Gear Philosophy BOCO - Buy Once Cry Once or other?

[CJ776]

Evening y'all. Was cleaning some of my gear and was wondering what y'alls approach is to your gear.

Three approaches I see:

1. BOCO - Buy Once Cry Once - Buy the absolute best you can afford. You take really good care of the gear, maintain and clean it, and most likely have it for life. You get pretty bummed if you lose or break one of your quality items and will go to length to repair / fix it.

2. Middle of the road - Don't buy the most expensive but better than lower end items. Will take care of gear but not too razzed if you lose it or break it. Might fix it if approach is painless enough.

3. Cheap route - You buy cheap and don't care too much about the gear. If it breaks you'll likely buy another one and not worry about fixing it. Easy come easy go!

I'm largely a BOCO guy and love good gear, Filson, Saddleback, Benelli, Browning, Yeti. I'm not rolling in dough, but will try to buy the best I can comfortably afford.

Chime in. Would like to hear what the GS has to say!

[flywise]

I find middle to lower end stuff works just as good and last long enough.
Nothing i buy is high end and i never feel like im always replacing stuff

[Shinesintx]

I'm addicted to buying high end stuff...on sale.

[CJ776]

I'm addicted to buying high end stuff...on sale.

same. Always hunting craigslist

[JustinJ]

depend on the gear and what its used for. Hunting boots for elk country? BOCO. Hunting boots for sitting in a deer stand in Texas, wear whatever you've got. A rifle used on a sheep hunt in BC? BOCO. A rifle used to shoot a 130" WT at 100yds, any package rifle will do.

I like buying really nice gear that will last me a lifetime and will do the job perfectly, but the vast majority of hunters (me included most of the time) can get the job done just as well with off the shelf stuff most of the time.

Nobody "needs" swarovski glass, FL clothing, a custom rifle, and kennetreks to shoot a WT in texas, but on a big time hunt those items can be life changing!

[Black Ice]

Gear Philosophy BOCO - Buy Once Cry Once or other?

Evening y'all. Was cleaning some of my gear and was wondering what y'alls approach is to your gear.



Three approaches I see:



1. BOCO - Buy Once Cry Once - Buy the absolute best you can afford. You take really good care of the gear, maintain and clean it, and most likely have it for life. You get pretty bummed if you lose or break one of your quality items and will go to length to repair / fix it.



2. Middle of the road - Don't buy the most expensive but better than lower end items. Will take care of gear but not too razzed if you lose it or break it. Might fix it if approach is painless enough.



3. Cheap route - You buy cheap and don't care too much about the gear. If it breaks you'll likely buy another one and not worry about fixing it. Easy come easy go!



I'm largely a BOCO guy and love good gear, Filson, Saddleback, Benelli, Browning, Yeti. I'm not rolling in dough, but will try to buy the best I can comfortably afford.



Chime in. Would like to hear what the GS has to say!

I've learned my lessons over the years to buy high end or middle of the road. There's nothing more frustrating than driving 9 hrs and having all your wildgame feeder motors not working lol. Yes I was cheap at one point and decided a $50 wildgame unit would last and I would save $50. The $100 dollar feeder units have more than paid for themselves over the last serval years.


When it comes to guns and glass I think it's more of what you like and want to spend your money on or what you are trying to accomplish. I can take one of my $600 rifle setups and kill a deer at 100 to 200 yards in daylight just as easy as I can with a $6000 setup.


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[sir shovelhands]

I'm usually a BOCO guy, but there's always my old friend: harbor freight. For when you only need to use it once, or plan to mangle it with a torch and grinder to turn it into a specialty tool. Only thing decent there is the red tool cabinets (surprisingly good for the price).

[Lawhorn]

It all depends for me. For hunting Texas I purchase middle of the road gear as I know it's going to get lost or torn up in the brush. For my out of state hunts that require your gear to perform I purchase high end and adhere to the BOCO. Same for guns, bows, accessories, and glass I buy the absolute best I can afford and BOCO it!!


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[12RingKing]

A common search for me when I'm looking for something....

"Best ____ for the money."

[Wiley64]

Buy cheap and hunt more.

[Traildust]

Best doesn't always mean most expensive. Lots of options out there right now. Deals can be had for the informed, patient hunter.

[BobbyJoe]

Buy cheap and hunt more.

^^this. all that extra money could probably get you on a pretty nice lease somewhere.

[Double-O-Dave]

I've fought this fight for a long time. I'm 61 now and my buying philosophy hasn't changed - hey-diddle-diddle - go right down the middle. I'll spend more for quality gear like firearms and fishing rods and reels, but clothing, boots, etc. I usually go middle of the road and do just fine.

Regards,

Dave

[Graysonhogs]

Gear Philosophy BOCO - Buy Once Cry Once or other?

Middle of the road on most things. Which for me has a lot to do with disposable income.


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[Gunnyart]

I'm a shopper and a haggler. I research and buy the best reviewed stuff I can afford and if it's a high priced item than I usually buy it second hand and let the first buyer take the depreciation hit.
Another thing I do is trade up over time. When I was young and living hand to mouth I bought the cheapest stuff but as I could afford it I would sell what I had to buy the better higher quality gun or whatever. The Guns in my safe are fewer than before but better quality.