Supporting equipment made in the U.S. has a more significant impact than you may realize. You can spend money with a smile because you helped a nearby farmer or budding business. You chose to invest in workers’ wages and your community’s growth. 

Learn how to make a difference by choosing locally-made camping and outdoor products. You’ll feel proud and get high-quality products in the process.

Supporting the Economy

Most people default to shopping for their gear online because of the convenience. Internet marketplaces ship everything from backpacks to flashlights from across oceans. It may not even be obvious where the item comes from. Why not look closer to home instead?

Outlets like Duluth Pack provide a diverse array of outdoor products from many U.S. brands. All your outdoor equipment is available with clearly marked filters. The stock includes quality items from:

• Badger: Natural bug spray and facial hair wax
• Bending Branches: Boat paddles
• Cache Lake: Dry camping food
• Deneen Pottery: Mugs
• Duluth Pack: Oldest canvas and leather bag and pack manufacturer in the USA
• Epicurean: Kitchen tools
• Homestead Mills: Pancake mix
• Leather Critters Inc: Ornaments
• Mike and Jen’s: Hot cocoa
• Nalgene: Water bottles
• Paine Products: Incense holders and cones
• Polar: Warm mittens, headbands, hats and more
• Singing Pines: Wild rice
• Spring Creek Manufacturing: America’s original stabilizer company. Kayaking gear, hitches, racks and more
• Stormy Kromer: Coats and hats
• Twigs & More: Art supplies
• Welch: Suspenders
• Woodchuck: Journals
• Woodfire Candle Co.: Soy candles

These U.S.-based niche retailers allow you to get attentively made products for every facet of your adventurous lifestyle. 

The money you spend directly supports hometown wages and your community’s economy. Investing in your town’s financial stability is a win for the whole country. It makes domestic industries stronger and increases job security for your neighbors.

Quality Assurance

You never know the quality of a solar charger or hiking boots if you choose e-commerce outlets. Usually, it requires hours of internet sleuthing to determine what’s worth your money. Save time digging deep into Reddit forums and Amazon reviews by choosing American-made gear down the street.

You can test products in person when you shop locally. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to talk to the artisans or mechanics who made them. You can also look at American online stores, which operate under strict regulations. You’re more likely to get more durable and trustworthy equipment for your journeys if you know where and how the product comes to life.

Environmental Impact

Shipping heavy camping and hunting materials worldwide produces countless carbon emissions. It also relies on fossil fuels, which you want to avoid at all costs. Choosing American-made products means the items travel shorter distances or they’re made in your neck of the woods. It’s more likely your products were crafted with local ingredients and materials, such as fabrics and wood.

It also becomes easier to decide where to buy from when you have specific criteria. Minimize decision fatigue and foster sustainable prosperity at home by choosing something nationally made from somewhere that advertises environmental commitment.

Labor Standards

The U.S. has numerous labor laws and regulations to protect its workers. Companies must adhere, or they don’t operate for long — it’s as simple as that. You can’t promise the same from other places, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the country. You’ll increase the chances someone paid fairly in just working conditions made that windbreaker or lantern.

Preservation of Skills and Expertise

If Americans don’t buy stuff made in the country, how will its workers keep their skills sharp? Boosting local businesses keeps U.S. workforces on their toes, encouraging them to continue honing their crafts. Tenured staff obtaining more practice also develops consistency and standardization across the camping and outdoor gear sector. If a company outsources, then those years of refinement get lost to history.

Community Development

Doesn’t it make you feel good to meet a stranger from your birth town when hiking or out on a fishing trip? This feeling of community and identity strengthens if you commit to buying U.S. goods. You develop pride in your heritage and send compliments to your compatriots. It spreads positive feelings and validates the efforts of people in your community.

It also could promote the development of future businesses and consistent investments. Domestic success lets funders know what people are interested in. Once they see what locals want to put their money toward, it could influence future generations with a host of new business opportunities and places to promote.

Ethical Considerations

Many corporations outsource their work because labor is cheaper in nations with fewer laws. You likely don’t want to support people paid less than minimum wage in unsafe work environments. Researching the ethics of a U.S. company is complex, but it is more straightforward than digging into a government and culture you don’t know.

Motivate yourself to ask people how they enjoy their employer. Ask management what guidelines they follow to promise a supportive workplace. Verify the presence of labor, sustainability and compliance certifications.

Customization

You’re more likely to get the personalized gear you want if you look at American-made products. Seeking tools from a faceless entity thousands of miles away will net you an uninspired, mass-manufactured item. 

Looking locally boosts the likelihood you can customize and tailor every bit of outdoor equipment to your needs and preferences. For example, Duluth Pack allows customers to get made-to-order apparel to make them stand out from the rest.

Cultural Preservation

America has a long history of traditions and craft. It’s easy to lose a sense of identity in craftsmanship and manufacturing in an age where expedited, cheap products are king.

Instead of finding the least expensive and, likely, lower-quality solution to your outdoor desires, vote with your dollar. Buying from U.S. organizations inspires local tradespeople, small-business owners and minority populations to keep their culture alive. Americans could also invest in indigenous communities, making it easier for them to celebrate their culture while engaging with their passions.

Patriotic Purchases

Products with a “Made in the USA” logo should make you happy now that you know every advantage they bring. Investing in American products is investing in yourself. Do you need a lead? Tread the outdoors proudly with Duluth Pack. Buying at least one product made in the U.S. has a lasting impact on the country’s economic and social stability. Make the choice today as you plan for your next adventure.

Happy supporting, friends!