LOTM: Gear on the Margin

© 2010 Joshua Stark

Marginal lands ask for a certain characteristic of gear:  Versatility.  Whether it be hunting, fishing, or just hiking, edgelands offer a variety, but not a consistency, and so the equipment one finds most valuable are those things that multitask well.

Marginal lands are those places generally overlooked or ignored due to a misplaced sense by most people about what constitutes value.  Public access to BLM lands is probably the most common example, but state and local governments, as well as traditional rights-of-way through large private tracts, abandoned lots, and other marginally legal public places let life take hold in a wild state.

My reviews are not typically for specific products, but rather categories of products.  For example, I don't review a cache of arms for my recommendation on shotguns.  If gun manufacturers were to offer me some guns to review, I'd happily try this, but alas! it is not to be.  So consider these recommendations not for particular brands, makes or models, but for types of gear, to give you some more leeway in your own decisions.

I've grown up hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, and birdwatching in these places.  I hope my small experiences can help folks looking to get into these fun and amazing places.  So without further ado, some of my reviews:

MARGINAL REVIEWS

Rifles for the marginal lands

Shotguns for the marginal lands

Marginal lands archery

Pants

Shoes

I do plan to add reviews here as I conduct them.  Let me know if you have any questions or requests. 

A note:  Very often, I consider price as one factor in an item's versatility, but I do wrestle with Confucius' notion, "that which is expensive is not expensive, and that which is cheap is not cheap."  The categories I have usually provide enough room for expensive or, ahem, less expensive, but I do not recommend cutting costs on footwear (including socks), or in the purchase of a used gun.  Just my opinion.