Skip to main content

Simms Fishing Products Among Brands Tentatively Sold by Vista

The sale is contingent on a Vista shareholder vote to take place in December.

Simms Fishing Products Among Brands Tentatively Sold by Vista
It is unclear what if anything the sale means for Simms, which celebrated 30 years of Gore-Tex waders last year. (Josh Bergan photo)

Vista Outdoors, the parent company of Simms Fishing Products, announced Friday that it has reached an agreement to sell the “outdoors products segment” (named Revelyst in 2022) of its brand portfolio to the investment firm Strategic Value Partners (SVP) for $1.125 billion. This agreement is contingent upon a shareholder vote to sell Vista’s other segment, the “ammunition and reloading component producing divisions” (renamed the Kinetic Group) to the Czechoslovak Group (CSG), which has been pushed back again to December 11. If the shareholders vote no to selling the Kinetic Group, the Revelyst sale will apparently be voided (although market indicators are trending toward a "Yes" vote). Revelyst is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana at the existing Simms manufacturing facility.

Vista Outdoor operates a broad portfolio of brands in the outdoor sports and recreation market including Simms, Bushnell, CamelBak, Stone Glacier, Camp Chef, Remington Ammunition, Federal Ammunition and many more.

This is a surprising turn to a months-long back-and-forth bidding war between CSG and MNC Capital. Vista’s board had recommended selling the Kinetic Group to CSG and retaining Revelyst, but a large contingent of Vista shareholders had vowed to vote against the move. It was not until this new deal was announced that SVP had publicly entered the conversation.

(The website The Daily Outdoor Retailer has a fantastic article detailing the entire story of the offers, rejections, re-offers, delayed shareholder votes, and counter-offers available here.)

“We are excited to partner with SVP and believe this acquisition is a positive step for Revelyst’s future,” said Revelyst CEO Eric Nyman in a press release. “As I reflect on the last year, I am incredibly appreciative of our management team, our employees and our maker community for getting us here. We couldn’t have done this without everyone’s contribution. I believe the best is yet to come for Revelyst and for our customers, suppliers and retail partners. This partnership with SVP is going to make us a stronger company and afford us more opportunities to innovate and deliver top-tier products to outdoor enthusiasts while enhancing our market leadership in the outdoor recreation industry.”

SVP is “a global investment firm focused on opportunistic credit and private equity opportunities in North America and Europe.” It does not appear to have any special interest in the outdoors industry; rather it seeks “deep value opportunities.”

Vista purchased Simms, a leading manufacturer of fishing waders, outerwear, footwear and technical apparel, in July of 2022. Simms was founded in 1980 and purchased by K.C. Walsh in 1993, who grew it into a hundred-million-dollar company.

In May of 2022, Vista split into the two arms: Revelyst, which houses Simms, Fox Racing, CamelBak, QuietKat, Camp Chef, Stone Glacier, and others; and the Kinetic Group, seemingly to isolate the specific challenges presented by operating ammunitions manufacturers.

It is unclear what if anything the sale means for Simms, which celebrated 30 years of Gore-Tex waders last year, and as of press time Simms had not released a statement.

We will update the story once the shareholder vote has occurred.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Lefty: The Greatest of All Time

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

DIY Airbrushing on Popper Heads

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

Trailer: The Kids Are Alright

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

Fly Tier's Bench: How to Tie Craven's Lil Bit Nymph

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
How-To/Techniques

Ed Jaworowski's Functional Fly Casting Part 1: Acceleration

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Jimmy Carter Was One of Us

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

The Genesis of a Film: Legacy

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Salmon Return to the Klamath River

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Destinations/Species

Simms Presents - Destination: Skeena

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Just Do It: Nike and Drake Plunge into Fly Fishing

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Abel x Nocta Fly Reel

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
How-To/Techniques

G. Loomis's “Feel Connected” Episode 2: "Rolled Up"

Fly Fisherman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Fly Fisherman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use