A recent thread about USA made binoculars turned into more of a discussion than I intended. If you do not value USA made products, or do not care where a product is made at all, that thread, and this one are not for you. Do not bother.
Now for those who do go out of their way to buy products made in the USA, I would like to share what I have found, many of which have turned out to be phenomenal. This is not to say foreign made items are no good, that is for another day.
The first I believe deserves the biggest respect, Lucky's Hunting Blinds, an incredibly hard worker in Ubly, Michigan, who custom builds ground blinds and tree stands. https://www.luckyshuntingblinds.com/
I have had mine for 4 years now I believe. I'd like to start by saying I've hunted in all kinds of blinds from the dirt cheap "outhouse" to the Bull blinds hubs. Lucky's builds a blind that puts all other blinds to shame, with only one drawback. Lucky's builds a blind of tough canvas on a steel frame. For that kind of durability, it's incredible they only weigh around 25 pounds, maybe less. When you buy a blind, he will ask you how tall you want the windows, what features you want like draw blinds, window types, camo, etc. All personalized. He will work with you within reason. With that steel frame you get something no other portable ground blind on the market offers, and that is a solid shooting rest. There is a steel rod that goes across every window that you can use to support a gun. It works great. The height is great, I'm 6'5", and I can just about stand up (head cocked) in the 5'11" (now 6') model. Most blinds are either far oversized, or only tall enough to crouch in. Lucky's blind is rather tall and skinny, the way I like it. Being as tall as I am, and I also fumble in the dark, I hate most blind doors. Lucky's opens all the way from bottom to top, there is no material to trip over, and nothing to crouch under. The price he charges for these is surprisingly competitive. If you want the bare bones blind, you can get one for $300 shipped to your door. I would recommend the 6' two person model, which is what I have. I have the rope slide window openings which work great, very quiet, and I highly recommend paying for the slide mesh screens for the windows. If you only haul your blind out once and leave it set up, you can skip the bag, else the carry bag he sells works great.
That brings me to the one negative of this blind, and the one area I still keep the Outhouse blind around for, and that is carry size. While light, the folded up blind is still 6' long. At first I worried about this. As the years go on, I find this is not nearly the problem I thought it would be. For the past 4 years I've taken this blind out on public hunting land for turkeys, walking in about 3/4 of a mile most days. The first year I got one day one, second year I believe the third day, third year I think first day, and this year I got one on the second day. That's hauling it in and out every day. I've carried this blind about 10 miles already just turkey hunting alone! For the late seasons like muzzleloader deer, that heavy canvas really works great. Nothing else short of hunting from a fish house is as warm. If that's not warm enough for you, he also offers removable plexiglass windows that open silently to really trap the heat in. I can't say enough good things about these blinds, and the company. They hold up great. I left mine out for a month and a half last year, with zero wear at all. Try that with one of the Chinese made nylon blinds.
If anyone is interested, I'd love a second one in a shadow grass or similar camo pattern. He says he would need to buy such a huge amount of fabric he couldn't do it for just me. He even offered to build it if I provided the fabric. Maybe worth starting a group buy?
Anyway, enough on that. The next is hunting clothing made by a company here in Minnesota.
https://www.clarkfieldoutdoors.com/
I own quite a few things from Clarkfield, but my favorites are my Hunter supreme jacket, and my long sleeve T shirts. There's not much to be said, they make simple, high quality clothing at fair prices. The long sleeve T shirts use nice cuffs, and a well fitting neck, plus they offer tall sizing. The hunter supreme jacket is nice and warm, super soft. Definitely not a rain jacket, but it wouldn't be nearly as comfortable if it was. Also in tall sizing.
I'll just touch on this briefly, but the only built in USA binoculars currently produced that I am aware is Maven. They are Built in Lander, Wyoming of mostly Japanese components. Fantastic binoculars.
These aren't hunting related, but there are two pants that have stood the test of time for me. One is the Carhartt double knee duck canvas pants. Not all Carhartt is made in usa, actually I'm not sure it's half anymore. They do make a double knee work pant that runs around $50, made in the USA. I buy when they go on sale. They even come with an inspection note in the pocket, you don't see that much anymore. Great tough work pants. I rotated 5 pairs for over 3 years before the crotch's started to wear. I sewed them back up, and ran them for about a year until I decided to start brand new. I'm now just over a year into 3 new pairs, and no sign of giving up soon.
The other pants that still get my business are Texas Jeans. https://texasjeans.com/ They are great quality, true to size jeans. At $30 a pair, they are a steal. All made in the USA. I don't wear Jeans nearly as much as I used to, but they hold up well enough. They are more of a soft fabric, which is very comfortable. They make one model for concealed carry. It's got inside pockets, that presumably hold a handgun. I cut them out, they are pretty much useless for me. What they do offer is a thick padded waist band which is nice. I still prefer the relaxed fit originals. Edit: I don't see that they still make the concealed carry model, which is too bad.
A number of T shirts are made in usa, but many are overpriced. My favorites are Bayside and American Apparel. I believe both companies offer China made clothes as well, so beware. Bayside shirts have a bit longer sleeves than I like, and a bit roomy in the stomach, but are very comfortable. American Apparel shirts fit me better. You can often find these for around $10 per shirt, nothing wrong with that. I see Texas Jeans also makes a couple shirts now too, which I have not tried.
Socks are surprisingly easy to find made in USA. Many stores carry multiple made in usa options. Most of them are good. I will say that I've come to prefer Fox River socks most of the time. https://www.foxsox.com/
They make all different kinds, so you can find what you like. One I HIGHLY recommend to any cold weather hunter or fisherman is the Outdoorsox https://www.foxsox.com/outdoorsox-ex...calf-boot.html
I have not found a warmer sock than these. They are mostly wool, no cotton, and thick. They are 75% as thick as most boot liners. Definitely not for the very active, but if you are going to sit outside, either ice fishing, or hunting, or whatever, these are it, as good as it gets. Add a thin liner sock and great boots, and you could use these socks in Antarctica.
That's enough typing for now, I'll add to this more later.
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Originally Posted by Love Life
Thanks for that link. I carry my M&P 45c and plan on carrying the Super GP 100. I do have a chest rig for my 10mm but just can't find a solid carry belt. Think I will order the steel core model.
