Founded under the Marolina Outdoor umbrella in 2014, Nomad performance hunting apparel used the “Built by Hunters for Hunters,” motto to establish its technical clothing line for, “those who hunger to hunt like the ancestral nomads before us.” In 2015, Nomad made a soft launch into the hunting apparel market at the ATA Show. In 2016, Nomad officially launched, becoming available to retailers nationwide. Since then, Nomad has expanded to include a comprehensive lineup of technical shirts, pants, jackets, footwear and other accessories. The Nomad brand is available through a wide variety of sporting goods retailers, independent outdoor stores, as well as direct-to-consumer at www.nomadoutdoor.com.

Nomad Performance Apparel’s mission is to provide the most authentic hunting apparel on the planet — at attainable price points. To achieve its mission, Nomad strives to create hunting apparel that keeps hunters comfortable in the field, as well as protected from the elements. Individual Nomad pieces work as a layering system while standing on their own at the same time. In either case, the objective is to provide comfort and warmth for hunters in the field to be as efficient as possible.

As an engaged outdoor company, Nomad understands that hunters are passionate beings. It’s that relentless drive that causes them to continually push the boundaries of what is possible to create innovative, authentic hunting gear. They want their apparel to accompany hunters on their expeditions with the expectation that they will create long-lasting memories and life-changing experiences while in pursuit of their passion.

The leadership of the Nomad brand also understands that an outdoor company has to provide more than just quality products; they must also support their followers. Nomad is in the hunting community, supporting all forms of legal hunting and legal hunters. Their position: Stand behind every hunter from the first day of the season until the last day with the mantra, “I hunt, therefore I am.”

Recently, I was able to chat with Nomad’s Chief Marketing Officer, Pete Angle, one of the company’s founders, Jason Hart, and sales staff members, Eric Young and Devin Sweeney, to dig deeper into the brand’s philosophies on the engineering and marketing of technical hunting apparel and to get a feel for their intended direction for 2020 and beyond. The consensus from the group of like-minded, longtime friends is that as a company, Nomad has a new, talented and reinvigorated team in place to ensure exciting times lie ahead. Our discussion felt like a friendly roundtable shared around a campfire in hunting camp. Our discussion follows.

AB: When and how was Nomad formed? What was the catalyst for establishing the company?

JH: At our inception, we wanted to create an authentic brand that made garments for all types of hunters in support of their pursuits. To begin, we put a lot of time into selecting an appropriate name. After deliberation, focused on the commonalities of all hunters, we chose Nomad, a term that aptly means nomadic hunter. Early on, our focus was on the whitetail hunting market, but positive developments quickly led us in the western and turkey hunting markets as well.

AB: Nomad’s mission is to create innovative hunting apparel that inspires a community of hunters to experience and protect the hunting heritage. Tell me more about the development of the company’s mission. What efforts do you incorporate to meet the mission?

DS: Nomad partners with conservation organizations like NWTF and SCI to ensure we protect our hunting heritage. As a company, we care about the sport of hunting and its continuation into the future. To do that, we feel it’s crucial to be involved in the movement to protect our hunting rights — including public land use — and to tell others about its importance. We want to be active participants in the recruitment of new hunters while sharing the importance of conservation efforts to all hunters.

PA: It ties back to our motto, “Built for Hunters by Hunters.” That term is important to us regarding our product development and as a proud member and supporter of the hunting industry.

AB: Tell me about Nomad’s apparel and product lines.

DS: Overall, we want to offer a product for everyone. Our goal is to provide the best value for any given product. To do that, we use the best materials and fabrics to create our garments.

Our Whitetail line of apparel is warm, quiet and scent-free; it looks good and is comfortable. Our Big Game line of apparel moves with you, operates as a layering system, working from early to late season. Our Turkey line of apparel came about because a few of our staff were passionate turkey hunters. Three guys with over 80 combined years of turkey hunting experience created the line with features they knew would work well for that demographic.

EH: Our number one focus is on the consumer. We have guides and pro-staff that provide us with valuable feedback, but we listen to our consumers to continually improve our products. Our staff interacts in online forums and through social media to stay connected with our consumers.

AB: What camo patterns do you incorporate into your products? Are you looking to expand that lineup in the future?

DS: Currently, we use Veil, Realtree and Mossy Oak. That said, it’s wide-open, and we want to go where our consumer base leads us. We know that patterns matter to hunters and that technology is always moving forward. The bottom line is that we want the individuals that wear our products to be successful.

AB: From an inside perspective, what design features make a Nomad product stand out?

DS: As we mentioned before, we want our products to perform well and have a great overall value. Moreover, we provide many options for specific hunting situations to account for the different needs of every individual hunter as they all pursue different species across the US and internationally.

AB: Tell me what you can about your manufacturing processes. What is your warranty policy for both consumers and retailers?

DS: As for our warranty, we stand behind every product that we make. We let retailers and consumers know to either send us a picture of the garment or send it to us, and we will evaluate the defect, fix it and make it better the next time around. As much as we believe in our products, we also understand that the manufacturing process creates hiccups, causing procedures to go awry. When that happens, we will make it right for our retailers and consumers that support us.

AB: Do you offer dealer incentives? Tell me about your dealer/retailer programs.

EY: We are involved with the majority of buyer group shows, and we incorporate specials at each event. Our program varies depending on if the customer is a new or existing dealer, order quantity and on what products are part of the order.

AB: For marketing purposes, Nomad has made a few great partnerships with both individuals and companies; tell me about how you establish and keep those relationships intact. How do those partnerships help Nomad deliver, sell products?

PA: As many do, we have a stable of what you might call high-profile individuals or groups that assist us in the marketing of our products. To name a few, the Drury Outdoors, Heartland Bowhunter and NWTF fall into that category.

Ultimately, there’s been a change in the media in recent years. We understand that products are purchased in large part due to word-of-mouth. So, our philosophy also depends on grass-roots efforts at the regional level. We want to involve everyday consumers into the mix by allowing them to tell their stories of how our product helped them. We also tell stories from an internal perspective, as we want consumers to know how passionate we are about hunting and how we use our products to be successful.

AB: What new products has Nomad released or will release this year?

DS: For 2020, we are continuing to promote the same lines we offered last year. We have engaged in a more extensive PR campaign for 2020 to let consumers know about our products, especially about our performance and value.

That said, Our Elevated Whitetail line is a series that we are exceptionally proud of from an engineering standpoint. Created from our staples, the Harvester and Cottonwood lines, the Elevated Whitetail line steps it up a level. The Elevated Whitetail series is great-fitting, uses stretch-fabric and is windproof. Now, our complete line is three-tiered, offering consumers a third, high-end option that still has a specific price-point in mind.

AB: What does the future hold for Nomad and camo apparel? Where does Nomad hope to be in that equation?

DS and PA: In general, hunting apparel changed rapidly and then became stale for a moment. It’s moving again, and we will continue to grow by expanding into several avenues. We will definitely look to expand our lines by offering specific clothing for hunting particular species. Additionally, we will venture into the lifestyle lines that allow our followers with an affinity to our products to complement their wardrobe. We take pride in our products, and with the new team that we have in place, we hope to launch a few ground-breaking garments soon.