Everyone knows you get what you pay for. With Duxbak it’s no different. State, my WWII veteran grandad, had loads of the stuff. He was a buy once/cry once kind of guy and I imagine it was a big ticket purchase when he bought his Duxbak jacket sometime in the 1960’s or 1970’s. What I can be certain about is that more than 30 years later the coat still looked great when he died, so much so that my brother and I had to have a serious conversation about who was going to take it over. State had short arms anyway so his jacket didn’t even fit but that wasn’t the point. It was cool…and my brother kept it.
The full story is that the Duxbak name and quality went to hell after it was bought and sold a few times in the mid 1980’s. Eventually the brand just died…which was probably best. But recently a fella in Arkansas named Scott Perry performed a MADE IN THE USA resurrection and the quality is back where it should be…it may even be better.
This past winter me and a friend put the new jacket and bags through a torture test on a snowy waterfowl trip to Louisiana. Everything about the gear performed great and my buddy was pissed when I took his jacket back to give it to Shannon Wooten for the photos you’re seeing. I also gave Shannon the vest lineup to use on a few bird hunts of her own. After all, she’s not just a photographer, she’s a damn fine gun dog trainer and a hunter. But then Shannon didn’t want to give my buddy’s jacket back so I ended up letting her keep a vest that I knew I wasn’t going to win an argument over. The other ladies wanted to keep their vests as well so here I am in the same boat that I was in with my brother those years ago when he put State’s jacket in his closet. I’m without my own Duxbak, that’s OK though. It’s always a good sign for a company when people are refusing to turn their gear loose.
FINAL THOUGHTS: If you’re looking for clothing that functions and holds up very well in the field but also looks good at an oyster roast, Duxbak is for you.