Another Tech Clothing Company to enter the marketplace

P Carter

WKR
Joined
Nov 4, 2016
Messages
686
Location
Idaho
And another! Facebook apparently thinks that I want every ad for every hinting clothing company.

 

Wrench

WKR
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
6,216
Location
WA
Everyone should build trad bows. There's a zillion makers and not much bashing amongst the whole group. They sort of exist harmoniously.

Not sure if its the pretty wood, but green and brown clothes make people get shitty in a hurry.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
1,226
Location
WA State
And another! Facebook apparently thinks that I want every ad for every hinting clothing company.

$470 for a 650 fill down jacket hahaha
 

BluMtn

WKR
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
1,050
Location
Washington
Well for me when I look at clothing the first thing I look at is their pant line. Seems that 32" inseams are the norm and the tall's generally run 34". Kuiu does have standard 34" that can be let out to 35.5" which is what I do. Pnuma has them long enough but when ever I try to ask questions about their product I get cookie cutter answers that don't pertain to my question. And I don't want the protective rubber dots that fall off after one season.
 
Joined
May 22, 2020
Messages
22
Sheesh... might be tough for Forloh to compete with the established brands when you are priced higher. That's a tough sell...
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
552
I should clarify that what I wrote shouldn't in totality, be the idea that it takes one of these innovations to make it in this market because it doesn't. A startup just simply can't throw a similar price on a similar product, without it. IMO Kings did a really good job of entering the market with lower prices albeit lower quality than the big 3, but found a consumer demographic that needed a mid-tier, mid-priced product. They in turn were able to transition into a more performance based product.
This is kinda the point I was trying to make in the Canis thread a while back. Gore owns Sitka while Toray and Kuiu seem to have a great relationship. While Gore and Toray are not the only good tech out there, they are top-tier, so I have a hard time believing a little startup leap-frogged them enough to justify being 10-20% more expensive than current market leaders, which are also more expensive than general outdoor brand market leaders using similar or superior materials.

That kind of claim would be a little more believable if they targeted a single product category that still has big room for improvement (e.g. rain gear that is tough, light, breathable and quiet while not setting out after a week in the PNW, OR base layers that are tough and B.O.-resistant) with a pretty good development story showing lots of real world testing. First Lite did basically the same thing by targeting camo on wool rather than coming out with a full system on day 1 that they claim is the best ever (the guys in early their early ads were wearing Sitka outerwear with their FL wool layers). Now they have expanded and have a full lineup and are now one of the top brands.

Or they could be competitive on price. SKRE and King's have never got any kind of strong negative reaction like Canis did because they are not asking customers to pay extra to be their guinea pigs
 
Last edited:
OP
P

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,597
Location
Durango CO
This is kinda the point I was trying to make in the Canis thread a while back. Gore owns Sitka while Toray and Kuiu seem to have a great relationship. While Gore and Toray are not the only good tech out there, they are top-tier, so I have a hard time believing a little startup leap-frogged them enough to justify being 10-20% more expensive than current market leaders, which are also more expensive than general outdoor brand market leaders using similar or superior materials.

That kind of claim would be a little more believable if they targeted a single product category that still has big room for improvement (e.g. rain gear that is tough, light, breathable and quiet while not setting out after a week in the PNW, OR base layers that are tough and B.O.-resistant) with a pretty good development story showing lots of real world testing. First Lite did basically the same thing by targeting camo on wool rather than coming out with a full system on day 1 that they claim is the best ever (the guys in early their early ads were wearing Sitka outerwear with their FL wool layers). Now they have expanded and have a full lineup and are now one of the top brands.

Or they could be competitive on price. SKRE and King's have never got any kind of strong negative reaction like Canis did because they are not asking customers to pay extra to be their guinea pigs

All I know is, if I were an angle investor, I wouldn’t be looking at a startup hunting tech apparel company to sink my money into.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
552
All I know is, if I were an angle investor, I wouldn’t be looking at a startup hunting tech apparel company to sink my money into.
Agreed, if there is a decent economic downturn, I expect most of the newer direct to consumer brands to fold
 

sneaky

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
10,112
Location
ID
Agreed, if there is a decent economic downturn, I expect most of the newer direct to consumer brands to fold
Wasn't that long ago that Kuiu was a new direct to consumer company. An influx of a lot of new hunters and the rise of social media has made the space more competitive. I would think a direct to consumer model would have more streamlined costs than a company with a huge overhead and having to provide products at retailer driven price points. I'm just curious where Verdict Gear is sewn. I know where Gulch Gear and Forloh are sewn, but see no mention of it on Verdict Gear's website.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,757
Location
Oregon
Wasn't that long ago that Kuiu was a new direct to consumer company. An influx of a lot of new hunters and the rise of social media has made the space more competitive. I would think a direct to consumer model would have more streamlined costs than a company with a huge overhead and having to provide products at retailer driven price points. I'm just curious where Verdict Gear is sewn. I know where Gulch Gear and Forloh are sewn, but see no mention of it on Verdict Gear's website.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
From what ive been noticing, if it's not mentioned it's usually for a reason lol. Companies seem to always brag about being made/sewn here, not the case for the foreign made shit from what I can tell since I've been paying more attention to it
 

quaggy25

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 18, 2021
Messages
117
Lots of companies use Gore. Beretta is coming out with a waterfowl line that’s Gore.

Scholer is another premium. Lots of outdoor companies have quality fabrics that aren’t Gore or Toray, just lesser known. The reason Gore is so popular is because it was the pioneer in the type of material (breathable and water proof). Just because they were the pioneer doesn’t make them the absolute best.

Forhloh has interesting fabrics with a lesser know US company, from what I’ve read it’s quality stuff.

Sitka pioneered high end innovative hunting gear and a lot of companies copy their innovations for sure.

ETA: sorry got interrupted by the kids. All that was to say to really understand apparel do research on the technology. For instance 20,000 mm is considered 100% water proof. Gore Tex is around 28,000 mm. If they say 100% water proof but don’t give you the rating email and ask. Anything below 20,000mm isn’t 100% water proof. Same with wind proof. 100% wind proof is 1cfm or less. Anything above that isn’t 100% wind proof. The rest IMO comes down to quality control, fit and finish and features.
 
Last edited:

sneaky

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
10,112
Location
ID
From what ive been noticing, if it's not mentioned it's usually for a reason lol. Companies seem to always brag about being made/sewn here, not the case for the foreign made shit from what I can tell since I've been paying more attention to it
Yeah, pretty much. It's too much to ask for these days lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

sneaky

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
10,112
Location
ID
Lots of companies use Gore. Beretta is coming out with a waterfowl line that’s Gore.

Scholer is another premium. Lots of outdoor companies have quality fabrics that aren’t Gore or Toray, just lesser known. The reason Gore is so popular is because it was the pioneer in the type of material (breathable and water proof). Just because they were the pioneer doesn’t make them the absolute best.

Forhloh has interesting fabrics with a lesser know US company, from what I’ve read it’s quality stuff.

Sitka pioneered high end innovative hunting gear and a lot of companies copy their innovations for sure.

ETA: sorry got interrupted by the kids. All that was to say to really understand apparel do research on the technology. For instance 20,000 mm is considered 100% water proof. Gore Tex is around 28,000 mm. If they say 100% water proof but don’t give you the rating email and ask. Anything below 20,000mm isn’t 100% water proof. Same with wind proof. 100% wind proof is 1cfm or less. Anything above that isn’t 100% wind proof. The rest IMO comes down to quality control, fit and finish and features.
I think Gore only lets companies release products made with their fabrics that are sewn in their approved factories.

I love my Takur rain gear made from Schoeller. That stuff breathes a hundred times better than Gore Tex does.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

quaggy25

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 18, 2021
Messages
117
I think Gore only lets companies release products made with their fabrics that are sewn in their approved factories.

I love my Takur rain gear made from Schoeller. That stuff breathes a hundred times better than Gore Tex does.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
That’s how I understand it as well.

I wanted the takur stuff so bad but the altitude pattern doesn’t really work for me. I have highlander set up because I use the gear for multiple purposes and that pattern fits where I’ll be hunting most. Wish they did the Takur in Highlander.
 

jtivat

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 25, 2022
Messages
267
Location
Caledonia, MI
Wasn't that long ago that Kuiu was a new direct to consumer company. An influx of a lot of new hunters and the rise of social media has made the space more competitive. I would think a direct to consumer model would have more streamlined costs than a company with a huge overhead and having to provide products at retailer driven price points. I'm just curious where Verdict Gear is sewn. I know where Gulch Gear and Forloh are sewn, but see no mention of it on Verdict Gear's website.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Kuiu was but their founder was also co-founder of Sitka so I am sure that got them a lot of traction fast.
 
Top