Why is bison fiber so expensive?

You may have asked "Why the heck is bison fiber so expensive?" It’s ok; everyone thinks this, including us.

The short answer? It works. The long answer? Creating bison fiber products is really intensive. We have to harvest this ourselves, and the process is complex and labor intensive. 

Here is some more information on our processes, and the expense we go through to be able to make our bison fiber.

Scarcity

It is extremely important to remember that bison fur is rare and exclusive - there just isn’t a lot of this stuff available. If you could remove all the down on an adult bison, you would end up with around 8-9 ounces of fine down. Then, when you separate out the usable fiber, you end up with only 4-6 oz of usable down. Sheep, in comparison, yield anywhere from 2-20lbs per year.

In 2018 we collected almost 10,000 lbs of raw fiber. By the time it was scoured (thoroughly washed and all foreign matter removed) and "dehaired" (a process where we mechanically separate the fine soft down from the other coarse fiber) we ended up with less than 5,000 lbs of the good stuff. 5000 lbs sounds like a lot, but that is about 75% of the available bison fiber produced annually - that is all there is! Comparatively, 2,066,695 TONS of sheep wool are produced annually.

Production Expense

Everything we make, we make here in the U.S.A, and we work with some pretty awesome ranches, processors, mills, and individuals.  We pay American workers a living wage to manufacture our goods. We don't have any employees here, it is just T and I, and some family help occasionally when things are really busy. 

We want to ensure you get your money's worth when purchasing from The Buffalo Wool Co., so, we take a few extra steps to ensure that your bison down goods will last for years. Excellent technical design, extra reinforcements, and using only the finest components available can add up, but make the product extraordinary. We want you to be able to be comfortable for years to come, and your "cost per use" to be pennies. 

We know your time is valuable, especially when you are out in the elements. Whether it is working on a rig on the North Slope, fishing some beautiful river, sitting in a deer blind, or even just walking the dog in your neighborhood - if you are miserable or if your experience is shortened by cold feet, it stinks.

Get the job done, fish longer, hike further, and enjoy more of your time by being COMFORTABLE. 

So, while $54 seems crazy expensive for a pair of socks, nothing is more expensive than gear that doesn't work or only lasts for a few washes.  We stand behind everything we make with "no questions asked" returns and we strive for impeccable customer service. T and I are available ourselves by phone or email most hours (we do sleep occasionally)  and we don't rely on a call center.

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Ron & Teresa Miskin