A million little needles work a million strands of yarn. Gears shift. Machine arms adjust and spin, the mechanized anatomy of a knitting machine pulls raw yarn in one side and spits out a sock from the other end.
It is a Thursday afternoon in Sheboygan, Wis., the factory floor at Wigwam Mills Inc. buzzing with production like it has for more than 100 years. Today, 250 people work at Wigwam, and the family-owned company funnels millions of dollars of payroll into the area economy while producing upwards of 30,000 socks a day.
I’ve come to see Wigwam Mills from the inside, a peek into what is something of an archetype of a “Made in the USA” brand. In an era perpetuated with a down economy where seemingly everything is made overseas, domestic manufacturing can stand on a pedestal as a sign of hope.
The outdoors industry, a multibillion-dollar engine, has no shortage of goods that come from abroad. But a surprising number of brands tout products originated in the USA. Indeed, after some research, I found that there are far too many to list. From mountain bikes to athletic socks — not to mention running shoes, camper trailers, backpacks, sleeping bags, knives, kayaks, and snowshoes — outdoor retailers still stock thousands of items made by domestic hands.
Kokatat Watersports Wear, an Arcata, Calif., company, is a good example. Paddling accessories including dry suits, dry tops, paddling jackets, and life vests are manufactured in the company’s California factory.
SylvanSport Inc. of Cedar Mountain, N.C., manufactures the GO, a unique made-in-the-USA camping trailer. The GO travels as a compact, 800-pound unit that can be towed by small cars but unfolds into a spacious shelter at a camp. It is a unique piece of American ingenuity that has won design awards.
