Built for the Mountain
I’ve always wanted to start building hunting products. My upbringing in the mountains of western Wyoming left an indelible mark on my as in my Spare time, I was often camping, fishing, hiking, or hunting in the Salt River and Wyoming ranges. So when I started the Altitude Outdoors gear shop nearly 8 years ago, I had a vision to build products that were specifically designed for the distinct and unique needs of mountain hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. I don't want to build products just to build products. If it isn't an improvement on what's already available, then there isn't much use in making it.
In every venture, there are constraints. In order to raise capital, I sold a piece of land, and identified two logical pathways to getting to my vision. One was to start manufacturing immediately, the other was to start in retail, build credibility and understanding through using and selling the best available products, and then start manufacturing. I thought I could realize cash flow faster if I did retail first and then used the profits to start building products. Looking back, I think either route would have worked, but here we are, 8 years of work building the inventory of the Altitude Outdoors gear shop to provide our community with products they can trust on their hunts. Our website continues to grow as we reach new audiences, we’ve expanded our inventory to many hundreds of products, and brought on strategic partners and people that are allowing us to move forward in new ways.
This is where the MTN HNTR story starts.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that hunters don’t hunt the same. Even in the same mountains and when pursuing the same species, tactics, methods, and workflows are different. I know what products I want to build for me, but in an effort to expand my mindset and understanding, I want to hear from other mountain hunters. I’ve always thought that a few heads are usually smarter than one, so in an effort to get feedback, I’m writing a series of articles, being as transparent as possible, so that you can help me build the best MTN HNTR products.
Throughout this series, Please comment on this post, or shoot me a message on Instagram (@bcarter307) or via email at brad@altitudeoutdoors.com. Let's start making products that are truly built for the mountain.
