Inexpensive camo gear

[smithkl42]

As a hunting newbie, I've got another question. (And thanks to those of you who've taken the time to help educate me so far.)

I've already - as my wife informs me - spent Too Damn Much(tm) on getting ready for hunting this season. But I don't have really have any camo gear yet.

I've seen prices ranging from Walmart to REI, and everywhere in-between.

Does anybody have a recommendation for stuff that is (a) gonna keep me reasonably warm and dry for (at least) early archery season, but also (b) keep me out of the doghouse with my wife? And is there anything that I should really avoid?

Or to buck conventional wisdom entirely - how important *is* camo gear? I'm reasonably well outfitted with cold-weather hiking clothes, but they're generally straight black - how awful would that be (assuming I'm not out in the snow)?

[PlateauNDN]

As a father of 5, I'm on a budget for gear and I've slain animals wearing walmart camo and will again this year. Mossy oak or real tree are both good and walmart.

All the other stuff is awesome and great if you have the funds to get it.

Cover and wind is what's really important.

[cougforester]

Nooooo black. Seems to be stories nearly every year where a brush picker or hiker is shot by a hunter who thought that they were a bear! That stuff would be fine for layering underneath I'm sure, but not for an exterior layer.

[Holg3107]

Inexpensive is kind of in the eye of the beholder. Heres a link to a thread I started about discount online gear. Get on Steapandcheap, sierratradingpost, etc... and you can get some realy great quality gear for half price. Camofire is also a great resource for discounted camo gear!

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,217272.0.html

[Seahawk12]

Two very inexpensive ways to get some camo:
1 hit the thrift stores. This requires a little luck.
2 go to a fabric store like jo annes and ask for help getting plans for a simple coverall or simple two piece set up.
Buy the yardage of camo pattern fabric you need.
Start sewing something together.
Either of these options will get you by intil you can slowly buy the gear you want over time.

[carpsniperg2]

What size you ware? If your any of the sizes I have left. I might be able to send ya something.

[jennabug]

Also check out military surplus stores. they will have layers and wool.

[PolarBear]

  beat me to it.
$1,000 worth of Sitka gear isn't going to get you any closer to a critter than a $9 Wally World shirt or military surplus . I use Red Head camo. It's cheap, fits right and gets the job done.   I know a couple of old farts that still us Viet Nam era bdu's and always get close shots. .

[fishnfur]

Used gear on ebay can often be a bargain too. 

You could wear a hunter orange vest (less than $10) and hat over your existing black gear and feel pretty safe from the dummies shooting at black animals in the woods.  I use a sharpie marker to draw black camo pattern on my orange gear for the general season.  Anything to break up the large areas of single color cloth - the deer won't see you if you're motionless.

 

[vandeman17]

What size you ware? If your any of the sizes I have left. I might be able to send ya something.

Me as well

[Fl0und3rz]

What sizes and location?  I have some stuff you could pick through.

[WAcoyotehunter]

Having camo is not as important as many people let on.  You can do just fine wearing tans, greens, plaid ect.. Wear quiet gear that you are comfortable in. 

[smithkl42]

Nooooo black. Seems to be stories nearly every year where a brush picker or hiker is shot by a hunter who thought that they were a bear! That stuff would be fine for layering underneath I'm sure, but not for an exterior layer.

Ha! Great point.

[Okanagan]

Having camo is not as important as many people let on.  You can do just fine wearing tans, greens, plaid ect.. Wear quiet gear that you are comfortable in.

^ This^

My only camo is stuff I bought on super sale.  I don't feel handicapped at all, and fill quite a few big game tags.  My all time favorite camo fleece jacket is from WalMart and has holes worn in it.  I'm old enough to have shot way more game without camo and without fleece than with either.  Shot more critters while wearing a green and yellowish plaid acrylic outer shirt than anything else though a muted blue and black wool plaid CPO shirt from K-Mart was a close second.  I wore both of those till they were rags.   

On cheap stuff, just check to make sure the zippers work and if they are petite little zippers, pass. 

Wool dress pants from a thrift store and a wool blend or synthetic plaid shirt are superb for most WA deer seasons:  comfortable, quiet, shed light rain and dew. As well as avoiding black, I won't buy tan. If it is really pouring, add rain gear.  I often wear fleece or a soft synthetic layer OUTSIDE/over my rain jacket to stay quiet when brushing against bushes and limbs if I am still hunting.  I keep gaiters INSIDE my wool pants for the same reason:  quiet.  Also, water running down the outside of pants drains and seeps inside the gaiter tops and into boots if the gaiters are outside the pants.  Bet you can't guess how I learned that one...     

Edited to add:  Do what you want but I prefer to never wear camo in public.  I usually stop on my way into a hunt and on the way out and change into "civvies".  Jeans and a cotton flannel shirt are more comfortable for the drive home anyway and if I stop at a café or convenience store I don't want the clerk nor other customers nor a cop to know from my clothes that I probably have hunting gear in my vehicle.  Unless the antlers are too big to hide, ditto for letting horns show. 

[dmoua]

Cheap camo from Walmart is just fine if you can't find it anywhere else. My pair of camo pants is so worn out it is starting to look like tan pants lol.