In the same boat
What we do as fly anglers — what Trout Unlimited does as an organization — affects millions of others around the world. In a very real and very immediate sense, it affects our TU Business members. These members have supported us at every level of our organization from the local chapter banquet to the lobbying in Washington, DC. Now, it’s time for us to support them because we’re all in the same boat.
If you are going to be in the same boat with anyone, let me suggest Scott Hunter at Vedavoo as your crewmate. In the interest of full disclosure, let me say right up front that he’s a Wyoming guy like me. And that’s important. Because he came up fishing and camping and hiking in some of the best country and on some of the best water in America. And he learned some things along the way. One of those things was that packs made for hiking are not necessarily made for fishing. Scott wanted more from his gear.
So he did what we do in Wyoming. He went to work. In his garage in Massachusetts, with a classic sail-making sewing machine that he bought on Craiglist, he began designing and making packs. The goal was elegant in its simplicity: Make packs that were more comfortable, more versatile and easier to use in the field. And make them right here in the USA. Vedavoo was born in 2009. Fast forward more than a decade, out of the garage and into the New England workshop where local craftsmen hand-build each of their products using the best materials (American and reclaimed wherever possible) for quality you can count on.
These are difficult times. COVID-19 has all of us on edge. Millions of us are under lockdown. Millions more are isolating themselves and practicing social distancing, limiting their personal contact with others. It’s a global pandemic, and it’s serious business. In communities across the US and around the world, we’re all experiencing it. We’re all in the same boat.
We’re asking all 300,000 Trout Unlimited members to support our Business members in these uncertain times. Buy some gift cards — in fact, buy a lot of gift cards. Buy some gear. If you can’t or don’t want to go in person, do it online or by phone. But do it. They aren’t nameless, faceless corporate entities. They’re real people with real families who depend on them. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring some of them here. And we hope you’ll support them all. We’re all part of the TU Team.
Vedavoo
Scott Hunter
Lancaster, MA 01523
(888) 626-0007