Troops’ needs take priority

The massive effort to outfit U.S. troops stationed in Iraq is affecting manufacturing capacity in the outdoor industry, from tents to sleeping bags.

Integral Designs, based in Alberta, Canada, has delayed production of bivy sacks, fleece and Gore-Tex clothing for hikers and climbers as plants produce bivy sacks for the U.S. Navy Seals. Johnson Outdoors, a producer of diving and outdoor equipment with yearly revenue of more than $315.5 million, recently announced a contract to supply the U.S. military with 6,500 tents over the next 15 months, the second order in less than six months.

“The outdoor industry focuses on gear for remote and harsh conditions, so it’s natural we’ll be asked to produce for the military when demand unexpectedly increases,” said Dana Donley of the Outdoor Industry Assn., a trade group. Donley said she didn’t expect military production to affect consumers through scarcity of products or changing prices.

-- Charles Duhigg