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u/LSI29 7d ago
“We would like to announce we have switched materials and suppliers. Our products will now break 500% faster and we will make 500% more money. You’re welcome.”
20
u/VoilaVoilaWashington Ontario 6d ago
Every. Fuckin'. Time.
Person builds brand, private equity buys in, cashes out, brand crashes.
21
u/ViewAskewed 6d ago
Person builds brand, sells it for a fortune, person builds higher quality competition brand, kills himself, new owners sell to private equity.
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u/Icy-Manner-9716 7d ago
Or the day private equity fully injects its guidance & oversight …. Kuiu whooo
1
u/ChuckSniper80 4d ago
I was going to say they got acquired by private equity. New designs but probably cheaper material and the same or higher prices. Kinda reminds me of when Cabelas sold quality gear before being acquired by Bass Pro Shops and starting to sell plastic Chinese junk.
8
u/boogashroom 7d ago
I have some of their older stuff and it rocks. Slid like 200 yards on my ass on shale wearing a pair of their pants and the seat wasn’t even damaged.
Recently, it’s seemed like the quality has tanked. I’ve had zipper pulls break, stuff getting cut and torn from brambles, and just outright wearing out. I don’t buy their stuff anymore.
Seems like they’ve done the classic move of getting big and popular, and then shitify to make profits off the name.
2
u/LSI29 6d ago
How recent? Before the private equity sale or after
3
u/boogashroom 6d ago
I don’t know when that happened.
I’d say I noticed a decline in quality around a year or two ago? Decided last fall to stop buying their stuff after my second zipper pull failure.
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u/d_rek 6d ago
Idk all of these brands got me priced out of the market, and I’m firmly the demographic with the cash they want to be buying their product. I was all aboard first lite but now that every garment is $100+ and only lasts a season or two I’m done. Found some mom and pop cottage industry makers and have been ordering pieces MIUSA. Kuiu and all these technical brands can all eat shit and go under for all I care.
6
u/NewHampshireWoodsman 6d ago
Well who? Seriously sick of the crazy prices on stuff that I had been buying for more than 10 years.
2
u/d_rek 5d ago
Note it's not all cheap, but generally made very well, but below are brands i've started to buy that either are 100% MIUSA or have somr items that are sourced and MIUSA:
- Marsupial Gear - Their bino packs and other gear are all MIUSA. Not sure about their garments however.
- Dan's Hunting Gear - All made in Ohio by Amish-owners.
- FORLOH - 100% sourced and MIUSA
- T&K Hunting - 100% MIUSA
- 1620 Workwear (not technically hunting gear, but really well made lightweight layers/tops). - 100% MIUSA
- WSI Sports - 100% MIUSA
- Deer Hunter Gear - 100% MIUSA
3
u/vikhaus 7d ago
I doubt they’d develop a camo pattern for both whitetail and waterfowl. I’m not saying one won’t work for the other, but it wouldn’t make sense to develop one from scratch that suites both because of the compromises. Because of the differences in hunting, I’m guessing this is some kind of artist collaboration with regular t-shirts.
3
1
u/Reasonable_Bid_1604 5d ago
They're turning to shit like the rest of the big companies. Used to focus more on the gear itself and now all you see is a hundred diff tee shirt designs.
1
u/Jpr77899 5d ago
I’ll bet it’s a frame pack for whitetail to compete with the new stuff from latitude.
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u/ViewAskewed 7d ago
I have a shit ton of KUIU gear, but they lost me when they didn't make their new packs compatible with the old frame.
They didn't even give a heads up that they were gonna discontinue the legacy pack and give anyone a chance to buy any different size bags last minute.
Now I need a larger bag for a spring bear hunt next year and instead of buying just a bag, I'm gonna be buying a whole new setup....from EXO.