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Remington’s Versa Max Road Show
Wild Things Gear is unveiling at the SHOT Show its first line of branded apparel for men and women, featuring classic twill and canvas fabrics that provide function and style.
S&W Debuts New Clothing Line I n response to the increasing demand for versatile outdoor apparel with an emphasis on street style and a genuine American heritage, Wild Things LLC (wildthingsgear.com), an apparel licensee for Smith & Wesson, is unveiling at the SHOT Show its first line of branded apparel for men and women. The line features classic twill and canvas fabrics as well as modern highly technical materials that provide the function and style for which Smith & Wesson is known. Wild Things Gear, based in Newport, Rhode Island, was selected as the sole licensee for the Smith & Wesson line because of its long history in the alpine industry and military community as well as its expertise in utilizing modern technical materials and design techniques. The new line will be available via outdoors and shooting specialty outlets, as well as smithandwessonapparel.com. “This line is a direct reflection of Smith & Wesson’s identity—independent, tough, and confident,” says Ed Schmults, CEO of Wild Things LLC. “It reflects 100 percent performance while showcasing classic sportswear.” Schmults says Wild Things is known for its technical fabrications that place an emphasis on functional ergonomic design. For instance, the jackets incorporate pockets designed for easy extraction of a concealed-carry firearm, and the pants have wide belt loops specifically designed to accommodate a variety of holsters. Both the men’s and women’s lines will have four jackets, four vests, four pants, and four shirts with a wide variety of price points. Furthermore, the garments are divided into four categories— Shooting, Range, Tracking, and Hybrid. The Shooting collection is styled to reflect the long military history Smith & Wesson was founded upon, while the Range collection is a reflection of the American West. The Tracking collection is based upon a more traditional hunting style, and the Hybrid combines technical design elements to bridge the gap between outdoor apparel and everyday apparel. In addition, the clothing will have unique features to set it apart from the competition. The rivets, snaps, and buttons are recognizable
parts of Smith & Wesson firearms and ammunition, the gun handle grip motif is present on several pieces, and a graphic of an original vintage blueprint of a classic Smith & Wesson .38 can be seen on the lining of the jackets. Lastly, the zipper pulls are made from the hammer of a classic .45-caliber pistol. “The untrained eye may never notice, but a true fan of Smith & Wesson will pick up on the details almost immediately,” says Schmults. “Consumers are looking to their apparel to be more cross-functional,” says Wild Things designer Kim Pingaro. “We believe the Smith & Wesson line delivers. It will function well on a shooting range or while hunting, but at the same time can be worn in an office-casual environment, or even a Friday night out.” In addition, Wild Things Gear, under the Smith & Wesson name, is designing and manufacturing a complete tactical line of apparel for law enforcement, the M&P by Smith & Wesson. The line uses high-performance technical components, including PrimaLoft synthetic insulation and Tweave fabrics. The line is engineered to exceed the needs of military and law enforcement professionals in the worst environmental conditions and provides a versatile range of styles that are meant to be worn alone or together. “We chose Wild Things for these two apparel initiatives because of its 30-year heritage developing best-in-class technical, functional apparel in the outdoor and military categories,” says Harry Falber, vice president of licensing for Smith & Wesson. “Wild Things is well suited to ensure that the Smith & Wesson heritage lives on.” Booth # 13731. (800-331-0852; smith-
When a major company releases what it hopes will be a landmark new product, future sales rest on the marketing strategies that follow. Add a near incalculable amount of media diversity to the mix, and it’s a daunting task to communicate with dealers and stimulate consumer demand. Last year, Remington followed the release of its new Versa Max Shotgun with a disarmingly oldschool approach—the manufacturer invited dealers and shooters alike to actually “test drive” the new autoloader at nearly 90 ranges and events across the country. “The Versa Max On-Tour was a four-month hands-on demo program that allowed us to put the new autoloader in the hands of hunters and shooters at ranges and gun clubs from Texas to Maryland,” says marketing manager Mitch Cox. “We organized our retailers, field sales, social media partners, and websites to maximize exposure for the tour event. We wanted to tell the story of what people who used our products were saying. The Tour has let consumers experience what a great product the Versa Max is first hand.” The Versa Max Truck is a completely self-contained rolling display that can be set up and ready to show wares in less than 40 minutes. The truck carries 20 Versa Max Shotguns along with 10 Remington long guns. Consumers are invited to demo five free shells that vary from 2 ¾-inch lead to 3 ½-inch steel to evaluate handling and recoil. At many events, guns were also available for short-term loans for shooters to evaluate point, performance, and recoil. After spending nearly a year on the road at more than 90 events, driver and product display manager Jeremy Cooper discovered that in-hand trials matter. “We see so many experienced shooters that have become seriously recoil-sensitive. A light recoiling shotgun is an important product that keeps these shooters in the game,” he says. At one event, he had a 90,000-round-a-year shooter that used a custom weighted modified European auto. After trialing the gun, he told Cooper that the Versa Max was the lightest-recoiling gun he had ever shot in 12-gauge, and drove to a local dealer that day and purchased one. “That’s the kind of response we had, and you can’t create that kind of purchase until the consumer actually experiences it for themselves,” says Cooper. Booth #14229. (800-243-9700; remington.com)
The Versa Max On-Tour was a hands-on demo program that allowed Remington to put autoloaders into the hands of hunters and shooters.
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