How the clothing sector is bringing innovation to shooting

While it may not be considered as exciting a sector compared to some of the very cool toys our industry gets to play with, clothing is pushing its own boundaries of what is possible and producing products that offer new ideas, wider useability, and an improved experience for hunters and shooters. We scoured the show floor at IWA OutdoorClassics 2026 to get a close-up view of the smart solutions entering the market through the world of clothing.  

Put a sock in it  

If you’ve done any amount of hiking in your life, which you probably have if you are involved in hunting and the outdoors, then there’s a good chance you will have heard of Darn Tough. The Vermont-based sock producer has been manufacturing its premium-quality socks in the United States since 2004, and has a very strong following in hiking and general outdoors. The company came to IWA OutdoorClassics this year to try and open new doors for its brand and showcase that looking after your feet is one of the most vital things shooters can do to improve their overall experience.  

“We sell plenty of our socks in this industry, because there is naturally a lot of crossover,” explains Darn Tough’s Director of Government Sales, Katie Roberts. “Being here at IWA isn’t just a case of us showing our existing products and seeing if hunters and shooters like them, we have created product lines that are designed to suit their needs and tastes. So far, it has meant we’ve had a really successful showing in Nuremberg.”  

Suited and booted  

Staying with footwear, and historic British boot brand Grubs was another name that covers a wide spread of different industries and use cases but was finding particular traction (pun intended) in the hunting and shooting world at IWA. It was showcasing its new Bearline 8.5 boots, that feature a raft of technologies that bring strong innovation to the feet of hunters.  

“There are really three main things these boots focus on that can benefit hunters and shooters,” explains Grubs CEO David Foster.  

“The first is comfort. They benefit from our 8.5mm Insufoam-Ultra, which wraps around the foot to offer great warmth and insulation in the harshest and coldest environments – down to -40C. They also feature Ultra-Bounce technology that absorbs shock and allows for comfort even on long days.  

“The second thing they offer is grip. The Bearpaw sole is crafted from Dry-Rubber sheets and textured to give it the same roughness of a bear's paw in order to deliver ultimate performance on slippery surfaces. The final thing they bring is protection. A Hard-Toe technology protects your feet from any impacts or rough ground you may encounter.”