Over the past few years, it has been fascinating — and exciting — to see the rise of small brands who do it right.
While the greater outdoor industry has seen a healthy new tribe of brands rise up, the fly fishing world seems to be harder on those who would do it a little differently. There are a few, however, who are making it work. Tight collections, quality work, handcrafted details, and items with personality. Less is more, and I’d always rather have one specific item that suits a need than a dozen generic pieces.
At the Denver Fly Fishing Show, the Sight Line Provisions booth kept drawing my eye, and I kept seeing metal / leather fish bracelets floating around the show. It wasn’t until we were breaking booths down, however, that I finally made my way over to talk with Edgar, the owner. It turns out Sight Line is based in Austin, a town I used to live in and still harbor an odd affection for, and Edgar regularly fishes familiar waters down in Texas-land.
In Edgar’s words: “Sight Line Provisions are authentic leather goods inspired by the state of mind that all outdoor lovers get when we are in our element; what we see in our “sight line” is personal and most often what makes our time on the water or in the woods special. These designs are symbols of our shared passion for nature and the thrill of seeing wildlife in their element. Whether you are a photographer, fisher, hunter or hiker; we all share those unexpected moments in the wild that speak directly to our soul.”
I ended up with a permit bracelet, and it subsequently tagged along to Cuba when I headed down on a recent assignment. It’s eye-catching, comfortable, and just plain fun to wear. Edgar makes some unique artisan editions, and his work isn’t limited to bracelets: Sight Line has key fobs and drink ware accessories as well. In an age of “cheap and quick,” it’s nice to see a company using traditional materials to create functional product.
*** This is not a paid advertisement, just a review of a cool company doing cool things.
