technical hunting clothing enjoys great advantages over budget clothing. Materials like polyester, spandex, merino wool, hydrophobic down, synthetic insulation, nylon, and other advanced textiles are just better at dealing with the elements. Well designed pants are more comfortable to hike in, truly waterproof raingear is the difference between getting soaked and staying dry, and an advanced puffy jacket will keep a hunter comfortably warm in temperatures disproportionate to its weight. Budget hunting clothing is heavier, cotton is miserable when wet, and cheap rain gear eventually leaks or soaks in bad conditions. These are just the scientific facts, but do they justify the cost? That is an individual question.
Personally, I never imagined paying a premium for hunting clothing until I started bivy hunting. When most of my hunts occurred from a truck or cabin, my budget gear never left me wanting. My first use of merino base layers, premium packable rain gear, technical pants, and a down puffy jacket on backpack hunts convinced me that premium clothing was for me. Continued testing confirmed my preference. These preferences have come from testing gear to failure; if it fails, it gets replaced. In the end, I'm left with gear that I know will allow me to stay on the mountain and hunt effectively in any condition. Camouflage patterns, I believe, are a matter of personal preference, not life and death. While I believe that a good outline disrupting pattern makes an appreciable difference in some situations, it doesn't determine what I buy. In the end, how much is spent on clothing should be determined by individual wants and needs. Backpack and bivy hunts definitely demand better gear. Day hunts from the truck may not. Either way, technical hunting clothing will outperform budget clothing every time; whether or not it is worth the cash is up to you.
Packs are a matter of great personal pride, and for good reason. They really are a lifeline on the mountain and must perform. When I first set out to buy a proper hunting backpack, I spent weeks following Aron Snyder's reviews on a hunting forum. The amount of packs on the market and the myriad of different features blew my mind. It never occurred to me that there would be so much to choose from. Finally, in accordance with my 17 year-old budget, I spent $100 on an Eberlestock X2A1 that was salvaged from a warehouse fire. I loved it for years, packing out several deer and a good couple hundred pounds of sheds with it. Until I started extended backpack hunts I never felt the need to upgrade. When I finally set out to find my perfect pack it was a long process.