dozen. Now I'm not knocking these products or the people who buy them I just can't beleive that people pay thier "hard" earned money on stuff that they know they for a lot less and do just as good of a job.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

A Timex will keep just as good time as a Rolex.

Why do people own a Rolex? Because they CAN. It's called being able to afford something you want......."pride of ownership".......and not having to justify it to anyone but yourself and your family.

I liked txjourneyman's answer, best.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I started to write that that's a pretty subjective thought... In a few cases, yes. My experiences over the years -- no matter what industry it is -- is that often times lesser-priced items don't do just as good a job. Adquate? Certainly. Just as good? Nope.

Will a shirt from JC Penney or Sears do the job for me? Sure it will. Will it last as long as those I buy from Macy's or Brooks Brothers? No way. It can't handle the dry cleaning andthe starching; it'll probably wear out three times as fast, the fit will never be close to what I can buy elsewhere and it'll fade probably five times faster than a quality shirt.

To me, archery is no different. Can I buy camo at Wal-Mart? Again, yep. I don't like the fabrics, much less the camo patterns. Take a quality suit from www.graywolfwoolens.com -- those suits will last me a lifetime, literally. Then don't fade andthey don't shrink. They're darn near waterproof, are very wind resistant and burr resistant as well.

I'm one of those who has slowly learned to accept -- in most cases -- the old adage that "you get what you pay for."

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I think Scot has it right. The key factors here seem to be twofold:Waste and Opportunity Cost.

I guess it's not "opportunity cost" in the purest sense, but it's still a forgone opportunity to spend money elsewhere sensibly. To put it frankly, I know guys who live in run-down single-wide trailers, but drive $35,000 pickup trucks, own $5000 ATV's, have $1100 bows, and their kids look like refugees - wearing 3rd generation hand-me-down Walmart clothes with Kool Aid stains on their bellies.

Call me snotty, call me what you want, but that bothers me. Kids should be priority one. Instead of blowing $40-50,000 on a vault of guns, bows, ammo, camo, pickups and quads, how about buying a modest used pickup truck, keeping only a skeleton crew in the gun cupboard, using an older (but still reliable bow)? Use the extra $30,000 on building a home for your family. Maybe buy the kids some new clothes. Teach them the value of a dollar. I just have a hard time swallowing it when I see guys neglecting their own children to fund their lust for hunting, pickup trucks, entertainment, ATV's, etc...

Waste: There is a degree of waste involved if you're scrapping one 3-pin sight (that you bought last year) - and replacing it with a new 3-pin sight (that you bought this year). Again, if you can afford it, and your primary responsiblities are met, then that's fine. Stupid, but fine.

Same goes with bows. Not much point in peeing away $700 to buy an 07 one-cam that will shoot 287, when you have an 06 one cam that already shoots 287.
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There are real situations when you can use an upgrade, but those "upgrades" should be made with your priorities in mind. It just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth when I see people blowing money to fund their own vices (in this case, the vice is bowhunting) at the expense of their family (kids in particular).

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Well I guess being a state government worker has clouded my eyes but I don't see me ever buying a $300 suit just to hunt in. Now looking at my timex I see that it's time for lunch.:D

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You had me until "Stupid", Fran. I dont get that.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I know what gutshot and Quick is getting at. I too have to shake my head at some of the things I see and hear also.

What ever happened to the old saying...."if it ain't broke......don't fix it!"?

The Timex and Rolex comparison has some validity, but I think that to some degree, people buy Rolex's not because they can, but moreso because they want everyone to know that they can afford a Rolex. There is degree of arrogance/selfishness in that.

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Why does this matter to anyone??? If Bob's driving a new Suburban every year.....WHY does that matter to anyone but Bob? If he wears a Rolex....because they can afford it.....and because he enjoys the pride of ownership.....who are we to interject why he bought ....and why do we care??????

Isuppose there's a degree of arrogance and selfishness in buying anything new, then...that you could have bought used.......or cheaper.

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

I never said it mattered. I was just pointing out my opinion of "Bob's" reason for buying it as you did. I don't really think it's only because he can. I think it's a status symbol and a way to let others know that he is doing well wether that be true or false and I think that is arrogant

Pride is a sin ya' know. ;)

RE: When is enough...enough!!!
 

Hey pride boy did you buy a GPS yet:D I