ATA Show 2016

Hey Insiders! Steve and I just got back from the ATA (Archery Trade Association) Show in Louisville, KY. Its a ton of fun, and full of the newest gear from all over the country. All the major bow manufacturers are there, along with other vendors of bow sights, rests, releases... you get the idea. The vendors bring in a ton of celebrities as well. We saw Willie and Jase Robertson, Luke Bryan, and pretty much everyone you haver ever heard of in the hunting industry. Needless to say its a lot of fun! But It’s a lot of work too. Our primary mission at ATA is to speak with our vendors, iron out any challenges and get a look at new gear for 2016. We also get a chance to talk to new vendors who have gear we might want to carry on our website. As you know, we only carry gear that we would use ourselves, so it's very important that we select only the best gear with companies that work well with us. Sometimes we find a product that is really great, but the vendor is difficult to work with, or has a hard time keeping up with demand. We do our best to make sure there is a good relationship with the right vendors who carry only the best gear. We wanted to share some of the things we found at ATA 2016 with our customers. Keep in mind that this list is nowhere near everything we saw. There is just too much to talk about, so we are keeping this list somewhat short and manageable. CBE Sights: CBE has some good looking sites this year. Some design updates to include some cool colors and a cover that can go over the fiber housing during bright sunshine. Elite Archery is very excited about their new re-curve. Steve and Tyler both shot it and I was amazed at how well those guys shot. Especially for not being traditional archers. Must be the bow right? Spot Hogg has been hard at work getting their production lines setup to handle the kind of growth they had in 2015. Sounds to me like they are ready. In addition to that they have released the Fast Eddie XL. The same as last years Fast Eddie but now with a dovetail. You can get the new Fast Eddie XL on our site with a double pin for about $250. Montana Black Gold: As you should all know by now Black Gold has released the next generation of the ascent line and renamed it the Verdict. Quite a few new features including an integrated bubble in the sight ring, longer and grippier slider knob. Steve and I have reviewed both the Verdict, and the Pure series sights. First Lite was not at the show, but they stopped by our office in December and shared their new line up for 2016. LOTS of great new items from First Lite. We’ll have a complete blog post dedicated to 2016 products from First Lite in the coming months. ASAT Camo: Look for higher quality across the board. Also the Bedrock Merino Wool series is a 190 wt 100% Merino wool base layer, to include bottoms, a ¼ zip and crew. Also new lightweight nylon 4 way stretch pants with DWR finish and a polyester midweight pant/jacket and vest. All with 4 way stretch and DWR. Should be a great year for ASAT Camo. Carter: The First Choice is getting a 4 finger option and the Wise Choice is the same release as the First Choice, but they have added the index finger loop for greater consistency. Both a 3 and a 4 finger are available. A lanyard has been added to the Wise Choice for hunters who want to have a wrist option. I got to meet Forest Carter at the show and he was patient with a wealth of information regarding releases and archery. RipCord added the Ace Standard. ($119.95) They removed micro adjustability from the RipCord Ace for those who are looking for a great rest at a lower price! Tightspot has made the crossbar lighter by going to two bolts instead of four. They are also offering the new Mathews XD Camo, and also Vias and Verde Camo. Outdoor Edge has a new ultra lightweight removable blade knife called the Onyx EDC that will be around $25. Cant wait for this one! Updates on products we don't currently carry include Hamskea Rests offering a hunter version of their rest called the Hybrid Hunter Pro. I also got a chance to look at the Trophy Taker Quivilizer. It is a quiver that can be re positioned to act as a stabilizer. It sounds gimmicky however when you look at this product it is very well built and well balanced. Like i said this is a very abbreviated list of new product for 2016. Were excited to bring a few new products to our offering soon with more to come later this spring. One product we are very excited about is Prana’s Stretch Zion Pants. You should see these sometime in early February. If you have any questions about these or any other products feel free to reach out via email or phone call. We love talking about gear! Rob