An Interview with Gunner Founder Addison Edmonds

We take our gear severely at F&S, whether or not it’s for searching, fishing, or tenting. Our alternatives are primarily based on many elements, like high quality, value, and goal—simply to call a couple of. However generally there’s extra to a fishing jacket or searching knife than what you see.

By means of my years of protecting one of the best outside gear, I’ve found some actually cool manufacturers with some actually cool tales doing a little actually cool issues. In our new “Behind the Model” interview sequence, we’re telling these tales via the phrases of the founders themselves.

Ask Addison Edmonds to let you know about Gunner and chances are high he gained’t begin speaking about his kennel model. As an alternative, he’ll begin speaking concerning the British chocolate lab that impressed stated model. In accordance with Addison, Gunner was a type of particular searching canine you solely get to expertise as soon as in a lifetime. In case you’re fortunate sufficient to know what he’s speaking about, you’re fortunate sufficient.

Addison’s love of canine—and extra particularly, searching with canine—led him on the hunt to create higher gear. His first purpose? Constructing a safer kennel so he and his finest buddy may get out collectively extra typically. And thus, Gunner as we all know it was born. We sat down with Addison to listen to extra concerning the pup who began all of it, and what’s subsequent for the made-in-America firm.

Area & Stream: How did you get into the outside?

I’ve at all times been obsessive about the outside from after I was actually younger. I can keep in mind simply at all times eager to go fishing or go searching. I even determined to go to Ole Miss so I may hunt and fish extra.

However I’ve by no means been happy with the instruments or gear or actually something I exploit. I’m at all times tinkering with issues attempting to determine how I could make them higher. Once I got here up with the concept for Gunner, it was sort of an ideal mixture of my ardour for searching and fishing and canine, particularly my canine Gunner. I figured I may go searching and name it work. So I went with that.

Inform us about Gunner the canine and his story.

I received Gunner my junior yr in faculty. He’s the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime canine. He was a British chocolate lab—very well-mannered and really handsome, at all times completely in form.

He had extra drive for retrieving birds than I had ever seen. The day after I received him, I took him to a dove hunt. I shot a dove that landed fairly shut by and he introduced it again. He was just a bit bitty pet. And inside those self same first 24 hours, he realized to take a seat.

Gunner additionally did issues you’ll be able to’t actually prepare right into a canine. Like if we had been out someplace and he needed to go to the lavatory, he would go disguise away. He simply knew what to do.

He and I had been simply very in sync. We at all times knew one another’s ideas and we simply labored collectively very well. He was a particular canine, and an enormous a part of my life. He even performed an enormous half in how I met my spouse, Emily. I may go on for awhile about him.

How did you resolve to enter kennels vs. different canine gear?

Throughout my senior yr, I didn’t know what I used to be going to do for work, however I used to be actually hoping to search out one thing within the outside house. On the time, I used to be simply utilizing a flimsy low-cost canine crate for Gunner and was actually annoyed with it.

Lastly, at some point on my technique to a hunt, the kennel rolled over. In that second, I made a decision, I’m going to repair this as a result of if I don’t do it, any individual else will. And selfishly, I wished to begin a enterprise and make a product for Gunner so we may proceed searching collectively.

What was your course of for designing the unique kennel?

Theoretically, the simplest factor to do would have simply been to make it an enormous rectangular field. However I wished it to be handsome and stand out and even be useful. I knew what I wished however I couldn’t visualize it. So I got here up with all of the parameters, look, and options I had in thoughts after which used a design agency to carry it to life.

We needed to undergo loads of totally different rounds of adjustments. It took me a couple of yr and a half to design the kennel simply to get to the primary prototype. We’ve made not less than a dozen adjustments since then when it comes to design and meeting.

And all Gunner kennels are American-made, proper?

Yep. I simply didn’t wish to ship cash abroad on a weekly foundation. We’re paying producers each week and that cash is staying in America. Additionally from a top quality management standpoint, it’s good to have the ability to simply choose up the cellphone or get within the truck and go go to along with your producer to verify we’re on the identical web page, particularly with a brand new product.

What makes a Gunner kennel totally different than or like extra distinctive than that of one other model?

Initially it was the security of the kennel. It makes use of double wall rotational molding much like a rotomolded Yeti cooler, so it doesn’t break or crack, and we’ve received loads of thermal options to maintain the canine hotter within the winter and cooler in the summertime.

Apart from that, it’s a bit little bit of the whole lot that makes our kennel totally different. There are a bunch of options, from the drain plug to the handles. I wantd to have the ability to lock the door and I wished to have the ability to drain it out and let it dry out simply and carry it and strap it down and have rubber ft on it so it doesn’t slide.

Sturdiness has additionally at all times been an enormous theme with us. I’ve by no means been capable of afford good gear. So all my low-cost gear breaks and stops working fairly rapidly. So with Gunner, I attempt to make the whole lot as sturdy as potential.

How did you take a look at the kennel?

I did my very own sort of yard testing the place I’d shoot it with a shotgun. I shot it with a bow. I threw it off a cliff that was a pair hundred ft excessive. I principally did the whole lot I probably may. I even threw it off of the again of my truck and drove my buddy’s truck over it simply to see what we may do.

After which clearly you’ve received to have third get together validation. We discovered an impartial analysis agency known as the Heart for Pet Security that assessments canine merchandise. They did a crate crest take a look at or crate crash worthiness research the place we gained high performer. We had dummy canine identical to you’d see within the automotive commercials.

It truly made a serious impression. Within the first take a look at, the door wouldn’t keep closed. So I needed to completely overhaul and redesign the door. We made it with a door body and backup latches, even simply the chrome steel rivets that join the hinge to the door panel and the body, these had been aluminum after which we did a crash take a look at and it busted via these.

There are loads of options and design adjustments that occurred via that crash testing. Even now with the brand new merchandise we’re doing, we’ve received a number of third get together impartial researchers that do the whole lot from UV power and fading to interrupt power.

We attempt to do as a lot as we are able to. However actually there’s nothing like the true world.

Ah sure, the true world. Do you have got any good tales from individuals who have skilled Gunner kennels in motion?

There are a pair that come to thoughts, however one particularly stands out. This lady had a service canine, and her commencement present was a Gunner kennel. So she received it, and she or he was driving a bit SUV (a Jeep Compass, I feel) when she flipped it over in a ditch. It occurred to be throughout a flash flood. They stated the kennel was the one factor holding up the roof for them to flee out of the again. If the kennel hadn’t been there, each her and the canine would’ve died.

There have additionally been a couple of automotive fires the place the canine that had been in Gunner kennels survived and the others didn’t.

What are your hottest merchandise moreover the kennels?

Meals Crate

We now have unbelievable opinions on our pet food crates. All people appears to actually like these.

Canine Bowl

I’m actually enthusiastic about our new meals and water bowl that’s made in Nashville. It may be our highest rated product, and we are able to engrave it along with your canine’s identify. It’s received a leak-proof lid for touring, so you’ll be able to take a day’s price of meals or water with you.

It’s actually robust, too. I drove my diesel truck over a pair not too way back, they usually held up.

Coaching Bumper

Our coaching bumpers are our first step into the coaching class that I actually like. They appear to be doing nicely and I’m wanting to get extra coaching merchandise on the market that we’ve been engaged on.

What’s been your favourite or most memorable hunt?

I must say it was the season that I knew was going to be one in all Gunner’s final. We went as much as Canada, exterior of Saskatoon. We’d had a foul morning and we had been alleged to be leaving the subsequent day. However our information stated he had a sense concerning the afternoon, so we rushed out—and had an unimaginable hunt. We shot an eight-man restrict actual fast, in like 45 minutes, and Gunner simply did excellent.

I known as Emily after after we had been choosing up the decoys and instructed her I may grasp it up. That was the hunt of a lifetime the place I used to be with a few of my finest associates.

And truthfully, I feel the entire final season I had with Gunner was one in all my favorites. He wasn’t even alleged to make it to duck season, so the truth that he did—these had been all some fairly particular hunts.

What’s your favourite species to hunt?

No matter’s in season is my favourite. So if it’s duck season, that’s my favourite. Or if it’s time to go saltwater fishing, then that’s my favourite. I’ve by no means been an enormous snob on species, particularly with waterfowl.

I’ve at all times simply wished to get extra retrieves for the canine and get one thing that eats good so I can go cook dinner them for my household.

What do you like most about searching with a canine?

It’s so cool seeing your work and your communication and your coaching repay. However I additionally love watching the canine thriving and having fun with what he’s made to do.

For my part, canine are right here to assist man and and one of many first methods they did that was via searching. It’s only a actually cool factor to observe a canine use its pure instincts and coaching throughout an extended retrieve or a hard-to-find retrieve (like a duck that dives). Working collectively like that’s only a particular factor.

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