Companies such as Under Armour, as well as traditional outdoor retailers Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, are likely to benefit from hunting "increasingly being marketed as an adventure sport, with more consumers signing up for 'luxury' hunting trips and buying high-end gear and apparel," according to Christine Birkner of ADWEEK. UA, which "started marketing hunting apparel a decade ago," recently "launched a line of hunting gear for women -- including infrared leggings, camo hats and a whole range of boots -- due to growing demand." UA VP/Outdoor Marketing & Sales Bryan Offutt: "We try to appeal to and educate people who are first-timers. And more experienced hunters are doing longer hunting excursions now, so they want products that can make them more comfortable and stay out longer." He added, "We compete by coming up with better innovation and better fabrics." Kuiu Founder Jason Hairston said that his hunting gear outfitter "aspires to be an aspirational brand for serious mountain hunters." Hairston: "It's similar to what created North Face in the beginning." However, he added that some retailers "continue to be wary about entering the market because of the stigma around hunting." Hairston mentioned North Face and Patagonia as companies "too concerned with what their customers would think if they put their fabrics in camouflage" (ADWEEK, 3/28 issue).
