As my blogger and pro-staff buddies are all at the ATA (Archery Trade Association) show drooling over all the new gadgets, I find myself being a bit of a “Scrooge” when it comes to new archery innovations. The way I look at it is that it has taken me eight or so years to find a setup I like, and I’m effective with and I don’t want to change it.
To do so now would seem to be an insult to those pieces of gear that got me through some tough seasons and performed when I needed them to.
In fact I have come to appreciate a number of items strictly for their longevity. Many other hunters do as well. When I asked a group of dedicated hunters, about their oldest piece of gear, many replied that their rifle or their hunting knife was the constant through out the years. And with good reason. There is a great deal of emotion and sentimental value attached to these items, and often times they are handed down from generation to generation.
Even though we are constantly bombarded with the “Latest and Greatest”, perhaps we as journalists should also put more emphasis on those things you only want to buy once. On major purchases like tents, optics and weapons, I tend to look at products that have had the same design for years. My point being if someone has had a piece of gear for 30 years, that is a good indicator of good performance and rugged durability.
Of course there are things I wear out every year and I’m prone to look at innovations. There are also those products where the technology is improving exponentially every year (think ultralight backpacking, hunting clothing, and compound bows.) But even among those products there are some constants that have stood the test of time.
So what things in your gear list have stood the test of time, that you wouldn’t trade for something “new and improved”?
