Watson has bowhunting in the bag
Washington’s Chris Watson is an idea man.
So when he took up archery hunting as a way to supplement his time afield deer hunting with a rifle, he found a market lacking in some of the things he felt were necessary for a successful hunt.
It took some time to get started – nearly 10 years – but Watson Airlock was born.
“I’ve been deer hunting from the time I was a little kid,” said Watson, sitting at his desk at his headquarters on Jefferson Ave. “We would go to by dad’s farm in Greene County. We were always rifle hunters and there were always big deer, but we were having trouble killing them. So I figured the transition to archery hunting gave me a better chance to kill a big deer. It took me years to figure out the transition.
“I was a good gun hunter but turning into a good bow hunter took a long time. I read everything I could think of. I studied. I had the knowledge in my head but it didn’t translate into real field application. It was book smarts. Finally, the light bulb kicked on and I could do it. Then I started looking at products and how I wanted to prepare myself to go into the field and how I would be best suited to kill a mature deer. That’s where my stuff came from.”
Watson came up with the idea in the early 2000s for a hunting equipment bag targeted for archery hunters that would be completely scent free. But his bag also had some other interesting add-ons. While the main compartment was air-tight, he also included another compartment in which to place dirty clothes and a third area that contains a mat on which to stand while changing and a place to put boots.
It’s an all-in-one hunting bag that is quickly becoming a must-have not just for hunters, but for people in all walks of life.
His Watson Airlock bags have been named best-in-show and won Reader’s Choice awards from numerous websites and magazines since he began selling them in 2010.
It took a long time for Watson to get to this point. He visited outdoors shows and conventions, meeting people and learning about the business. He had to figure out price points, who would be the manufacturer and resolve design and shipping issues.
“I had no experience dealing with an overseas factory, and I can’t manufacturer them domestically because I can’t hit a price point domestically because the whole market is targeted by overseas importing,” Watson said. “What I actually sell them for is what I’d be paying to manufacture them here in the United States. It took me years to find the right manufacturer over there. After that, I had to build all the price points. I knew nothing about importing, shipping, duties, taxes. I built all of the retail programs, did my packaging and everything else that went with it.”
Not bad for a product Watson wasn’t sure anyone would like.
“There’s always that, ‘It’s really nice, but I wonder if everybody is going to like it?'” Watson said. “It went to point where it was very well received and won best of show and was reader’s choice for best new product. Everybody really likes it. And it wasn’t just bowhunters who liked it. People wanted to take it on vacation. They take it hunting, fishing, camping. The way it spanned into different genres and that aspect was probably the biggest surprise for me, It was supposed to be a hunting bag.”
The Airlock bags are indeed hunting bags. But they are so much more.
Watson offers several different bags in a variety of styles and sizes. He has deals with Vias, Mossy Oak and Real Tree to offer the bags in their styles. He has bags for those who hunt from their truck and wheeled bags for those who need to travel long distances to do their hunting.
And there are numerous accessories, all of which work on their own or in conjunction with other pieces in his line.
“The concept is a bag inside a bag. The seam is sealed so you have odor, air and abraisan resistance,” Watson said. “It’s either clean clothes, dirty clothes in the top compartment, with a changing mat so you have a place to stand and not get your feet wet. It works postseason, so that all of my stuff is scent-free and stored. I can easily access it. I’m not saying, ‘Where did I put this, where did I put that?’
“There are also packing cases and phone holders that clip onto the bag. It all works in tandem with existing products.”
The bags are not only available on-line at Watsonairlock.com, but over 100 dealers nationwide and a number of big stores such as Dick’s, Field and Stream and BassPro.
The only problem for Watson has been since his bags have taken off so well, it leaves little time for him to do what he originally designed them for, hunting.
“No,” he said. “It does not. But I’m making time for that this year.”
Perhaps that will lead to the next big idea.
Outdoors Editor F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.