Shield Outdoors

Our Story

We didn't set out to start a company.

We set out to solve a problem.

Shield Outdoors started during a bow hunt in Iowa. The land of mega-giant whitetails.

I had spent months preparing for that trip with my brother, Zach. And when I say preparing, I mean preparing for everything.

I obsessed over my bow, arrows, broadheads, release, saddle, stand, climbing sticks, and safety gear. I thought through my boots, socks, base layers, outerwear, rain gear, gloves, and every other piece of clothing I might need. I studied hunting apps, weather forecasts, maps, access routes, wind direction, stand locations, and every detail of my scent-control system.

I packed the rangefinder, binoculars, rattling horns, headlamps, extra batteries, knives, calls, food, water, and backup gear for my backup gear.

If there was even a chance I might need something, I found it, bought it, and packed it.

That’s what hunters do.

This was Iowa. The kind of hunt you look forward to long before you ever load the truck. I had spent serious money and countless hours making sure nothing stood between me and the opportunity of a lifetime.

I wanted to show up ready.

And I thought I did.

The Problem I Never Planned For

That first morning, Zach and I hiked deep into the Iowa hills, worked up a serious sweat, and climbed into our stand.

Then we saw him.

A mega-giant Iowa buck.

He never gave us a shot, but seeing him gave us the confidence we needed. A giant was there. Now we had to figure out how to harvest him.

We climbed down and made another long hike through the hills to set up for the evening.

That’s when it started.

The burn. The irritation. The misery.

By the end of that first day, the combination of miles, hills, and sweat had taken its toll.

I had prepared for everything, and now something I had never considered was threatening the hunt I had spent months preparing for.

Chafing. Bad.

I had to give in.

The only option for relief was a bottle of anti-chafe body powder found at a local gas station. I opened the cap, took a whiff AND HOLY MAMBA. Talk about a STRONG fragrance.

The moment I picked up that bottle, my confidence was instantly shattered. But I HAD to have it. I needed it right then, and I would have to carry it in my hunting pack for the rest of the trip.

It Was Game Over.

After countless hours preparing for this hunt, obsessing over my gear, my clothing, and especially my scent control, I felt like I had just thrown all of it away.

Every time I opened that bottle, it felt like I was throwing a cloud of powerful fragrance onto my skin, into my clothing, and all over the gear I had worked so hard to keep scent-free.

My clothes. My pack. My boots. My gear.

It was everywhere. I felt exposed. My confidence was gone. My excitement was shredded.

And it wasn’t something I could use once and forget about. Zach and I were hiking hard every day, so I had to keep that bottle in my pack and continue using it throughout the hunt.

We were chasing a giant Iowa whitetail, but every time I stepped into the woods after that, I felt like there was no chance we would ever lay eyes on him again, let alone get a shot.

And we never did.

The powder solved one problem.

But it created another.

And I couldn't shake the question:

Why Does Everything Need to Have a Smell?

Miles in the hills have a way of exposing problems you never planned for.

That question lived in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I got home.

Why wasn't there a body powder built for hunters?

We couldn't find one.

So We Started Building One.

The moment I got home, I started researching. I found absolutely nothing. So then, I started formulating.

Sack Shield wasn't pulled from a private-label catalog and turned into a hunting product with a new label.

We built a formula specifically for hunters who pursue perfection in the outdoors.

Ingredients were researched. Formulas were made. Prototypes were tested. Ratios changed. Ingredients were added and removed. Then we tested again. Again. And again.

Because Sack Shield wasn't going to be just another body powder.

It was formulated to help solve the problem that started all of this in the first place. To help hunters stay protected, comfortable and confident in the hunt.

That's what we wanted for ourselves.

And that's what we wanted to build for you.

Research. Prototypes. Testing. Changes. Then doing it all again.

We were obsessive about those details because we believe there should be a reason behind the products carrying our name.

We aren't interested in finding random products and figuring out how to sell them to hunters.

Protected. Comfortable. Confident.

Sack Shield gave us more than our first product.

It gave Shield Outdoors our Mission:

To develop world-class everyday essentials for protection, comfort, and confidence for those who pursue perfection in the outdoors.

That's it.

We're not trying to make everything.

We're not trying to become another company selling every piece of hunting gear imaginable.

We want to stay focused on the things that can protect you, keep you comfortable and give you confidence when you're in the field.

Sometimes those things get overlooked. We know because that's exactly how this company started.

There are problems hunters deal with that might never be the most exciting part of hunting, but when they happen, they can change an entire hunt.

Those are the problems we're interested in solving.

Sack Shield is where that mission started. 

It won't be where it ends.

Small Town. Small Family. Big Dream.

Shield Outdoors was born in small-town Kansas.

There's a family.

There's an idea.

There's a whole lot of work.

And there's a belief that if we build genuinely good products for people like us, treat people right, listen to our customers and refuse to cut corners just to grow faster, maybe we can build something pretty special.

This is our American dream.

And we're chasing it.

We're proud of where we're from, and we're incredibly grateful for every person who chooses to spend their hard-earned money on something carrying the Shield Outdoors name.

We don't take that lightly.

Small-town Kansas. Where a small family is chasing a big dream.

Hunting Essentials Made For The Pursuit.

Built By Us. Built For You.

Real problems. Thoughtful Products built in small-town America for hunters who understand exactly why the little things matter.

Because sometimes one little thing can change an entire hunt.

I learned that one the hard way.

Our Promise

Protection. Comfort. Confidence.

SHIELD OUTDOORS

Claflin, Kansas