Where do we draw a line in the sand with prices?

[gearjunkie]

Where is this magical 40.00 price point coming from? Yes, “premium”brands do charge a premium.

I would look at the SWFA Low will do it thread for some feedback about why it’s not as easy as
Just ordering 10,000 40.00 jackets and selling them.

US labor, logistics cost, license costs for fabrics like Gore or camo patterns all add up very quick. As noted above add marketing costs for sales reps, trade shows, catalogs. Also as noted in the defiance thread, not everyone is paying full boat retail, wholesale FOB is much lower than the retail price you see. Also very few clients actually pay retail so knock off 10-20 percent for every purchase.

Suddenly that 100-200% markup shrinks down to the low double high single digits really quick.


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100 percent agree there are a lot of logistics involved. I have used apps like imporyeti to see exactly what factory these companies import good from and look at factory prices. I check factory websites for the exact item. Some companies cover their tracks pretty well by having multiple company names which are hard to follow.

 

[t_carlson]

At this point it's pure greed…It's time that a company entered the space who's first priority wasn't to make the the CEO rich…I don't care if it's made here or overseas just stop being so damn greedy.

I hear ya, dawg.

I was thinking about this last night when I was trying to fall asleep. If only Kuiu would drop their prices, I’d surely kill more big stuff.

I even came up with a slogan, all on my own:

“To each according to his needs, from each according to his ability”

 

[AlpineBeard]

That's why I simply said where do we draw the line as a market? Not that it will ever happen. There are American companies as well that seem to be decent but they miss the mark in a lot of areas. I know my handle is gear junkie, but for example, not one article of clothing from most of these brands has below 800 fill down in it and you are running 650 you are losing me right there.

I don’t disagree with you generally. I draw the line myself by buying the best gear per dollar and therefore non of it is camouflage. I would like to get some of the gear that’s actually for hunting particularly the rain gear because some of it is much quieter than what I’m using now. I hunt what I consider to be some of the most illusive animals in some of the most miserable conditions and I’ve been successful without camo… it would be much tougher to be successful without quality gear.

 

[5MilesBack]

We need someone to disrupt this market and force the prices down.

The consumers can do that. All you have to do is.......your part. Stop paying ridiculous prices. That's all you can do, then you're not "part of the problem". I don't need expensive clothes for hunting. I'm not out there to win any fashion shows, that's for sure. You can find functional comfortable clothing for pretty darn cheap, even if you can afford really expensive stuff. A lot of the so-called "top end" stuff I don't even like. As long as it fits, keeps me comfortable out there, is inexpensive, and lasts a few years, I'm good with it.

Heck, half the fun is "hunting" year round for those bargains. Some of those bargains might be the top end stuff you're talking about through resale, but a bunch of it is just finding much cheaper clothes that still work well. I'm still wearing my Cabela's clearance Microtex from years ago for $20 per shirt or pants, and I love that stuff. Fleece is a bargain, especially at Goodwill or other thrift stores. I wear cheap fleece almost every day 9 months out of the year. Hunt for the bargains.

 

[Wapiti1]

There is the option of buying a USA made brand. Pricing is pretty similar, or even a little less.

Forloh, Go Wild, Blackstock, Crye, Gulch Gear, Origin (their pants are excellent), XGO are some that I can think of.

Some have foreign made fabric, some are all USA (Origin is one).

That said, I mostly use a mix from both hunting and non-hunting makers and other than pants and rain gear, none of it was spendy. What works is more important to me than who made it. So many clothing pieces can be had for cheap if you don't care about camo pattern, or brand recognition.

As a for instance, TrueTimber had a BOGO sale on fleece pullovers among other clothing items during Christmas. $30 plus shipping got you two heavyweight fleece 1/4 zips. They do exactly what a Sitka branded fleece would do. If it's made in China anyway, I'm not paying the Sitka tax just to have optifade camo.

Jeremy

 

[gearjunkie]

The consumers can do that. All you have to do is.......your part. Stop paying ridiculous prices. That's all you can do, then you're not "part of the problem". I don't need expensive clothes for hunting. I'm not out there to win any fashion shows, that's for sure. You can find functional comfortable clothing for pretty darn cheap, even if you can afford really expensive stuff. A lot of the so-called "top end" stuff I don't even like. As long as it fits, keeps me comfortable out there, is inexpensive, and lasts a few years, I'm good with it.

Amen

 

[prm]

I have no idea about these companies profits, nor how they allocate their revenue. I do know they crossed my line in the sand quite awhile ago when it comes to pants. Those prices are $&*%# ridiculous. In fairness, I did try a couple of the big brands. I immediate realized they offered virtually zero real benefit to countless $50-$80 pants.

 

[Trogon]

Is high priced outdoor gear a news flash? Its been this way forever, for every outdoor activity. Hunting, fishing, biking, literally all athletic equipment.

If you want to eat the instant depreciation you get when paying MSRP, that is the cost of having it now. Otherwise, buy on sale. Even better, used. That will never change

 

[gearjunkie]

Is high priced outdoor gear a news flash? Its been this way forever, for every outdoor activity. Hunting, fishing, biking, literally all athletic equipment.

If you want to eat the instant depreciation you get when paying MSRP, that is the cost of having it now. Otherwise, buy on sale. Even better, used. That will never change

I have tried to obtain used Kuiu stuff it's usually around the same price as the damn website. I have yet to figure out how to get more than 10 percent off Kuiu.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Most of these companies you aren't paying top price for a quality garment your paying top price for a top shelf add campaign.

 

[jtivat]

I have a ton of Kuiu and some of the others and I have not purchased one thing for less than 25% off most 30 and 40%.

 

[schmalzy]

I have a ton of Kuiu and some of the others and I have not purchased one thing for less than 25% off most 30 and 40%.

My experience as well. If you don’t need something immediately with Kuiu you can almost always get it for 30% off at some point in the year.


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[rpinelli]

I think it depends on the type of hunting you are doing and whether you really need all of the gear. Then you can draw your line as to what you are and aren’t buying.

I buy first lite, kuiu, stone glacier, forloh, and sitka. Do I need it probably not, am I going to buy it anyway, yes. I get a discount on some and no discount on others.

 

[TFrank]

 

[sndmn11]

I've bought a handful of USA made pieces of outdoor clothing the last few months at the same or lower price than comparable First Lite.

 

[gearjunkie]

I have been trying to get a Superdown Pro jacket for quite a while I haven't seen it on sale.

 

[Poser]

Most of these companies you aren't paying top price for a quality garment your paying top price for a top shelf add campaign.

Came here to say this. KUIU is a freaking marketing machine and the advanced digital campaigns they are employing do not come cheap.

 

[fwafwow]

I have been trying to get a Superdown Pro jacket for quite a while I haven't seen it on sale.

I have a NWT Kuiu down jacket posted for sale right now. Not Super Down, but the predecessor. I’m sure I bought on sale because I was an innocent victim of their marketing machine.

Forloh must be good - cuz Willie Robertson is their spokesman!

 

[madtinker]

My line in the sand? I’m a cheapskate. I got back into hunting in just the last year, and saved a lot of money on clothes by buying wool sweaters, wool pants, and a down jacket from thrift stores. I had to learn how to hem and let out the waist of the pants - they are old army uniform pants that were fitted for a stork. Now they fit like a glove. The jacket makes me look like a crazy homeless person, it’s so dated. Elk don’t care what I look like.

One item of gear I really need to upgrade is my pack. On my hunt last fall it tore up the skin on my back due to poor design and bad fit when heavily loaded. Am I going to spend $700 for a new pack system? Absolutely not. I’m going to wait til something comes up on the classifieds for what I feel is a fair price.

Anyway, my point is if you don’t feel a price is fair, don’t pay it. Our granddaddies (figuratively; as far as I can tell mine never hunted) got by with their regular work clothes, and with a bit of creativity there’s no need to spend big $$ to wander around the woods with a boom stick.

 

[ethan]

I’m buy the vast majority of my gear on sale or through classified, etc…. I do have quite a bit of gear from companies like OR or Patagonia. And I hear a lot of guys say the non hunting companies are less expensive, but i haven’t found that to be he case.

But I think there are more and more affordable options becoming available. Ten years ago, if you wanted lightweight, stretchable, quick drying pants you were probably going to drop some coin. Now you can get a pair of wrangler outdoor pants for $25. The quality is not as high as SOME of the high end brands but I’ll gladly save $140 for a zipper that’s not quite as good, and if they have to be replaced every year, so what? I think it‘s all perspective, buy high quality where you need it and buy good enough when you can.