I've been suckered left, right and center by every hunting gear ad and marketing ploy that ever was, and high on the list has been those quasi-traditional items from Filson, and anything plastered with lots of pockets. More pockets = more gear, and that's about the dumbest equation imaginable.

Wish I had a buck for every $50 I wasted in the past half century on gear that didn't work out. The older I get, the less cr@p I carry afield, and the easier hunting has become (Would have said 'simpler,' but you'd probably assume I was referring to myself ).

Nowadays, the gun, half a dozen shells, some TP, a pocket knife and a juicy apple is all I need for the day. A beat up old strap vest is ample to carry that and - hopefully - a dead ruff or two. Anything else is just excess baggage.

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