← The Origins Foundation Podcast
The Origins Foundation Podcast
Episode 619 - Carlos Lozano || What's Next for Bushnell?
00:49:45
Robbie is joined by Carlos Lozano, the marketing manager for Bushnell (a sponsor of our show!). Listen as Carlos explains who they are now, what they’re going to do, what the brand needs to do to position itself, and much more. Listen all the way to the end to see how you can enter a special contest to win an amazing trail camera package.
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- [00:00]
Robbie
Carlos Lozano is the marketing manager for Bushnell. I met Carlos. She's 2019 Vegas shot show. And, you know, there's very few people in this world that walk the talk, and Carlos is one of them. Carlos said to me, man, we want to get behind you. We want to help you. We want to partner with you. And he did it three weeks later and has been supporting us ever since. As you know on the podcast, they are sponsor of ours in the podcast, and we've also got a cool partnership working on. You know, we've got the trail camera package, which you need to listen to the end of this podcast to understand how you can enter into an amazing trail camera package that all you really need to do is send us an email. Listen to the end of the podcast for more information around that. But Bushnell has been refining itself, has been trying to figure out who they are for the last 18 months. And this podcast is really Carlos explaining, like, who they are now, what are they going to do? What are they rolling out, and what's the brand's feelings around where they need to position themselves. I love the podcast. I'm a big fan of Carlos, big fan of Bushnell. Enjoy. So five years ago, there was a reason why I started this movement. And the truth then is the truth now that we need to champion our narrative. We need to champion the truth around what we do and who we are. There's a sweet spot with a gun, you know, too heavy, and it's a burden to walk with.
- [01:29]
Carlos Lozano
Too light and you whipping it.
- [01:30]
Robbie
Why is the project so important to the hunting community? It's. It's a. I think it's not only important. I think it's. I think it's vital.
- [01:37]
Carlos Lozano
I think it's. It's just in time.
- [01:39]
Robbie
It's like snakes and ladders.
- [01:41]
Carlos Lozano
You guys are climbing the ladder, and.
- [01:43]
Robbie
Then somebody does something stupid and you just slide that. That is such an amazing analogy. Snakes and ladders.
- [01:49]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [01:50]
Robbie
You know, ivory in. In my opinion, was the plastic of its age. Okay. The expensive little going up.
- [01:56]
Carlos Lozano
It goes a long way with families.
- [01:58]
Robbie
We are families that do need it. Let me close this door because I have a little wiener dog. What? You. Are you laughing because I said wiener?
- [02:06]
Carlos Lozano
I'm really glad you finished the sentence out.
- [02:09]
Robbie
I'm sorry the first happened.
- [02:11]
Carlos Lozano
What are we doing here today?
- [02:13]
Robbie
You're telling the whole. You're in a garage. I'm in a, like, a little closet room that my wife has, like, allocated me to. Like, this is your domain, Robbie. You can't do This. I assume your wife has done the same to you. Like, you do that work stuff over there in the garage.
- [02:41]
Carlos Lozano
We. We get. We get to live in the house. You. You just kind of. You get that area.
- [02:47]
Robbie
Yeah.
- [02:47]
Carlos Lozano
It's funny. It's just like we still haven't truly finished setting up since moving out here, like, figuring out how this whole thing goes. So it's. And I. I have more stuff than I need, and I don't know where to put it all. So here I am.
- [03:02]
Robbie
You moved from Kansas to Montana, right?
- [03:07]
Carlos Lozano
That's right. So we're all over a year ago.
- [03:10]
Robbie
Remind me again why.
- [03:14]
Carlos Lozano
To keep. To keep moving forward with Bushnell. Just because I've been with Bushnell for 10 years.
- [03:23]
Robbie
Where were you before Bushnell?
- [03:26]
Carlos Lozano
Before Bushnell, I was actually living in Tacoma, Washington, working in the. That was a creative. Working for a creative agency. Okay. And that's where I moved initially was to run creative services for, at the time, Vista Outdoor and the brands out of Overland Park, Kansas. And Bushnell being the primary one there.
- [03:49]
Robbie
Nice. Nice. And so Bushnell has now moved from Kansas. Are they now in Montana?
- [03:55]
Carlos Lozano
They're now out of Bozeman. So we are now. It was this outdoor. Now we are a part of a revelist, and Revelist owns all of the outdoor brands, Bushnell being one of them. We are now in the building where Sims headquarters was. So we're returning that into now the Bozeman Innovation Center. So Sims, Stone, Glacier, Bushnell and Blackhawk are out of that location. And in that location, there's waders being made. There's all of our injection molding and tooling. So we're trying to get it so we can use this as like a hub to just create a lot of awesome stuff for the outdoors.
- [04:39]
Robbie
So everyone's essentially together. Or is the manufacturing happening there, or is it just sort of like a distribution operation?
- [04:46]
Carlos Lozano
It's. It's primarily Sims. Waiters are out of there. Black Op coasters will be. Someone will be out of there. A lot of just dev and development for us. Like. Like, so some of our future. Our products kind of launching in 26. We've got. It was cool. Cause we got to collaborate with the Sims team on some of the cases because they do a ton of cases. So, like, that's where it starts to become pretty fun of. Hey, we want, like a different way to hold this thing. And they know about all how to make chest harnesses and some of this other stuff. So they got to help us kind of create that pretty quickly.
- [05:24]
Robbie
Cases being like the actual bino harness where the binos go in or scopes or just binos or.
- [05:31]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, just a bino case. You know, we've got some, some more stuff coming for an outdoor consumer, not non hunt, that we wanted to have a little bit different offering for and they were able to help us with that.
- [05:43]
Robbie
Yeah. Sweet. Well, Carlos Lozano, welcome to the Origins foundation podcast, my friend. You, before I say anything, you have been a staunch supporter of me, of us for years, man. Like I still remember, I think this was 2019. Yeah, we met at shot show and we're like, we're gonna have dinner together. I can still remember the restaurant. The restaurant was right on the road. It was you, it was Chris, right? C.J.
- [06:17]
Carlos Lozano
Mm.
- [06:18]
Robbie
I think there was somebody else that joined us as well.
- [06:21]
Carlos Lozano
Oh, what's even that was there?
- [06:24]
Robbie
Look, guys, I'm a hunter, right? And when I go hunting, I like to figure out how to get my trophies back home as expeditiously as possible. Well, you don't have to look much further than Safari Specialty Importers. We know that trophy importation can be quite a headache. That's why Safari Specialty Importer strives to make it as easy and hassle free as possible. They have access to a bonded warehouse. You won't be charged storage fees, and you get a dedicated team that's readily available and will update you at every step in the process. They'll even go one step further. Safari Specialty Importers is working with us and they are going to donate a hundred dollars from every shipment that they work with to conservation projects that include anti poaching, community development and wildlife conservation. At the end of the day, choose to spend your money with a team that's dedicated to you and is dedicated to helping show how hunting is a great conservation model. Hassle free logistics, fuel and conservation go with Safari Specialty importers. It is 2026 and my friends, big changes have happened in the world of firearm suppressors. The $200 tax stamp fee is now gone. Huge win for hunters, huge win for shooters, and a huge win for your wallets. If you're thinking about elevating your shooting experience and adding a suppressor. Silence Essential is the best way to shop. And you don't even have to get off your couch to do it. Go to silence essential.com, browse hundreds of suppressor options. They literally have all of the popular makes and models. Then their experts will walk you through setting up your account, creating a free NFA trust, and then submitting your application to the atf. Once approved, Silencer Central ships your new suppressor directly to your door. That's when you're going to have to essentially get off the couch. It's a game changer, guys. If you haven't done it yet, do it. The old days of waiting eight to 10 months on a suppressor are gone. It's more like two weeks. Some have even gotten their suppressors in shorter timeframes. It's never been easier to start shooting suppressed. Get started today by visiting silencercentral.com it's really the simplest way to get your suppressors. Bushnell is eager to help you get set up for conservation success. That's right. They want to help you. The conservation and research community is dominated by good people doing good things and investing significant time and effort for the benefit of habitat and the species. So what do you need to do? Pretty simple. Send us your conservation story and. Or your conservation wish. Could be managing whitetails, could be understanding your environment or species or something else related to conservation. What would you be able to do if you had a great trail camera setup? We will select the best story every other month and send you a camera bundle. Cell camera, normal, SD camera, SD cards, as well as optics. Everything you need to get set up for success. I can't wait to see what you submit. You can email us, DM us, message us, whatever you want. We are not hard to find. Good luck, Max. That's right. Matt was there. That's right. And even then you're just like, man, let's do something together. We like what you do. And here's why I think I'm just so grateful, is that there's a lot of people in this industry that 20 talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. And I still, it still happens today, right? People like, we love what you do, Robbie. Like, cool, yeah, let's go. Let's support. Let's, let's, let's. And they disappear. Yeah, well, they don't follow through like, ah, no, we don't actually have any money. Oh, no, we don't actually want to, you know. No. And there's very few people in the organization, in our organization structure and, and the partners that we have that truly just say, hey, we're going to do this with you. And three weeks later we're doing it.
- [10:24]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, you know, it's, it was interesting at that time is when I was kind of just moving into that marketing role for the brand. And one of the things we were talking about, which is perfect timing in meeting you, is what is something we can do to maintain and try to protect as much that we're connected to as possible. Being hunting. And that's what, you know, we had, you know, at that time, the brand was trying to, I mean, the brand's been going through, just to be honest, an identity crisis for a long time there. Like, what, what is it? Is it outdoor? Is it hunting? Is it?
- [11:03]
Robbie
Yeah, no. We've been wanting to do this podcast about what you are for a year and a half now.
- [11:08]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. Yeah. Just because I'm trying, I'm finally getting to the point where I can tell you we're, we're on the, we're on the path of who it is. I can actually answer that question now. And it's, it's funny because, like, the answer will seem completely obvious, but, you know, whenever, whenever you just say you're a workhorse optics brand, what does that mean? You know, and what does that like? We just make tools for people to be successful in the outdoors, in optics.
- [11:36]
Robbie
So that's who you are. Yeah, that's who you are. You're creating optics. Finish the sentence. You're creating optics for what?
- [11:48]
Carlos Lozano
That get the job done.
- [11:50]
Robbie
That get the job done. So you need to kill a deer, you need to see a deer, you need to do whatever. Like, you're going to be able to help you get the job done.
- [12:00]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. You're going to learn with your. What's going on in your environment through trail cams. You're going to be able to scout successfully with our optics. You're going to be able to ethically take a shot knowing all the data you need to. And it's one of those things, like if we do our job correctly, you don't think about it at all. It just happens. So, you know, I think that's what we've been working on and over the years. And that's where at that time when we first met, it was just, you know, when we got to establish some relationships that reinforce kind of some of these belief with us. And you're, you were doing such amazing work. It was like, let's just, let's just work together.
- [12:37]
Robbie
Yeah. 100. Thank you so much, man. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And you know, I, I'm, I'm super stoked for what's coming in 2026. We've already got things in motion. Like, I've got four of your cameras already in the bush in South Africa. I handed them out three weeks ago when I was on my tour and I said, you can have this Camera. But you need to send me photos, you need to send me videos. I want to see cool stuff, like, happening. And these guys are using it for, obviously, wildlife and understanding wildlife and understanding what they have. Just like a whitetail guy would do it in the Southeast. But there's additional ramp ups there. Right. There's security work and tracking anti poaching kind of scenarios that you guys have never been exposed to from a brand perspective. And I was like, man, let's see what these cameras can do. Like, let's be honest and transparent and get the feedback back to the engineers and go like, hey, this worked. This didn't work. The sensitivity was too high for this environment. See what happens.
- [13:37]
Carlos Lozano
It's actually an interesting part because we. If you look at some historically in the brand, there was a lot more, I would say, on your conservation, wildlife, science side that the brand was involved with. And that's something, you know, I saw when we were talking about it as an opportunity of like, let's just get these back out there for anybody who needs it. If we can help people get some more data and learn some more about what's going on in their environment, let's get them out there. So it's actually some of our conversations is actually giving us some really good pieces for future roadmap elements we want in the hardware. Just from some of the things you've learned for us already.
- [14:15]
Robbie
Yeah, no, look, I think that I'd love, as I said to you before, and it was super fully transparent. I'd love to figure out when we get the camera in a place where we're like, man, this is it. This is like the setup. This is how it works. This works beautifully. Obviously, there is an environment here in the US that is well tested. Let me say that it's well tested. Right. So we've got the guys that have won some Bushnell Trail camera packages that we're still going to continue in 2026. So those of you listening to this podcast, those opportunities will come again that, you know, wanted to manage his hogs down in the delta of Mississippi. And then we've got the guys who wants to see if he's got any, you know, small predators on his property down in New Mexico. Those are the kinds of people that are like, hey, these are the things that we want to do on our property. And this is the tool. Yeah, I should be marketing for Bushnell. This is the tool to get the job done.
- [15:13]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, you're doing great.
- [15:18]
Robbie
So explain to those that, you know, we've had these conversations for the last, since we've known each other, though, somebody who's listening to this, Carlos, and you've heard this a million times before. Bushnell. Oh, man. No, no, that's cheap. That's. That stuff is. That's just.
- [15:39]
Carlos Lozano
No, no, it's, it's. It's something that, you know, whenever you have a brand that's been owned by so many different entities over time and, you know, it always becomes this, how do we. How do we become larger, get as much product out there as we can. And that usually leads to some sort of, we need to get a lower price, get more competitive in certain things. And I think it just, over time, Bushnell kind of lost what they were trying to do, which was make people successful and give them the right tools. And that's what we've been kind of working on since I've been talking to you, of how do we get our assortment back in order? How do we get the products to do what they need to do? And I think there's a part that I'm actually proud of, that Bushnell does make an excellent product. Anybody can get to, you know. So I know there's some people that might see something as cheap just because they need something maybe more specific or more. A little more performance or whatever it might be. But there's a lot of people who do need that tool to do its job and be within a certain availability and price point. And we do make that just as well as, as the thing that's $2,000.
- [16:56]
Robbie
That you also make. But here's the other thing again, news to me. When you showed me it, you also make the thousand dollar scopes.
- [17:05]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [17:05]
Robbie
And the thou, you know, that is the top of the line kinds of scopes. I don't think people know about that.
- [17:12]
Carlos Lozano
No, because it's. And it's one of those things that we've kind of learned over time was, you know, these different audiences or, you know, people that interact with the brand or doing whatever it is their world is. Maybe it's just being in the outdoors. Maybe it's being a hunter, maybe it's being a precision shooter or whatever it might be in those worlds, you only get so many glimpses to the brands that are in it. And the, the, the good, the good and bad thing about Bushnell is it's in all of them. So, you know, when I was telling you we had that identity crisis, it was as we were jumping between one or the other. You'd have different experience or development in each one. So we were developing you know, we were, you know, we've been in that precision long range PRS game for a long time, and we've had this product at that level. But we weren't doing a great job moving any of our innovation and technology or conversation into the hunt world, which is what we're doing now in 26. So we'll have new product that actually takes all of that innovation and elements we have in that world and then introduces it to the hunt side so that people can recognize it. If we don't do that, and you're not that person who requires an optic for, you know, PRS shooting or that type of environment, you don't even know that exists. So I think that's where, you know, trying to get into different communities, trying to get more product into different people's hands and then get to that sort of development and a clear, here's what this product is for, this is what it does for you. Because we've had, I don't know, like three years ago, we had so much bought up just on top of itself. It was very hard to understand what Bushnell was even offering you. You couldn't make it far enough to even learn. We had the other product. So, like, that's where, you know, over the years it's been refinement of, of what do we have, what is it? And now it'll kind of all come clear in 26 as to what is Bushnell and what are they going to do for me?
- [19:12]
Robbie
So you've already alluded to it. What, what are we seeing in 26 like, and I'm assuming, are we delivering this? Is this being rolled out at shot show? Is this being rolled out in the show season?
- [19:25]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, what's, what's coming? Yeah, we'll have it at shot show. And, you know, we, we launched R3 R5. The R series is what we're calling our optics.
- [19:35]
Robbie
So what is the R series?
- [19:37]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, our series is our optics made for hunters. So we wanted to have product that's from durability, build quality. Everything about it's designed for a specific purpose. This is for hunting. So binoculars, rangefinders and rifle scopes. R3 R5 was clearing up sort of the foundational product that we had and setting the path for the new edition, which is R7, which gets into your 30 millimeter sort of rifle scopes and your binoculars that has like a little bit larger range to give you more options for classing in, let's say a western environment or a longer glassing requirement. So we wanted to get our kind of core consumer that we've been serving what they need out of the gate. And now we're expanding back into some of the stuff that you might remember Bushnell being at years ago. But it's sort of redefining that and improving everything we've had based on some of the elements we've learned with our Match Pro line, which is our kind of long range precision riflescope and binocular line and then elite tactical. So you'll get not only that 30, you know, that increased tube diameter, but you're getting some of the elements, like a zero stop elements that you would consider a precision thing.
- [21:01]
Robbie
So you're going to get that in the R7.
- [21:03]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah. So you'll get that in R7. Fiber, illumination, on reticles, you'll get all these different elements that give you sort of that performance factor and that, you know, if you're going on this hunt and you're investing more money, more time to do this, you're going to want that certain level of performance and quality. And R7 is giving you that. And it's just, you know, if you want a tool, you're going to get that tool. And we just didn't have that sort of step up tool in our, in our assortment yet for hunters. And that's what we've been working on. And now that's going to be available in 26.
- [21:39]
Robbie
Carlos, when did you recognize that that was something you needed?
- [21:44]
Carlos Lozano
I think we've known for a while. It was just, it was just hard to, we had to kind of get our foundation in order to even get there because it's, it was honestly one of those things that there's been so much change for the brand over the past five years that it needed to be. We, we couldn't just come out with this new stuff along all of the, alongside all the chaos that we kind of had going on. And you know, we're, I, I'll always be really transparent with kind of what was going on with the brand. Just because I think one of the things that makes Bush now greatest, it's always, we've always wanted to be approachable and real. So it's like this is what we did. We're changing all this stuff. We now have this clear line and now we'll make it really easy to understand what you get when you step up to the next level. You know, I think in optics it's one of those things that's everybody needs them, but not everybody knows how to shop them or understand what they're giving you and what do you need? And I, I, I, you know, and a lot of times it's interesting kind of telling people you actually don't even need that like you for your certain.
- [22:55]
Robbie
Situation, your range everybody thinks that they need. Right. It's like I'm a, I'm a whitetail hunter that gets into a box stand and my longest food plot's 150 yards. But I have an elite tactical scope on my gun.
- [23:11]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah. I mean if you want it. But you know, I think it's just getting, we needed a perspective of the brand of what is it for? What do you use it? Why is it right. And that's what we were trying to get all that cleaned up to be able to provide that. So we'll have our website is going to be completely overhauled to be able to provide more of this information and you know, hey, are you, where are you going to hunt? What's your environment? What's your range? What's that situation? Here's what we recommend for that. Here's the selection. So I don't think anybody knows. It's a conversation you have with someone like a buddy, right? Hey, I'm going to go on this hunt. What do you run? What are you using? What do, what do you, what do you think I need? And you're going to get those recommendations. I think we want to be able to have that same conversation with people like a friend, like here's what we think and you do whatever you want to your point. And if someone wants to do that, fine. But here is all, here's what you needed to use. Here's the right hammer to hit that nail is that's where that kind of tool mentality and that workhorse like you just need it to work at the end of the day. Just need to do that job done. So and, and that's, that's kind of how we're building them out now.
- [24:25]
Robbie
So is it a couple of sort of technical questions? R3, R5, R7, I assuming that's a step up in cost, step up in technology across the range.
- [24:37]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. So cost for sure. And I think that's really how a lot of people actually shop optics is just cost. And that's trying to kind of make it clear is like what are you getting for that investment? And you know, R3 being, you know, it's mostly one inch tube in your rifle scope side capped. You know, you've got either a BDC reticle or a Mult DX and it's Just it's getting you those pieces. You need to get a good shot placed in that 200 yards and in, right. And then you've got your R5, which improves your optical performance. Maybe if you're hunting somewhere that's going to have more challenging light situations, or you're gonna have a little bit farther shot, you want a little more information. You want the ability to dial if you wanted to. And that's what that gives you that step up. So, you know, etch glass reticles there. Everyone's. Everything's illuminated in R5, so you just get a lot. The step up's pretty clear on a feature set of what you get with R5. I think it's still designed for a lot of the same use cases. It's just a little bit more comfortable experience. And then R7 steps it up in almost every way. Where you're going from a 1 inch to a 30 millimeter tube, you're going to a completely different optical construction that's just going to give you a little bit, like, better optical quality. Your reticle options are significant. You've got first and second focal plane, depending on if you want, how you want to perceive the reticle or use the reticle.
- [26:16]
Robbie
Oh, so you get the option on R7.
- [26:20]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, so you get more. You can get more selective of what you need the optic to do for you, and then you get those options in the line. So, you know, you'll have a one day and you'll have all these other configurations, depending on how much magnification you're going to need. But. And then the reticle selection and how that works kind of moves with that as well.
- [26:45]
Robbie
Are we. Are we talking about, you know, how comparable, again, clarity of lens, clarity of optic, low light conditions? Have you done any of these kinds of tests? Are you sending them out for these kinds of tests? Like, okay, we're putting up our. We're putting up our scope against all the others, and it's. See where we stand.
- [27:09]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah. And then, so we actually, like we were saying that new location of Bozeman, we have a full optics lab in there. So we can do all the testing from, you know, light transmission, contrast, resolution, all these things to understand exactly how our optics and, you know, competitor optics are performing, just to see what we're able to provide. I'd say Bushnell is historically, and we're maintaining it today and have always kind of maintained it is you're getting the most value in performance per dollar in a Bushnell product. And you know, we. We always want that to be true. But it. Whenever you look at some of the feature set in terms of the reticle, the illumination, the option for fiber, the zero stop, all the things you're going to get in that R7, it's not typical in that price range. And that's what we kind of like, we're giving people more than they're expecting or asking for. And I think that's part of that sort of Bushnell mentality of it's. It's. It's the right tool set as we value it, you know, because, you know, as we're using a product on our end or, you know, we. We're all testing on ourselves, we're sending out to people for feedback. And, you know, why do you need a zero stop in a. In a hunting hub? And it's like, well, you wouldn't think you do until some situation's happening still.
- [28:33]
Robbie
But past, oh, you just want it. Oh, you just want it.
- [28:36]
Carlos Lozano
You've got this. Yeah, you just want it. But it has a benefit, too. I think everything they're trying to put in there actually has a true benefit.
- [28:42]
Robbie
Yeah, yeah.
- [28:43]
Carlos Lozano
So. So it's like.
- [28:44]
Robbie
But there's also the mental, like, the mentality, Carlos, of like, I just want something a little better. I want something a little fancier. I might not need it, but I'm going to tell my buddies about it. And I got so cool, a little bit fancier, you know, and I'm. I. I feel better. Like, it makes me feel cooler. And it's just part of. It's just part of society, right, you guys, it's the. It's almost like the yeti effect. You can buy a cooler that's over here for a hundred bucks, or you can buy The Yeti that's 400 bucks. The performance difference, you know, obviously for certain brands is way different, but for other brands, they're not that different. Yeah, yeah, but you'll pay the extra money. You'll pay the extra bucks because of that prestige, that class, that kind of stuff. But I say that with. With a. With a massive sort of tablespoon of salt specifically for Bushnell. And the brand is. That is a massive segment of our population here in the United States that are hunters. Like, I don't even know the statistics. If you had to break down the 4% of hunters that we have, 13 million. How many are whitetail hunters?
- [29:59]
Carlos Lozano
It's 10. It's like 80%.
- [30:03]
Robbie
80%. Okay, number one. And then let's take that 80%. And break it down by social status. Probably blue collared people that live in the counties and are rural and country folk and whatnot. And not to disparage anybody that's rural and country folk on this podcast, but you know, maybe don't make as much money and still love to do what they do. Still want to have nice fancy stuff. But man, I can't afford to put three grand down for a Suarez.
- [30:32]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [30:33]
Robbie
But I can get the same features in now. Your R7 for what? What's the price point gonna be? 700 bucks? 600 bucks?
- [30:42]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. Around there, Depending on which way is around.700.
- [30:44]
Robbie
Yeah. Yeah.
- [30:46]
Carlos Lozano
So I, it's, Yeah, I think it's that giving more to more people idea. Right. And it's, it's still over delivering. It's still giving you more pieces because there's always that. Yeah, maybe, maybe you are a whitetail hunter in the Southeast. There's always that potential. That guy is going to consider in his life a western hunt or some other hunt where he wants that flexibility. I've got a tool where I can go do that if I wanted to. And I think that's what people kind of, that's the, where the mentality of that kind of aspirational piece of I can always do more with this if I wanted to or could. And I think that's what people are kind of buying. They want to invest in something that gives them the ability to do more, even if it's not immediate.
- [31:30]
Robbie
So when, when do you think R3, R5, R7, this whole like retrofit is rolling out. You know, when are people seeing it in? Yeah, you know, local academy kind of scenario.
- [31:44]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. So R3, R5 is, is out now. We're doing some smaller updates, nothing too big into 26. And then, you know, R5, the, the broadhead rangefinder, if you're the archery rangefinder will be in that line now. So that will be injected into the R5. And then. And we made some little improvements for that based on some of the feedback we've got. And then R7, both of those are available in that June, June time frame.
- [32:17]
Robbie
Amazing. Yeah, just get everybody psyched up over the summer and then white till season hits and you'll be rolling in 26.
- [32:25]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [32:27]
Robbie
Outstanding, outstanding. Anything else that we can expect?
- [32:34]
Carlos Lozano
No, just on the trail cam side we're looking at some app improvements based on some feedback that we've had. And we've been also kind of on the brand overall effort, listening to people and hearing what people are saying and we've been making a lot of investments on our customer service experience and how people are going to be able to get in contact with the brand. Uh, we're in the middle of creating a lot of videos for how to best use our technology products like Belt Games, just because it can be overwhelming and. And it's really just part of this overall push of making the brand easier to connect, understand and. And engage with. So, like, the product is one side of it, but, you know, being able to research, understand, and get that information from the brand. And. And Bushnell is what we're working on and. And would be part of that effort. So it should feel significantly different from how you might have experienced in the past. And, you know, our warranty also gets overhauled alongside everything as well, globally to support that lifetime unlimited. And just because, like our. We believe in the product, it's always been built to a level that, you know, you shouldn't have an issue. But if something was to come up, now that we're kind of getting that clarity of assortment, it's easier for us to. To help people out and make sure they can stay in the field.
- [33:59]
Robbie
Is the packaging going to look different? Because obviously packaging feels, you know, when you pick something up and it's got, like, the packaging is thicker, smoother, silkier.
- [34:10]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah, all that. I'll show it to you a shot, but it'll be there. And then it's. It's just the brand logo, look, feel. Everything's overhauled. We kind of call it a modern heritage just because this isn't a reinvention. It's just a. It's just reestablishing the things that Bushnell's always had working for it since 1948. So it's just, you know, what are those pieces? Because everybody's got. Everybody I talk to has a connection at some point in their life to the brain and, you know, either a relative themselves, as, you know, younger, whatever it might be, has this piece, and we're just getting the brand repositioned to reconnect to that and be able to help people out for whatever it is that is. So, you know, not only is Hunt getting this sort of development in this effort and innovation inside of that, our precision side with our Red dot line is getting some new products there. So we'll have some. A new enclosed dot, a new. Some updates to some of our other Reflex sites. And, you know, people have been asking us, like, get me a green one. We want a green dot. So we'll have that in there. So it's one of those things, like we're, we. We're always listening to everybody and all the comments and everything we get and trying to go as fast as we can. Honestly, the, the move, the Boseman and all that kind of change that happened for the brand didn't slow us down, but it was definitely another piece that made moving fast challenging. But the team that's in Bozeman has been, has been sprinting for about a year and a half now, like, getting all this aligned and, and then also, you know, another big arm of the brand is just outdoor. So, you know, people who just go hang out with their kids and, you know, most hunters are part of a family and it's like just getting them something for whatever it might be, visiting a national park, whatever it is. So, like that there's like a line that we're developing to have clarity on that side and, and it's just they're all the same brand, which is the new kind of perspectives. I think in the past, we thought Bushnell had to be different for all those, and it's not, it's not necessary. I think it's still the foundationally the same brand. You know, we're going to give you a great experience, a great product, the right tool for the job and stand behind it. But, you know, shopping 33 binoculars is difficult. What is the right thing for you and what is the difference between one binocular and another? Yeah, and, you know, why would you, why would you need a different binocular for outdoor than you would for hunting? I mean, it's. The way you carry them is completely different, the way you hold them. You know, your, most of your hunt stuff is with gloves or, you know, managing other other things. Your bow, your rifle, your range finder. So all these little ergonomic differences need a different product. You know, your, your field of view requirement or different between two. So optically they need to treat light. Most people aren't just at a national park at dusk, dawn that often, but, you know, that's where your hunter needs everything to perform. So, like, whenever you look at some of these differences and that's where it gets back to being a workhorse and a tool like the tool is different. So now we're, now we're kind of saying what is, what is the difference and what do you need based on that? So, like Match Pro, we have our 15 by 56 on that one. And, you know, oh, we could have just had another binocular. You see a lot of people just running binocular at the range, we decided to inject that reticle in there. And we have that reticle that you can rotate based on your eye position. And okay, everybody's eye position is different, so we added a lock on the front so you can lock in your position. I don't know if you've been in many PRS matches, but your, your binocular sitting on the tripod ends up being used by someone more often than you'd like. And so it's like, don't mess with my, you know, location. And with that kind of tool, it's always kind of. It's a zero stop for your binocular in a way. So you've got that locked in there. And I, I don't think we're really doing that. That's part of, like, some of the changes in the website and, and outreach and some of the stuff from the marketing side is. I don't think we're getting credit for some of those things just because we're.
- [38:32]
Robbie
I've never heard of that. I'd never heard of, like, the binocular needing to be locked down and stuff like that. Never heard of it.
- [38:37]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. Just because, like, you know, this position is different for everybody. So if we.
- [38:43]
Robbie
Oh, yeah, I hate that. I hate it. When you, you hand over your binoculars, you're like, oh, they have to adjust the, the piece and then they hand it back. You're like, where was mine? Like, I can't. I had it perfect and now it's not perfect anymore.
- [38:55]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. And I, you know the tactical terminology being your, your ipd, your, Your pupillary distance, this is all you're adjusting for. Everybody's is different. As soon as someone messes with it, you get pissed every time. So it's like, you know what happens.
- [39:10]
Robbie
To me all the time.
- [39:11]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah. So we have that. Yeah.
- [39:13]
Robbie
For that I got a, I got a technical question since I've got a technical expert with me. So you just had a pair of binoculars in your hand? Okay.
- [39:20]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [39:21]
Robbie
I, When I first started hunting, I had my eye cups rotated out and those eye cups fit in your eye sockets. Right. Boom. One day I saw a guy running them with the eyes. With the eye sock at the, the eye cups all the way in.
- [39:41]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [39:42]
Robbie
Okay. I was like, what are you doing? Like, how do you. He goes, have you seen what this looks like when you have the eye cups in? I said, no, let me look. And the field of view double.
- [39:54]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [39:55]
Robbie
Okay. But you obviously can't put them up against your eye socket anymore. You rest them against Your eyebrow. That's how I do it.
- [40:02]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah.
- [40:03]
Robbie
What's the deal? I guess the answer my question is maybe it's a little hypocritical or whatnot. So why does anybody run their eye sockets out if the field of view is so much greater with the eye sockets in, the eye cups in?
- [40:21]
Carlos Lozano
It's. All that is, is you getting the actual. I'm trying to think of saying it in a non technical way. So you've got think of your binoculars projecting an image onto your eye. And if you've ever set up a projector, you know, whenever you're moving it back and forth against the wall, the picture's getting bigger and smaller, right?
- [40:44]
Robbie
Yeah.
- [40:44]
Carlos Lozano
And at some point it's in focus, at some point it isn't. Yep. So that movement of the projector back and forth is what you're doing. You're positioning the binocular to your face to get that picture to sit perfectly. So there's like a rule of thumb most of the times. The only reason, you know, back in the day, these were rubber. And the first, the way they did it was the rubber, you could fold it down and that was, you know, your folding eye cups versus your, you know, the way they have now. So it's like all that was doing was do you have glasses or not? Was what all it was was, do you have the glasses already giving you that distance away from your eye to make the picture bigger. If you don't, you need to be able to extend that distance, which is what the eye cup was doing. You roll it down if you have glasses. So now a lot of our. The most, the Bushnell ones are three position. So you've got these, you know, low, mid and then R. It's really up to you, like whatever you want. And that's where. So to help with that in R7, we actually are going to give you multiple eye cups depending on which shape you want. So this is a low, then we'll have a mid. And then we'll have this wing that actually blocks out your peripheral so you can cut out all of the. Sometimes you'll get. Depending on which lighting you're in or what's going on.
- [42:04]
Robbie
No, it's glare. Sometimes, you know, you've been in the ories, you've been. And. And you actually put your hand up against your. Your hat. Then you put your, your binoculars in to stop that light coming in. Yeah.
- [42:15]
Carlos Lozano
So not only do you have this extending eye cup now to give you control in that distance. These are the R7s by the way. And yeah, you'll. You can change the eye cup. There's three in the box, to give you that next level of kind of modularity to make it perfect for whatever your. Your use is. So, like, that's all you're doing is you're. This is a projector. It's gathering the image and I'm projecting it into your eye. And, you know, that's where that's. That's all the optics doing. Yeah.
- [42:46]
Robbie
Okay. Okay, well, hey, something new every day.
- [42:50]
Carlos Lozano
Did that work?
- [42:51]
Robbie
Yeah, I learned something every day. I just. I just think. I was like, man, I. Again, I will never run my binos with my eye cupped out ever again. I. I position them on my eyebrow, and the field of view is so big in comparison to when the eye cups are run out. I'm just like, I'm never going to do it.
- [43:13]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah. It's all preference. That's where I don't really like saying it's glasses or not glasses. It's just, just preference. And it's like, we just gotta give you the, the tools to be able to. To fit it. Cause, like, the other thing is, a lot of people I talk to never actually set the binocular up for their eyes. Like, have you. Do you actually go through the process of setting your diopter, this. This control?
- [43:38]
Robbie
I think so. I think I've done it sometimes. Maybe these. You talked about the diopter. That's that plus and minus thing in the one eye, right?
- [43:51]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, yeah. It's usually on our. Our right barrel here. So that's a control you have.
- [43:56]
Robbie
I've done it, like. And I don't know if I'm doing it right or not. Like, it looks clear. And that's. You're like, all right, perfect.
- [44:06]
Carlos Lozano
Yeah, I mean, that's part of the. We have like this whole video series coming out to help. So you'll buy an R7, there'll be a QR code in there. It'll send you to this page. There's just everything you need to do to actually get it set up with it. Just because I think, you know, I think we're making the assumption everybody knows how to set up an optic, and it's not quite true. And it's like, you know, like you said, you learn something every day. Not everybody's willing to ask. So, you know, we're not going to wait for people to ask. We're just going to say, hey, here's this information if you need it. If not, no big deal. But if you Ever get eye fatigue or headaches or anything from an optics because you need to set your diopter because your eyes are different. So all you're doing is focusing each side for yourself and then you're solid. But it's just like those little pieces from a, you know, use case or buying it. No, no one's ever taught them or whatever it might be that, you know, hey, we'll just give you the information and hopefully it helps. So.
- [45:04]
Robbie
Perfect. Perfect. Well, dude, I know I've learned a lot. I know a bunch of people listening to this have learned a lot. I assume Bushnell.com is the best place to go. June ish is when things will roll out. But are they going to see stuff before Juneish on the website when the website sort of turnover.
- [45:23]
Carlos Lozano
So in February, Bushnell.com will get updated and then Bushnell outdoors.com will also launch, which is the more general outdoor consumer. Bushnell.com will be more focused on your hunter precision side just so we can keep the conversations 100% and then we'll keep those going. You'll be able to jump between them as much as you want in the navigation, but the, the everything there will get updated. We're overhauling all of our blog and video content to help people understand product. You'll be able to get some more information on product by that time and then these will start to be on the site in a little bit after that. So closer to the June timeframe, but okay, perfect.
- [46:09]
Robbie
Perfect. Carlos, anything else that we've missed that you can think of?
- [46:14]
Carlos Lozano
No, no more to come again. You'll see a lot of that in that February timeframe. I'm sure I'll see you at shot, but I can walk you through all that and then. Yeah, excited to get everything going in 26.
- [46:28]
Robbie
Well, again, thank you so much for all your support and we might as well use this opportunity on this podcast. We have been obviously Bushnell is one of the sponsors of our podcast and if you've listened to the ad or you just skipped through the ad, which like a lot of people do, you need to send us an email info@theoriginsfoundation.org and let us know. If you had a Bushnell trail camera set up, what would you do with it? Like what do you need it for? What kind of management goals do you have? What kind of conservation projects do you have? Because once a quarter we'll pull a winner and Carlos and his team will send you a nice little care package of cell phone cameras. And all we ask in return is let us know how they did. Let us know what you found. Did it work? Did it not work? And as I said, we've already talked about a pig management in Mississippi, small predator understanding education in New Mexico. I think somebody even had some quail stuff happening in Texas. Anything you can think of that you want some more information on that you can gather that information through using the Bushnell trail camera system. That includes cell phone cameras. I believe we sent a package of with cell phone cameras as well. Send us an email. That's all you have to do and you may win. So good luck. Thanks, Carlos. Appreciate you. Appreciate the support always. And anytime you need anything, you know where to find me.
- [48:00]
Carlos Lozano
Sounds good. Thanks, Robbie.
- [48:02]
Robbie
Well, that's it for today. I appreciate you listening. As always, leave a review, share it with your friends and most importantly, do what's right to convey the truth around hunting.