Kings Camo Brings a Fresh Take on Technical Hunting Clothes

Kings Camo Brings Accessibility & Affordability To Technical Hunting Clothes

The Lindon, Utah company Kings Camo goes above and beyond to create technical hunting clothes for everyone. Here’s how they do it.

Around for nearly two decades, Kings Camo started with two brothers with camo on the brain. These days, the brand has evolved into far beyond just patterns— it’s setting new standards for what it means to be a clothing brand that caters to all hunters.

Peruse its catalog of hunting clothes, and you’ll see what I mean. Options for men, women, and kids are included, and these vary from the tough and affordable Hunter series, the more generously cut Classic series, and the technical and athletic XKG series.

Hook & Barrel talked with Ryan Foutz and Andrew Pooch of Kings Camo to get the scoop on the brand’s story, evolution, and future.

A Camo Evolution Spanning Two Decades

Though Kings Camo has been around since 2002, its biggest evolution happened in the last decade. Under new ownership since 2013, Ryan Foutz, Jed Nelson, and Kevin Pritchett combined their backgrounds with the aim to take the brand to new heights. To do that, they focused on reintroducing the patterns that set the foundation for the brand, as well as focusing on a true fit for hunters.

“We were proud that we could offer valued camouflage to all,” Foutz said, “but we wanted to expand into more technical pieces.” That they did. In 2015, Kings released the XKG Ridge Pant ($140). With top-of-the-line technical materials, a performance-focused fit, and pricing that works for most hunters, the Ridge was a hit.

Today, the XKG line is massive. And the brand continues to build on it. The addition of XK7 to the XKG line and KC Ultra to the Hunter line added contemporary camouflage beyond the stick-and-leaf of the past. Adding solids to a variety of pieces also diversified Kings’ offerings.

Additionally, Kings Camo set out to create a holistic brand that brought the whole family into the fold. An expanding XKG line outfits women while a price-conscious Hunter’s line adapts to growing kids.

What’s Unique About Kings Camo Hunting Clothing

With multiple lines and options for most big game hunters, Kings Camo developed a few key ways to help consumers distinguish what will best fit their pursuits.

The first key component of buying with Kings is its five-layer system. The second component is that, to make it easy on hunters, Kings offers a variety of hunt-focused kits that make the what-to-wear aspect of the system super easy to figure out. A bonus? Buy the kit and receive a 10% discount right off the bat. There’s no need to wait for special sales with that offer.

Layering with Kings is simple. The five-layer system functions as follows: base layer, midweight, insulation, softshell, hardshell. If, like me, you’re familiar with layering systems, this won’t be news to you. But Kings is looking to help educate hunters of all sorts about how a layering system can better your time afield. Currently, the brand’s focus looks east.

“Layering is versatile, and a lot of eastern whitetail folks are just catching onto it,” Pooch said. “Our layering system and kits work just as well in the whitetail world as they do in the West.”

The final unique aspect to note? Kings goes above and beyond to fit every body type on the menu. It’s one of the few brands that offers technical options for the Big & Tall among us, and the Hunter line offers sizing up to 4X.

A People-First Approach

What makes Kings different? Foutz and Pooch both agreed that it’s the people-centric approach to business.

“We have a strong customer service team, an outlet location in Lindon, we consistently maintain good inventory, and our word-of-mouth community is strong,” Pooch said. As one would expect, the folks who work at Kings Camo aren’t just in it for the gig. Most are hardcore hunters with a serious passion for wildlife and the outdoors. In fact, we had to reschedule our interview due to Pooch getting caught in the elk woods over opening weekend.

“Everyone in our building eats, breathes, and sleeps the outdoors, and we love all sorts of hunters,” Foutz added. “That trickles down to our products. We want to make gear for the hunter who’s out all the time or the hunter who might only hunt one weekend a year. They both matter.”

One place Kings digs deep into community is the annual Western Hunting & Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. The expo is one of the few hunting trade shows where the public plays a major part. And Kings takes advantage of that time with their crew.

“It’s our chance to get face time with our customers,” Foutz said, “and it’s a lot of fun.”

Kings Camo: What It’s Really About

Kings’ ability to focus on the broad picture of hunters while specializing gear within lines puts the brand in a space not many others inhabit. In today’s hunting market, I often see either absurdly high-end gear or generic options for those who can’t afford it. $1100 for rain gear? Not on Kings Camo’s watch.

It’s something I appreciate even more after talking to Foutz and Pooch. With years of covering the industry under my belt, it’s rare to see brands thinking about and catering to both the folks aspiring to be hunters as well as the hardcores out there. I like that about Kings, a lot. And, at the heart of it, the brand embodies a light-hearted ethos that Foutz summed up perfectly.

“There’s a lot that helps keep it fresh,” he said, “and the trajectory we’re on is really fun.”