 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fishing |
| Founded | Jackson, Wyoming, (1980)) |
| Founder | John Simms |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Products | Fishing equipment, accessories and apparel |
| Website | www |
Simms Fishing Products is a fishing equipment, accessories and apparel manufacturer in Bozeman, Montana.
Simms was founded in 1980 by John Simms, a Jackson, Wyoming fishing guide and outfitter. John Simms established the company to manufacture a higher quality of waders and wading equipment than was available at the time. In the mid-1980s, John Simms introduced high quality neoprene waders to the U.S. market. John Simms later sold the company to Life-Link International, another Jackson-based sporting goods manufacturer. [1]
In 1992, K.C. Walsh, a Los Angeles-based management consultant, acquired Simms from Life-Link and moved the business to Bozeman, Montana. Simms employs 115 people in Bozeman and consolidated its manufacturing facilities into a new single 62,000 square feet (5,800 m2) facility in October 2013. [1]
In early 2023, Vista Outdoor appointed Derek Tarlecki President of Simms Fishing Products. [2]
Shortly after K.C. Walsh acquired the company and moved it to Bozeman, Simms introduced a line of breathable waders using Gore-Tex. [1] Simms is the only U.S. and one of only three wader manufacturers in the world to have a license from W.L. Gore and Associates to use Gore-Tex in waders. [3] Simms was one of the first wader manufacturers to produce waders specifically tailored to women fly fishers. [4] In 2006, Simms introduced a high-end zippered wader, using waterproof zippers from the YKK Group in Tokyo. Although not the first ever zippered waders on the market, the Simms G4Z wader set a new standard for zippered waders. [5]
In 2008 Trout Unlimited asked wader and boot manufacturers and anglers to eliminate the use of felt soled waders and boots to help combat the spread of invasive aquatic species. Shortly after, Simms announced that it would eliminate felt-soled waders and boots in its 2010 product line. [6] Even though many states have banned the use of felt soled wading boots, Simms announced in July 2011 that they would re-introduce felt-soled wading boots because of high consumer demand. [7]
Simms manufactures many kinds of men's and women's waders, boots, outerwear, apparel, and travel accessories for fishers and outdoors enthusiasts. It retails its products through a worldwide network of independent fly fishing shops, large sporting goods retailers and online retailers. In 2012, 30 percent of its sales were international and Simms maintains warehouses in Europe, Japan and New Zealand. [1]
In 2022, Simms made a $50,000 donation to deal with flooding in Yellowstone National Park. This, and other donations, have been funded by Simms releasing special edition Watershed waders. [8]
Simms Fishing Products has won Field & Stream Magazine's Best of the Best award eight times since 1998 including awards for waders, wading boots, jackets and travel bags. [9] In 2016, Simms was awarded the President's "E" Award in recognition of its export business. [10]
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. Traditionally made of leather or rubber, modern boots are made from a variety of materials.
The Wellington boot was originally a type of leather boot adapted from Hessian boots, a style of military riding boot. They were worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The "Wellington" boot became a staple of practical foot wear for the British aristocracy and middle class in the early 19th century. The name was subsequently given to waterproof boots made of rubber and they are no longer associated with a particular class. They are now commonly used for a range of agricultural and outdoors pursuits.
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting. The flies may resemble natural invertebrates, bait-fish, or other food organisms.
Slough Creek is a tributary of the Lamar River, approximately 25 mi (40 km) long, in Montana and Wyoming in the United States.
Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, and foot protection suitable for a rugged environment. They are traditionally made of hardened and sometimes waterproofed leather. Today, many combat boots incorporate technologies originating in civilian hiking boots, such as Gore-Tex nylon side panels, which improve ventilation and comfort. They are also often specialized for certain climates and conditions, such as jungle boots, desert boots, and cold weather boots as well as specific uses, such as tanker boots and jump boots.
Early Winters, Ltd. of Seattle, Washington, United States was founded in 1972 by William S. Nicolai, who formed the company after creating a tent called the Omnipotent. Early Winters was the first company to create and sell a consumer product made with Gore-Tex laminates produced by W. L. Gore & Associates in Elkton, Maryland. The first product made with Gore-Tex fabric debuted in 1976 and was a streamlined, two-person tent called The Light Dimension. The tent was created by Nicolai and William H. Edwards and was marketed by Ron Zimmerman.
Berghaus Limited is a British outdoor clothing and equipment brand founded in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, and now headquartered in nearby Sunderland. It was founded in 1966 by climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison, initially as an importer and distributor of outdoors products. Lockey and Davison's outdoor store in Newcastle upon Tyne, went by the name of the LD Mountain Centre. In 1972 they began designing and manufacturing their own products for sale in their shop. They gave their brand the German name 'Berghaus' which translates as 'mountain house'.
Arc'teryx is a Canadian high-end design company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for their waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas.
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is an American multinational manufacturing company specializing in products derived from fluoropolymers. It is a privately held corporation headquartered in Newark, Delaware. It is best known as the developer of waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics.
Waders denotes a waterproof boot or overalls extending from the foot to the thigh, the chest or the neck. They are traditionally made from vulcanised rubber, but available in more modern PVC, neoprene and Gore-Tex variants. Waders are generally distinguished from counterpart waterproof boots by shaft height; the hip boot extending to the thigh and the Wellington boot to the knee. For the sake of emphasis, therefore, waders are sometimes defined by the extent of their coverage as thigh waders, chest waders or full-body waders. As a drysuit variant, full-body waders come with leaktight cuffs or gloves fitted to the sleeves and with a leaktight collar or hood fitted to the neck, enabling the wearer to remain dry when standing or walking in deeper water. Waders are available with boots attached or can have attached stocking feet, to wear inside boots, or inside swimfins in the case of float tube fishing.
The Extended Cold Weather Clothing System is a protective clothing system developed in the 1980s by the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts. The first generation ECWCS consisted of parka and trousers plus 20 other individual clothing, handwear, headwear and footwear items which are used in various combinations to meet the cold weather environmental requirements of the US military. The Extended Climate Warfighter Clothing System, or Gen III ECWCS, is designed to maintain adequate environmental protection in temperatures ranging between -60 and +40 Fahrenheit
Craghoppers is a British outdoor clothing manufacturer and supplier. It was founded in Batley, West Yorkshire in 1965 and is now based in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Robert W. Gore was an American engineer and scientist, inventor and businessman. Gore led his family's company, W. L. Gore & Associates, in developing applications of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) ranging from computer cables to medical equipment to the outer layer of space suits. His most significant breakthrough was likely the invention of Gore-Tex, a waterproof and breathable fabric popularly known for its use in sporting and outdoor gear.
Fly fishing tackle comprises the fishing tackle or equipment typically used by fly anglers. Fly fishing tackle includes:
Mountain Hardwear is a subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear based in Richmond, California that manufactures and distributes apparel, accessories and equipment primarily for the high performance needs of mountaineering enthusiasts and outdoor athletes, as well as for consumers who are inspired by the outdoor lifestyle.
Dan Bailey was a fly-shop owner, innovative fly developer and staunch Western conservationist. Born on a farm near Russellville, Kentucky, Bailey is best known for the fly shop he established in Livingston, Montana in 1938. Dan Bailey's Fly Shop is still in business.
Ariat International is an American footwear, apparel and accessories brand for equestrian sports, work industries and other outdoor activities, located in Union City, California. Ariat was launched by Beth Cross and Pam Parker in 1993, with the goal of creating high-quality boots that would provide excellent performance, comfort, and durability for riders. It has since become a popular brand in performance footwear for English and Western horseback riding.
Soda Butte Creek is an approximately 20 miles (32 km) long major tributary of the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. It is named for a now-extinct geyser near its mouth. Soda Butte and the creek were named by A. Bart Henderson, a Cooke City miner, in 1870. It rises just outside the northeast corner of the park on the southern slopes of the Absaroka Range near Cooke City, Montana. The Northeast East Entrance road parallels Soda Butte Creek for its entire length within the park. Soda Butte Creek is a popular angling destination for native Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Vista Outdoor Inc. is an American designer, manufacturer, and marketer of outdoor sports and recreation products. It operates in two markets: shooting sports and outdoor products. It is a "house of brands" with more than 40 labels and subsidiaries. It trades under "VSTO" on the New York Stock Exchange. Vista Outdoor is the parent company to many ammunition makers, including Federal, CCI, and Remington. In mid 2022, Vista Outdoor announced its intent to split into different companies with new names and stock symbol; One company will focus on sporting goods while the other will focus on ammunition and firearms accessories.
Bud Lilly (1925-2017) was the owner of the "Trout Shop" in Montana as well as an accomplished baseball player and fly fishing guide.
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