I choose to buy the Hancock Kapowsin permit and to me, it is worth it. You will get varying opinions, a lot of folks don't like the permits, the rules, the management of the areas, etc, but for me, it works. I prefer to be able to hunt before/after work, every weekend that I can and whatever time I take off of work to hunt. I am within 20 minutes of a gate and I maximize my time in the permit area, I don't just hunt during season there. I mushroom hunt, I grouse hunt, I scout, I shed hunt, I wander around because I can :-)
If I didn't have the permit, I would only be able to hunt when I took vacation from work and it is likely, if I didn't camp, that I would be hunting at least an hour away, one-way.