When it comes to rangewear and tactical gear, there are plenty of options on the market — but if you haven’t heard of a relatively young company called Viktos, your customers are missing out.
Viktos was started in 2017 by Justin Fox, an avid hunter and shooter from Wisconsin whose family worked in the apparel business. The company tries to implement some fashion sense into their products without sacrificing functionality, so that everything first works as it should and then, secondly, looks good doing it.
For the past year, I’ve been testing a handful of Viktos products in the range and on the field (and in everyday life), and I’ve found that “function plus style” philosophy to ring true.
First up, the jackets. The Operatus Jacket is designed for warmth without bulk, and with its lightweight ripstop quilted-style exterior, it feels like wearing a jacket liner — but it’s a stand-alone piece. Drawstring hood, interior pockets and zippers for quick access to your sidearm are handy features.
The Range Trainer Shell is just what it sounds like — a waterproof/breathable thin layer to keep the weather out, which it does handily, in my experience. Designed and developed by U.S. veterans, it features side access zippers and ventilation, integrated sleeve pockets, a roll-and-stow hood, and adjustable hook-and-loop cuff closures. Unlike some rain gear, I found this jacket pretty comfortable — four-way stretch fabric lets me move in it without that stiff, restricted feeling. It comes in several colors, but I got it in camo so it’s suitable for hunting as well as tactical use.
My favorite jacket has been the Navarone Fleece, made of a cotton fleece with ripstop shoulder overlays. It comes in two neutral colors that make it suitable for discreet, everyday streetwear. Again, sidearm zippers allow easy access when I’m carrying.
The Range Trainer CoolMax Polo turned out to be too long for me — no surprise for a woman fitting into men’s rangewear — so I turned it over to my husband, who’s been wearing it to the range and to church and work as streetwear (in navy). He reports that’s it’s comfortable thanks to the four-way stretch fabric, and here in Alabama over the summer, he appreciated the CoolMax technology that helps regulate core temperature and the antimicrobial treatment that reduces odor. This shirt is full of helpful little details: a sleeve pen pocket, hidden snap collar that’s less likely to snag, shoulder overlays to help reduce wear from a rifle sling.
But the star of the show for me has been the Taculus Waterproof Shoe. Viktos calls it a shoe because it feels like one, but I’ve found it gives the ankle support and water-resistant performance of a boot. Viktos built this on a 6-inch water-resistant polyester/cotton ripstop chassis fitted with an internal waterproof/breathable membrane, then gave it nubuck overlays in high-wear areas for added durability. The high-rebound EVE midsole is comfortable, and the outsole is designed for excellent grip and traction. Viktos’s website says “The mid-volume forefoot allows for foot splay under load, while the fitness-focused 4mm heel-to-toe drop puts you in an attack posture.” I don’t know about foot splay, but I do know that I wore these shoes for a three-day Hunter Prep course at Gunsite Academy in Arizona, in a less-than-forgiving desert environment, and the shoes allowed for comfortable kneeling without a lot of that boot-digging-into-the-foot bruising I sometimes get from stiffer boots. They also stood up really well to the stand, gravel and cacti that tore at them during the course.
In fact, these shoes aren’t stiff at all, and part of what makes them so comfortable to wear is the weight: The pair weighs just over 2 pounds, and, bonus, required no break-in period for me. They’ve become my go-to footwear for flying to hunts and range events, because they’re comfortable enough to wear through airports without feeling like I’m shoving heavy, stiff hiking boots under the seat in front of me. They were perfect for an elk hunt last fall — I wore the Taculus shoes on the plane as an insurance policy in case my luggage didn’t make it and I had to go hunting in what I had on. Fortunately, my luggage did make it, but I would not have hesitated to climb mountains in these shoes, particularly since the weather was pretty mild and I could have gotten away without an insulated boot. If I had it to do over again, the only thing I would change would be to order them in black or coyote instead of camo, to give me a little more “grayman” blending-in look going through airports and running around town.
The Taculus shoes are designed and developed by U.S. veterans and come with a one-year warranty on workmanship and materials. At an MSRP of $165, they are a relatively affordable option for customers, particularly shoppers who want a do-it-all shoe that can go from the street to the range to the hunt. The Taculus is definitely my go-to range shoe (and rugged travel shoe) thanks to the comfort — it actually feels like I’m wearing sneakers on the range, but I get the added performance of a boot. Viktos is ready to support dealers. They call themselves “the friend you want and the expert you need,” and they strictly enforce MAP policy to protect you, while offering excellent wholesale margins. You can learn more about Viktos at www.viktos.com.
