Most veterans leave the service with a knack for solving problems, often in conditions where failure isn’t an option. But the world outside the wire seldom rewards creative improvisation the way the military does. You’re told to play it safe, follow the plan, sell your skills to the highest bidder. What if you could harness your experience for something bigger?
That’s exactly the mindset that led Larry Geesaman, a former Army veteran, to launch Fieldcraft, a gear company built not on a business plan, but on a contingency mindset and a genuine need in the field. I met up with Larry on Day 4 of the 2026 Great American Outdoor Show to unpack the origin story behind Fieldcraft, its relentless mission, and what keeps a veteran entrepreneur going when the odds are stacked against him.
The Accidental Gear Innovator
Fieldcraft wasn’t born from spreadsheets, market analysis, or a dream to be the next outdoor mogul. It started with one painful truth: sometimes, your gear just doesn’t cut it. Freshly transferred back to Maryland after nearly 10 years in the Army and wrapping up his federal service, Larry Geesaman found himself on the Eastern Shore, hunting out of a pop-up blind as acorns pounded the roof like a drumline. No tree stand, no fallback, just a noisy disaster and a mind programmed for contingency.
As Larry Geesaman described it (01:08), “My mind goes into contingency mode… How would I do this better?” That was the inception, the idea to create gear that solved real-world problems, starting simple with chest packs and evolving into a full line, designed for flexibility and adaptability. Waterproof zippers, tie-downs for straps, gear engineered for expeditionary use across missions, environments, and roles. When you’ve operated in both skydiving and diving, you understand what it means for your equipment to save your life or ruin your day.
Building More Than a Brand
If you ask most business owners what their biggest challenge is, you’ll hear about cash flow, competition, or hiring. For Larry Geesaman, the hardest obstacle is spreading the word. “Trying to get the brand out—our mission now… with other veterans, trying to get our brand out to folks to say, hey, we’re out here, we’re 100% veteran-owned, operated.” In a crowded market, authenticity matters. Every sale pushes the mission forward, supporting not just personal growth, but veteran causes: “We give back to veteran communities… donate to charities, conservation, children’s cancer research.”
The Reward That Can’t Be Bought
Nothing beats feedback straight from the field. Larry’s most rewarding moments aren’t measured in units sold, they’re in emails and photos from customers, real stories of gear put to the test. When a customer sent snaps from a Newfoundland moose hunt, showing off how Fieldcraft’s Alpha pack kept his passport and hunting license at-the-ready while others fumbled, it wasn’t just a validation, it was proof that veteran experience creates solutions civvies wouldn’t see.
That sense of community echoes every time returning customers stop by Fieldcraft’s booth, or veterans use discounts, or challenge coins are handed out. It’s about connection, making gear that brings people back, year after year, hunt after hunt.
Building Something That Lasts
You don’t need to start big. Fieldcraft started as an idea making something more useful than a noisy pop-up blind. It became hats, bags, gear for divers, ghillie suits, and more. The ethos? Expeditionary design. Gear that fits your mission, not the other way around. That’s what happens when you build for those who understand risk and reward, and who value detail (like tie-downs to avoid snag hazards in critical moments).
The real opportunity is in creation, not convincing people you’re valuable, but in building something lasting, something no employer can take away.
Where to Find Fieldcraft
You can find Fieldcraft at fieldcraftwolf.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and soon TikTok. They’re also on Amazon for the e-commerce crowd. Veterans get a 15% discount. And, upholding military tradition, Fieldcraft hands out their own challenge coins, a symbol of community, recognition, and mutual respect.
What This Means for Veterans and Outdoor Operators
If you’re a veteran, or someone who’s spent years adapting on the fly, Fieldcraft is proof that your expertise is more than just a bullet point on a resume. It’s something that can be built into gear, into community, into a business that gives back. It’s about turning real-world military and outdoor experience into value, something you own, something you can share.
Fieldcraft is bigger than bags or hats, it’s a mission. It’s about serving veterans, supporting conservation, helping kids fight cancer, and connecting a community that understands what it takes to adapt and overcome.
Move Forward Together
If you’re passionate about the outdoors, about gear that’s built the way you’d build it, and about supporting veteran-owned businesses, check out Fieldcraft. Join the mission. Share your feedback, your stories, and your challenges. Because the real strength of this community is in the way it comes together, not just to hunt, but to help, to create, and to carry forward the values learned in service.
Watch the full interview on YouTube (link below) for more on Larry’s journey and the story behind Fieldcraft. Your next chapter might just start with picking up the right gear, and joining a community that puts service first.
Let’s build something that matters. Together.
Watch full interview here:
