Made in the USA?

Trout Unlimited is known, in part, for the vast array of gear and other gift items we send our members and supporters in thanks for their generous contributions. We believe offering such items encourages both a love of the sport and an appreciation for TU's mission and is therefore an appropriate way to express our thanks to those who make our work possible.

Many of the items we offer are made in the USA. Some are partially manufactured overseas but assembled in the US, and some are entirely foreign made. Although we seek as often as possible to provide items made in the USA, there are times when it is more cost-effective to purchase from outside the US, which allows us to focus more of our member’s contributions on our conservation activities. We understand the concerns of some of our members around this issue.
We feel a deep responsibility to spend our members' contributions as efficiently as is reasonably possible. Our goal is to direct the vast majority of our resources to our fisheries and watershed conservation work. One way we keep our expenses in check is to seek products that are appealing, well made and competitively priced. Some items simply aren't available in the US at the quantities and prices we seek (our flies, for instance, which are made in Africa). Other items would lack variety if we featured only those manufacturers on US soil (rods, for instance).

We hope that by offering an array of items each year, those members who wish to support TU and receive a gift in thanks can find products they're comfortable receiving.