Outdoor gear manufactures have climbed to new heights in the Colorado Rockies, but in the wake of recent tariffs announced by the Trump administration, owners of Steamboat Springs outdoor gear brands are looking to find footing in an increasingly uncertain world.

“We are an American manufacturer, we manufacture in Steamboat Springs which is a pretty rare thing,” said Andrew Beckler who owns Grass Sticks, a business that manufactures and sells bamboo ski poles and Stand-up paddleboard paddles. “American manufacturers still import raw materials and components from overseas, and there’s nothing that is entirely made in the U.S.”

If he could, Beckler said, he would buy the parts needed to build his products from domestic suppliers. However, much of what he needs, can’t be found in this country.

“You can’t just turn on a switch and make America manufacturing happen for everything,” Beckler said. “These tariffs are going to put small businesses out of business because they can’t adjust that quickly. The bigger businesses might be able to hang on because they have cash, and thousands of products.”

Because of the tariffs, Grass Sticks has already placed the production of SUP paddles on hold this summer and Beckler is encouraging those wanting a paddle to get one before inventory runs out.

“I’m not ordering any more paddle blades, and we are about to go out of stock — probably in a week, or maybe two. Then we will not have any paddles for the rest of the summer,” Beckler said.

Beckler said the suspension of the SUP paddle program means that he will shift production this summer to ski poles, which represent the bulk of his sales, adding that he doesn’t expect reductions in staff at this point but it is unlikely that he will add any new positions.

Grass Stick’s bamboo comes from India — the Trump administration this week announced a 90 day pause on a proposed 26% tariff on imports from India — and its ski pole components from the European Union are facing a potential 10% baseline tariff on imports to the U.S.

The company’s paddle blades come from China, where a baseline tariff on imports to the U.S. were increased to 145% in April.

“There’s really no way around that. If Trump turns around and cancels tariffs tomorrow, we can re-order, but it’s going to be weeks,” he said.

John Bristol executive director of Routt County Economic Development Partnership said the 29 Outdoor Gear companies in Steamboat Springs help drive the economy in our mountain town. He estimates the businesses account for 159 jobs, $9.4 million in salaries and have an $80 million economic impact on the community.

Travis Campbell is the owner and CEO Eagle Creek, an outdoor gear brand based in Steamboat Springs. Eagle Creek produces high-quality, durable, and sustainable travel gear like luggage, backpacks, duffel bags and packing cubes.

Eagle Creek manufactures it products in countries in Asia that are facing baseline tariffs of 10%, but not in China. He said he was caught off guard when the Trump Administration announced April 2 that products coming from Indonesia would face an additional 32% tariff and those coming from Vietnam would see an additional 46% tariff.

On April 7, Trump paused the tariffs for 90 days, offering companies a break but not erasing the uncertainty for a company that depends on imports.  

“That magnitude would be nearly impossible for any outdoor business that I’m aware of to just absorb quickly,” Campbell said of the initial announcement. “So that was an immediate shock.”

He said the pause is a relief for his company, but he can’t be certain how long it will last.

“(The pause) does a relatively good job of hiding the fact that there’s still an incremental 10% tariff, which is a big number when you’re dealing with importing product from overseas. That’s in addition to the 17.6 that we already pay, so now we’re paying 27.6% tax effectively on our goods,” Campbell said.

While the tariffs have disrupted supply chains, he said he fears they may also reduce consumer confidence and demand for discretionary products — like the ones Eagle Creek sells as consumer confident plunges — and may limit travel this summer.

“I was just talking to our managing director in Germany, who runs our business out of Europe, for Europe. He told me that the volume of passengers on flights from Germany to the U.S., was down 40% in March over the prior year,” Campbell said.

The news is also not good for Robin Hall, who co-founded Town Hall Outdoor Co. with partners Jay Lambert and Joe Solomon in 2020. The company makes high quality, durable apparel for children, which is also made in China.

“We produce in China where we have a very long partner who we have worked with and adore. They gave us our first shot five years ago, and we have gotten to know them over the years,” Hall said of the relationship she enjoys with her Chinese partners. “So yes, this absolutely does have an impact on us.”

Much of the impact of the trade ware between the U.S. and China will be felt in July when the Steamboat Springs-based company starts importing fall and winter products and could face a 145% tariff unless the two countries come to the table.

 “We are a largely winter business at this point, and so that stuff will come into port in July,” Hall said. “Then we will need to pay the duty at that time. Right now, we’re watching the news and the impacts day-to-day for sure.”

She said if nothing changes Town Hall will be paying an additional $95 in tariffs on a jacket that sells for $75 compared to the $7 the company pays now for the same jacket.

Like so many other businesses, Town Hall is reevaluating supply chains, and considering new production locations to reduce costs. At some point, the company may also be forced to pass additional costs of tariffs to customers.

The company is also looking at its business model to see if it can put energy into promising programs that could keep the business relevant in the quickly changing outdoor gear landscape. She said Town Hall is examining its resale program, that encourages reuse of its products and creates a sense of legacy and adventure with each garment.

“We’ve got a nice (resale) program we call ‘hand-me-ups,’ where we take in jackets from kiddos that grow out of them and resell them,” Hall said.  “We typically do that at our summer garage sale, but now we wonder if we should go to greater lengths to do that further and deeper”

That idea fits well with Town Hall’s sustainable goal of making outdoor gear that can be passed from generation to generation. She said those sales would be free of tariffs, and they present an opportunity that the owners hadn’t really looked at or thought about in the past.

Bristol said that type of thinking is at the core of the peer-to-peer programs that the Routt County Economic Development Partnership is using to bolster the small businesses that bring diversity to the Yampa Valley.  He said the organization is actively working to help area businesses navigate tariffs and explore paths leading to a silver lining.

The Routt County Economic Development Partnership hosts a monthly meeting, called “Garage Beers” to bring together local businesses. At its most recent meeting, Bristol said the group talked tariff strategies.

“The biggest concern is the inability to plan, and you know, that is so important in business,” he said. “Not having stability to be able to make projections is incredibly challenging, and it takes a lot of time, staff and energy to figure things out and make a contingency plan.”