{"id":1839,"date":"2023-07-28T14:46:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T14:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/?p=1839"},"modified":"2023-07-28T16:57:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T16:57:00","slug":"who-owns-sitka-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Owns Sitka Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#History_of_Sitka_Gear\" title=\"History of Sitka Gear\">History of Sitka Gear<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Founding_Kuiu\" title=\"Founding Kuiu\">Founding Kuiu<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Who_Owns_Sitka_Today\" title=\"Who Owns Sitka Today?\">Who Owns Sitka Today?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#FAQS\" title=\"FAQS\">FAQS<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Is_Sitka_Gear_owned_by_Gore-Tex\" title=\"Is Sitka Gear owned by Gore-Tex?\">Is Sitka Gear owned by Gore-Tex?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Are_Sitka_and_Kuiu_the_same_company\" title=\"Are Sitka and Kuiu the same company?\">Are Sitka and Kuiu the same company?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#When_was_Sitka_Gear_founded\" title=\"When was Sitka Gear founded?\">When was Sitka Gear founded?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#What_kind_of_gear_does_Sitka_Gear_make\" title=\"What kind of gear does Sitka Gear make?\">What kind of gear does Sitka Gear make?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Who_is_the_founder_of_Sitka_Gear\" title=\"Who is the founder of Sitka Gear?\">Who is the founder of Sitka Gear?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Where_is_Sitka_Gear_based\" title=\"Where is Sitka Gear based?\">Where is Sitka Gear based?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#What_kind_of_technology_and_fabrics_does_Sitka_Gear_use_in_their_gear\" title=\"What kind of technology and fabrics does Sitka Gear use in their gear?\">What kind of technology and fabrics does Sitka Gear use in their gear?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Final_Thoughts\" title=\"Final Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/who-owns-sitka-gear\/#Additional_Resources\" title=\"Additional Resources\">Additional Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve done any shopping for hunting clothes, then you\u2019ve probably heard of Sitka Gear, or at least, been exposed to the brand. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sitkagear.com\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.sitkagear.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sitka<\/a> is a maker of high-performance outdoor apparel geared towards hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I deal with Sitka at my day job so I\u2019m pretty familiar with their line of products. One Sitka based question I see being asked occasionally is an inquiry into who owns Sitka Gear now?<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image_b3bfad-c7 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image_b3bfad-c7\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"824\" src=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Who-Owns-Sitka-Gear.jpg\" alt=\"Who Owns Sitka Gear\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-1843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Who-Owns-Sitka-Gear.jpg 600w, https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Who-Owns-Sitka-Gear-218x300.jpg 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Before I answer that question, let me take a second and discuss the history of the brand as it\u2019s still relevant today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_of_Sitka_Gear\"><\/span>History of Sitka Gear<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka was founded by a former college and NFL football player named <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jason_Hairston\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jason_Hairston\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jason Hairston<\/a>. After an injury ended his football career in the NFL, Hairston decided to venture into the world of commercial real estate. However, he grew up hunting and fishing, so his real passion was hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a hunter, Hairston was not impressed with the current hunting clothing on the market and felt that there was a serious gap in quality when comparing hunting clothing to high-performance mountaineering clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2009, he exited the commercial real estate business and started the Sitka Gear brand of hunting clothing out of the garage of his home in California. His plan was to utilize the same high-performance materials and technology found in mountaineer clothing as source materials for high-performance <a href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/deer-hunting-gear-list-for-any-hunt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunting gear<\/a> and blend that with cutting-edge camouflage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a brand, Sitka Gear took off, and Hairston expanded the line to include fishing and hunting waders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2009, a company called W. L. Gore &amp; Associates purchased Sitka Gear and kept Hairston onboard during the transition. If the Gore name sounds familiar, it\u2019s because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gore.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.gore.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">W. L. Gore &amp; Associates<\/a> founded and own Gore-Tex. In 2009, Gore-Tex moved the Sitka Gear headquarters from California to Bozeman, Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Hairston was transitioning out of the company, he became disillusioned with the sales direction that Sitka was moving. One big challenge that Hairston faced at Sitka was manufacturing high end performance hunting clothing while keeping the price at a certain point to drive sales. The retail pricing structure of hunting clothes (at that time) put Sitka near the upper echelon of pricing for the industry and was a sticking point for Hairston as he felt that technical hunting ear should command a higher price tag compared to competitor gear manufactured from lower quality materials.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image_472ea0-e7 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image_472ea0-e7\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sikta-Clothing-Label.jpg\" alt=\"Sikta Clothing Label\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-1844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sikta-Clothing-Label.jpg 600w, https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sikta-Clothing-Label-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Founding_Kuiu\"><\/span>Founding Kuiu<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the Sitka sale was completed, Hairston felt that the hunting public would embrace a higher end brand of hunting gear that would be sold direct to the public via the internet. This direct to the public sales plan would cut out the middleman in the sales process, which would reduce consumer pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2010, Hairston founded another clothing brand called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kuiu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.kuiu.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kuiu<\/a>, that sold high performance hunting gear and hunting apparel. Kuiu was built with Hairston\u2019s direct to the public sales plan and was equally successful as Sitka. In 2016, Kuiu had an estimated sale of nearly 50 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On September 4, 2018, Hairston took his own life at his residence in California. A post-mortem investigation revealed that Hairston was suffering from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) from his football days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_Owns_Sitka_Today\"><\/span>Who Owns Sitka Today?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka Gear is still owned and operated by the W. L. Gore &amp; Associates company, and is based in Bozeman, Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQS\"><\/span>FAQS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some frequently asked questions relating to the ownership of Sitka Gear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Sitka_Gear_owned_by_Gore-Tex\"><\/span>Is Sitka Gear owned by Gore-Tex?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not exactly. Sitka Gear is owned by the W.L. Gore &amp; Associates company, who also founded and own the Gore-Tex line of fabrics. However, Gore-Tex does not officially own Sitka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Sitka_and_Kuiu_the_same_company\"><\/span>Are Sitka and Kuiu the same company?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While Sitka and Kuiu are in the same niche <a href=\"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/what-to-wear-dove-hunting-dont-leave-home-without-the-optimal-hunting-apparel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunting apparel<\/a> market and offer gear that looks and performs similarly, they are two different companies that happened to be founded by the same person, Jason Hairston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_was_Sitka_Gear_founded\"><\/span>When was Sitka Gear founded?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka Gear was founded in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_kind_of_gear_does_Sitka_Gear_make\"><\/span>What kind of gear does Sitka Gear make?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka specializes in making technical hunting gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_is_the_founder_of_Sitka_Gear\"><\/span>Who is the founder of Sitka Gear?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka Gear was founded by Jason Hairston, a former NFL linebacker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_is_Sitka_Gear_based\"><\/span>Where is Sitka Gear based?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka is based in Bozeman Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_kind_of_technology_and_fabrics_does_Sitka_Gear_use_in_their_gear\"><\/span>What kind of technology and fabrics does Sitka Gear use in their gear?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka Gear utilizes advanced and breathable technology and fabrics in their hunting gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitka Gear is an industry leader in high-performance hunting apparel, and many consider them to be the first vendor to incorporate technologically advanced materials in their apparel. While I have several pieces of Sitka gear (some of my pieces are shown in the pics above), I have to say that it\u2019s an expensive line of products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, aside from the higher costs, my experiences with Sitka have been very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Additional_Resources\"><\/span>Additional Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some additional reading and resources associated with the current ownership of Sitka Gear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jason_Hairston\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jason_Hairston<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sitkagear.com\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.sitkagear.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-gearjunkie wp-block-embed-gearjunkie\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"dN0DkeAv2w\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gearjunkie.com\/outdoor\/hunt-fish\/kuiu-sitka-founder-jason-hairston-death\" target=\"_blank\">KUIU, Sitka Founder Jason Hairston Has Died<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;KUIU, Sitka Founder Jason Hairston Has Died&#8221; &#8212; GearJunkie\" src=\"https:\/\/gearjunkie.com\/outdoor\/hunt-fish\/kuiu-sitka-founder-jason-hairston-death\/embed#?secret=0cCy2QSjbS#?secret=dN0DkeAv2w\" data-secret=\"dN0DkeAv2w\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bozemandailychronicle.com\/news\/economy\/hunting-manufacturer-sitka-moving-to-bozeman\/article_49ade710-bfbf-11e0-9536-001cc4c002e0.html\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.bozemandailychronicle.com\/news\/economy\/hunting-manufacturer-sitka-moving-to-bozeman\/article_49ade710-bfbf-11e0-9536-001cc4c002e0.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve done any shopping for hunting clothes, then you\u2019ve probably heard of Sitka Gear, or at least, been exposed to the brand. Sitka is a maker of high-performance outdoor apparel geared towards hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. I deal with Sitka at my day job so I\u2019m pretty familiar with their line of products&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-nofeaturedimage.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1839"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter-gear.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=1839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}