By Staff
Do you remember when the search for outdoor clothing and equipment was a never ending, frustrating task? To that end I had a whole library of catalogs from all the specialty outdoor supply companies. That's pretty much the way it was back then, specialized. For decent clothing at a somewhat reasonable price it was L.L. Bean. For really good stuff Eddie Bauer and Filson were the place to go but on my meager budget one look at the prices brought me back to reality and those catalogs quickly went back on the shelf. For camping R.E.I. was king, though they usually priced me out, too. For hunting and fishing equipment Herter's was the go-to one. That has all changed now, largely due to one company, Cabela's. Every time another Cabela's catalog shows up in the mail, which borders on annoying regularity, I can't help but marvel at how they changed the whole outdoor supply business. I don't know that it started as a goal, but they have come as close to offering one stop shopping for outdoor recreation as you can get.
It all began back in 1961 when Dick Cabela bought a bunch of fishing flies while at a furniture show in Chicago (don't ask me the connection between flies and furniture). His intention was to sell them by mail order. Dick lived in Chappell, Nebraska, not exactly the fishing capitol of the world, so he advertised them in a Wyoming newspaper. He got one response. Time for plan B. He rounded up several other products to sell then ran ads in magazines for 5 free flies. When people responded he included with the flies a simple mimeographed catalog listing the other products. His ploy worked and Dick and his wife, Mary, were soon running a part time business from their kitchen table in Chappell. In a short year they gave the business full time attention and in 1963 Dick's brother, Jim, joined them. They moved the business out of the house and after several moves they eventually ended up in neighboring Sydney, Nebraska, where their main headquarters remains today.
I've never met him, but Dick Cabela must be the consummate businessman. The foundation of the company is still their mail order business, shipping 120 million catalogs a year in 76 different versions. However, he has left no stone unturned in making a buck. Figuring his main clientele was hunters and fishermen, in 1985 he added a hunting and fishing trip booking business, offering trips all over the world. He also began opening retail stores, which the last I knew there were 28 stores in 19 different states from coast to coast and several others in the planning. You have to visit one to know what a trip through fantasy land these stores are. Of course, as the Internet came into vogue he jumped on that wave, which boosted his success immensely. Judging by all the credit card applications we all get there must be big money in credit cards. Not only does Cabela's offer a credit card, they opened their own bank to support it.
Unfathomable to me is how they can carry untold thousands of products and, at least in my experience, have everything be of the quality and price you expect each and every time. I've tried clothing from all the outdoor suppliers and rarely been completely satisfied. It's usually small annoyances like the fit not exactly right, the pockets not deep enough, a button hole too tight or a snagging zipper. I just don't encounter those things with Cabela's stuff. I can't comprehend how many people they must have constantly monitoring such things. Equally astounding is the broad range of products. There are still specialty businesses, like those specializing in fly fishing or extreme outdoor endeavors such as mountain climbing and Arctic camping. More often than not Cabela's line of suitable products will be larger than the specialty firm's and of equal quality at a lesser price. In case you're wondering, I'm not being compensated by Cabela's. I'm just so elated that I no longer belabor finding outdoor gear. When a new adventure arises I simply pull out the Cabela's catalog. Carpe diem.