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My cousin has a factory just a few miles from the house I grew up in. He has a military contract but says they have cut back. From 1990 tonaround the year 2000 they made a lot of Camo for Bill Jordan that was sold in bass pro and had around 350 employees. All that production was moved over seas so he currently has about 49 employees and a bunch of sewing machines etc just sitting there unused. I had a conversation with him and he would be interested in making civilian camo again. Long story short if we could manfacture USA made camo would anyone here be interested or know of a place to start to possibly get orders? He can also make flannel shirts, and workwear etc. "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | ||
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Just my 2 cents. He could take the Kuiu approach and direct market. The key there is to offer the high quality that USA made should mean at a reasonable cost. The fabrics matter more these days, and technical hunting clothing is now all the rage. That clothing also carries a high price tag with it which means he may have some room for pricing purposes. But, the gear has to be comparable to the competition in terms of design, cloth used, and durability. Another approach could be to contact the current small specialty brands, and see if they would be interested in getting a made in USA line going. Kryptek, SKRE, Nomad, etc. Has he considered bespoke casual and dress clothing as an offering? From what I have seen internet order custom duds are getting more popular with the younger crowd. Jeremy | |||
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I would always prefer to buy US-made gear, and will and do pay a premium to get it. So yes, if he made quality US-made clothing at prices comparable (within 25%) of the competition, I would be interested. The Kuiu direct marketing model could work well for him. _____________________ A successful man is one who earns more money than his wife can spend. | |||
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Here is some thing he could do Quad a flage a different camo pattern for each part of the body On the top right arm, right side, left side, left arm, all a different pattern of camo and different shades. pants would be bi-flage This type of camo would really break up ones outline. | |||
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Ditto to what Desert Ram said, i have no marketing advise that's your business,but if it is top shelf, i really don't care about the price if it USA made and the quality justifies it. Paul K Take Trophies - Leave Brass | |||
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Absolutely! I would love to buy something US made with good quality at a fair price. If you go the camo route you will have to design your own or license another brand. If you make your own please don't make a realbush, mossytree, type design. To me anyway I'm sick of them. Same with the military digital stuff. Some of the stuff like Kuiu or the like is better. It just needs to be a little darker. Some of those designs stick out like a sore thumb in anything but a perfect background. Another approach is to also offer hunting clothing in solid natural colors, browns, greens, etc. For the most part I think the camo fad going on right now is a bit silly for a gun hunter that shoots from much farther away. I've bow hunted most of my life and I sometimes doubt camo helps that much there either. Like has already been mentioned direct online sales may be the best way to start. A website doesn't cost that much and if you start with something like PayPal it's fairly easy. Bottom line is if you make a good product using good materials and offer it at a fair price, people will buy it. Advertising can be no more than word of mouth in places hunters congregate, like here. Make some stuff that we can use and "model" in success photos, that should get the ball rolling. Good luck....  Roger ___________________________ I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along. *we band of 45-70ers* | |||
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He should not take all aspects of the Kuiu direct marketing approach. He should actually have in stock what he advertises, he should make sizes that fit 70% of American hunters He should produce what he says he is going to produce He shouldn't spend everything on advertising and then not pay his advertisers | |||
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Short answer, YES !!!! I have walked in the foot prints of the elephant, listened to lion roar and met the buffalo on his turf. I shall never be the same. | |||
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What kind of material do y'all like? If I knew anything about marketing I would already have the machines running. "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | |||
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Do you think there would be much of a market for the solid colors other than a few people? I agree about the success photos. Problem is there's no one here good enough looking to do that. Don't you use cute blondes for that sort of stuff? "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | |||
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I think he should sit back and have a glass of iced tea for most of this year. If international trade is put right by Trump's administration, including NAFTA, you will see the cost of overseas sourced garments rising. As that happens US produced goods will become competitive once again. US civilians are creating more demand for camouflaged clothing than ever before. The demand is there. It's just the sourcing of the goods that needs to swing back into America's favor. . | |||
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I think you could do it IF you made stuff that works. The Kuiu sales model is good except as noted. I'd take a long hard look at what Sitka and Kuiu are doing, then find a gap. Fill it, beat them on service and you should be OK. I'd also like to second the idea of making hunting clothes in solid colors. I spend a lot of time outdoors. The weather doesn't change what I do, but it does change what I wear. I live in a major West Coast city, and I never wear camo unless I'm actually hunting, which is maybe a couple of weeks per year. If I could find decent-looking gear that kept me warm and dry in foul weather and didn't make me look like a commando or a hunter, I'd wear it all the time. Okie John "The 30-06 works. Period." --Finn Aagaard | |||
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I buy solid color clothing in Greens and Browns over camo patterns every time! ( all else being equal) "The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation." "The problem with quoting info from the internet is that you can never be sure it is accurate" Abraham Lincoln | |||
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Yes I do. Take a look at some of the European hunting clothing manufactures, no camo there. But of course it's not their style either. But the point is they use excellent fabrics, good design and market it as hunting and general outdoor class clothing. I think if a lot of hunters here had the option to buy something in forest green or in camo they would opt for the solid color. I know I would. Besides once the design is set and the machines programmed, the cloth color has no effect on manufacturing other than a material roll change for a particular run. Roger ___________________________ I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along. *we band of 45-70ers* | |||
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Schoeller outdoor materials from Switzerland are the best for mountain sports, I think they would be great for hunting. I talked to Jason about this, he went with Toray in Japan.
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I think the opportunity is there and honestly I would aim for a medium price point and more versatility on the color scheme. I would say work up some samples, test them out and hire on the workers as needed. sell a bit through here or other forums to get a good test sample spread out across the US/Canada/world then if most people say "hey this stuff is good" expand from there | |||
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Have you considered making a quality safari shirt like the old Willis and Gieger along with camo. The old Willis and Gieger shirts were made of 100% cotton and were woven tightly. Enough to make it more difficult for mosquitos to bit you, so they said in their advertisement. Anyway they were damn good shirts. My two are showing wear after using them since 1997. Would very much like to get some more. | |||
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I hqve a good driend who has developed and patented a camo called zero detect. Best stuff i have seen. It is not a ipcture of the woods like most, but a pattern that decieves your eye. Anyway, he is teying to get it produced, the military is using some of it. Look it up, maybe you two could hook up | |||
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I would consider a women's line of camouflage too. I don't wear much camo but it is very popular. I would consider kids as well. They wear it a lot in OKC. | |||
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I would use the same design with different materials and include a solid olive and khaki. I would try set it up to cover 3 niches: cold, hot and mountain (you can forego the mountain as that market is very tight between Sitka and Kuiu). 1. 100% wool. 2. 100% cotton or 55/45 cotton/linen for warm hunts 3. Whatever that fabric is in "fishing shirts" 4. New age synthetic mountain fabrics AND PLEASE MAKE SOME SIZES FOR FAT-ASSES!!! Yes that was yelling. After all if they can put There are two types of people in the world: those that get things done and those who make excuses. There are no others. | |||
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Poly fleece is good stuff.warm,does not shrink and dries fast when wet.There are different densities for different weather.Lighter and warmer than wool.Only down side is that fire melts it.Most camo patterns are to catch the hunter.Simple patterns work.Yes I would buy American over all the over priced Chinese stuff. | |||
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I am happy to pay a premium to buy American made gear. I actually search out American Union made stuff. That won't set well here, but its my money and good for our country. In the 1980s Cabela's had a sewing shop in Hurley WI that made their Dry Plus clothing. My brother was a mechanic there. I still wear seconds that were bought then. | |||
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I reward what I perceive to be the higher quality product for my needs. More often than not, but not always, that is American. To do otherwise I think is a reward of mediocrity. I try to reward quality. | |||
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What about blaze orange? Are there any quality American manufacturers of blaze orange hunting clothes? Most states require it for firearm hunters and firearm hunters still outnumber bow hunters. This could be an all but untapped market. No longer Bigasanelk | |||
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There is a great market for gun sleeves carry bags like the ones sold by lands end, compression bags, stuff sacks in varying sizes which I have made fro backing socks shirts and the like NRA Life Member, ILL Rifle Assoc Life Member, Navy | |||
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the reality is that unless he is either sitting on a bunch of cash or has contracts already in place with a number of outlets he isn't going to make it. If I were him I would go to stores like Orvis, Filson, Kevin's, Land's End, etc. and see if I couldn't get a few contracts. | |||
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Cabelas and LL Bean make really nice big game orange hunting gear. Beyond that I still see guys in cheap orange vest and hats. I think people have a problem buying a jacket for $200 or more they can only wear for a few weeks a year. | |||
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I appreciate all of the replies. There are definitely some good ideas. What do y'all think of starting out with something like ripstop in solid colors and maybe expand from there? "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | |||
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I wouldn't buy ripstop material unless he has thousands of rolls of it sitting collecting dust. It doesn't look as good as regular fabric does. | |||
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Another vote for solid but muted colors. I have a lightweight camo coat by Sitka and a solid color coat by Kuiu. I wear the solid color coat 95% of the time and not because I prefer Kuiu over the Sitka. I wear it because it is a solid color. It has been much more valuable to me for the cost that then camo has been. Also a big plus to making your product in sizes that fit everyone over 20 years old. I don't know how Kuiu came up with their sizing but it is way, way off for the majority of the people interested in buying it. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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I am not a Kuiu hater, but I don't like the fact that they sizer their clothes for skinny people, and not your average American. | |||
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Neither am I a Kuiu hater. I have some of their product and love it. However, almost everything I have bought for my wife or me has not fit and has been returned for a different size. Their shipping is not cheap and sending stuff back and forth due to their ridiculous sizing system really adds to the cost. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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I think i would approach DuLuth Trading Co. and see if they were interested... they are developing more and more retail facilities and they definitely draw on the outdoors folks. I have seen them run specials on small lots/unique stuff before.. Another I think I would check into is Sierra Trading post. NRA Benefactor. Life is tough... It's even tougher when you're stupid... John Wayne | |||
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