Testimony of Travis Campbell, Eagle Creek — Beyond the Trailhead: Supporting Outdoor Recreation in an Uncertain Economy (May 30, 2025)

Summary

Written testimony of Travis Campbell, Owner and CEO of Eagle Creek, dated May 30, 2025, for a hearing of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on supporting outdoor recreation in an uncertain economy. The testimony addresses the effect of trade and tariff policy on the outdoor recreation economy and describes Eagle Creek as a 50-year-old small business based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It states that when new reciprocal tariffs were announced on April 2 the company held about $1.8 million in outstanding purchase orders and faced an additional $580,000 in unexpected costs. It reports a trade-weighted duty average for outdoor gear of over 14%, against 2.7% for other consumer goods, and says Eagle Creek has paid over $4 million in additional duties since GSP expired. It asks Congress to restore the GSP and MTB programs and adopt stable trade policies.

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Tes$mony of Travis Campbell, Owner & CEO, Eagle Creek
May 30, 2025 Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Hearing
Beyond the Trailhead: Suppor3ng Outdoor Recrea3on in an Uncertain Economy
Chair Ernst, Senator Hickenlooper, and dis$nguished members of the Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to tes$fy today about the impacts of current trade and tariff
policy on the outdoor recrea$on economy. My name is Travis Campbell, and I am the owner and
CEO of Eagle Creek, a 50-year old small business based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We
design and sell adventure travel gear around the world.
We are the kind of small business America should be proud of: We pay our taxes. We comply
fully with our du$es and regula$ons. We strive to be a responsible employer, a committed
partner to our customers, and a steward of the planet. Yet, in the wake of newly announced
tariffs, it feels as though our country is systema$cally working against businesses like ours –
raising our costs drama$cally while fueling consumer anxiety that suppresses demand.
Eagle Creek – and the vast majority of the $1.2T outdoor industry, which is responsible for over
5 million American jobs – depends on a complex global supply chain to manufacture the highly
technical products we sell. These goods require years of skill and specializa$on to produce, and
those capabili$es do not exist in the U.S. at scale. Building that capacity domes$cally would take
years, if it were even possible to do.
When the new reciprocal tariffs were announced on April 2, we had about $1.8 million in
outstanding purchase orders placed with our factories and due to ship within the next four
months. Normally, we would expect to pay around $260,000 in du$es that are already priced
into our business model. But with the new tariffs, we faced an addi$onal $580,000 in
unexpected costs. That kind of shock is simply unsustainable for a business of our size.
In our 50th year of opera$ons, we could be put out of business by our country’s ill-planned
trade policies.
Eagle Creek has taken drama$c steps to stay afloat. We froze salary increases that had just been
implemented. We halted the hiring of two excep$onal candidates. We cut spending across the
board – on vendors, on travel, and on investments in growth. And we’ve revised our sales
forecast significantly downward. In short: lower wages, fewer jobs, and less spending in the
economy.
The current pause in tariff implementa$on gives us some breathing room, but only barely. We
are s$ll paying 57% more in tariffs today than when this trade war began. The uncertainty and
instability con$nue to wreak havoc on our business, and our people, as we plan and re-plan our
outlook beyond July 9th.
It’s important to understand that outdoor products are not interchangeable with general
consumer goods. These are technical, complex items built to withstand extreme condi$ons and

Tes$mony of Travis Campbell, Owner & CEO, Eagle Creek
May 30, 2025 Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Hearing
there is very little US manufacturing suppor$ng our industry. Yet technical outdoor goods are
among the most heavily taxed imports. The trade-weighted duty average for outdoor gear is
over 14%, compared to just 2.7% for other consumer goods. Products like waterproof backpacks
and footwear are especially hard hit.
Historically, the outdoor industry has had bipar$san, Congressionally-approved tools like the
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) to provide relief
for products that aren't made in the U.S. But both programs expired at the end of 2020. Since
then, the outdoor industry has paid over $2 billion in du$es that were not accounted for when
sourcing decisions were made years ago. Eagle Creek alone has paid over $4 million in
addi$onal du$es since GSP expired. If we had that $4 million back, we would be in a much
better posi$on to weather this current trade storm.
This is not just a matter of cost – it’s about predictability. Our produc$on cycles span 12 to 24
months. Right now, we’re planning for the Spring 2027 retail season. Changing suppliers or
shiiing opera$ons requires lead $me, capital, and careful planning. We cannot adapt overnight
to rapidly shiiing policy.
Let me be clear: U.S. importers, not foreign manufacturers, are the ones paying these tariffs.
And with many businesses s$ll recovering from COVID-era disrup$ons, we simply do not have
the financial cushion to absorb these shocks.
So, what are our op$ons? We can try to renego$ate costs with our suppliers – but even a 10%
discount, which would be extraordinary in normal $mes, barely dents our new tariff burden. Or
we can raise prices and pass the cost onto consumers, which will reduce demand, hurt our
customers, and ul$mately harm our bottom line.
This is not a sustainable path forward.
I am here today to ask for your leadership. Small businesses like mine cannot fix this alone. We
need long-term, stable trade policies that recognize the reali$es of modern supply chains – not
puni$ve tariffs and uncertainty. And we need programs like GSP and MTB restored to give
businesses like ours the tools to survive and grow.
The outdoor industry stands ready to work with you. Our company is prepared to be part of the
solu$on, but we need a clear plan. Because what we’re doing now isn’t working.
Thank you for your $me. I welcome your ques$ons and the opportunity to share addi$onal
details.

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