For the Field. For the People Who Rely on You.
We help tactical and outdoor brands stay in control.
When your products are built for performance and safety, your brand’s reputation is non-negotiable. Whether it’s tactical gear, outdoor equipment, or performance apparel, one unauthorized listing or counterfeit product can create dangerous consequences. Customers rely on you for durability and protection. We help ensure your channels deliver nothing less.
Howell & Associates is the only brand protection partner combining legal expertise, eCommerce forensics, and channel strategy with decades of hands-on enforcement experience. Tactical and outdoor brands trust us to stabilize pricing, remove rogue sellers, and protect the integrity of gear that consumers depend on in the field and outdoors.
The Tactical & Outdoor Industry Is a Target
Counterfeit tactical and outdoor gear is not just a nuisance: it can be life-threatening. Unauthorized sellers exploit the growth of online marketplaces, moving products that may look real but fail under pressure. From military-grade optics to safety harnesses, from knives to camping stoves, every gray market diversion or counterfeit item puts customers and brand trust at risk.
With U.S. outdoor recreation spending topping 1 trillion dollars annually and tactical gear alone projected to reach 17.5 billion dollars by 2027, opportunistic sellers are flooding digital channels. Brands that act now are securing their margins, their reputations, and the trust that keeps customers loyal. Brands that wait risk losing the buy box, losing retail partners, and ultimately losing credibility with the very people who depend on their products.
This is not a fight you can win with monitoring alone. In order to restore control before counterfeiters and rogue sellers erode your brand for good you need a channel strategy that's built to investigate, enforce, and support your high-risk category.
Growth Comes With Risk
$1.1T
Annual consumer spending on outdoor recreation in the U.S.
$17.5B
Overall global tactical gear market by 2027 (projected)
25-40%
Typical below-MAP discount from unauthorized sellers across marketplaces
40%
Share of U.S. outdoor gear purchases now made online
70%+
Share of 2023 counterfiet seizures of outdoor apparel, and gear in the US
Growth creates opportunity, but without enforcement your brand may already be losing ground.
“We had knockoff gear showing up online that could have gotten someone hurt. Howell & Associates tracked down the sellers and cut unauthorized listings by more than 70% in the first 60 days. They gave us back control and proved they understood what was really at stake.
- VP of Sales, Tactical Gear Manufacturer
What We Do For Your Brand
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Seller Investigation and Enforcement
Stop unauthorized sellers. Because lives and reputations matter.
We identify rogue sellers, track how they source inventory, and shut them down with compliant, platform-specific strategies. From Amazon to niche tactical resellers, our investigative approach preserves pricing integrity, protects your distributor network, and reduces liability tied to unsafe or counterfeit products.
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Marketplace Monitoring
Stay on top of every listing, every day.
We actively monitor Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and specialty tactical and outdoor marketplaces. Our team of experts flags unauthorized sellers, counterfeit gear, and gray market diversions before they escalate. This gives you real-time visibility to actionable data,and the confidence to act quickly and confidently.
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MAP Policy and Compliance Strategy
Align pricing and enforcement across complex distributor networks.
We build and enforce MAP programs designed for tactical and outdoor channels, where military contracts, retail partners, and specialty shops collide. The result is pricing that holds, retailers that trust you, and margins that remain protected.
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Channel Rebuilding and Optimization
Bring order back to a fractured sales ecosystem.
We clean up channel chaos by defining who is authorized, eliminating gray market leakage, and building a distribution structure that scales. By restoring clarity, we strengthen retailer relationships, reduce risk, and set you up for sustainable growth.
Unauthorized sellers put safety and trust at risk. We help you take back control.
What Tactical & Outdoor Brands Gain
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Pricing Integrity That Sticks
We create MAP programs designed for tactical and outdoor channels, where pricing pressure is constant and distributors often overlap. Enforceable policies protect margins, prevent price erosion, and give retailers confidence that your brand is committed to protecting long-term channel stability.
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Safer Gear, Fewer Risks
Counterfeit helmets, climbing harnesses, and survival gear are more than knockoffs, they create real liability. We investigate and remove unauthorized listings so your products remain authentic, your customers stay safe, and your brand avoids the costly legal, financial, and reputational risks of unsafe gear.
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Stronger Partner Relationships
Dealers, distributors, and specialty retailers need to see that your brand can actually enforce channel rules, not just talk about them. By eliminating unauthorized sellers and restoring pricing and distribution clarity, you build the trust and loyalty that makes every partnership stronger and more profitable
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Growth Without Channel Chaos
Expansion should never come at the expense of control. We help rebuild channels fractured by rogue sellers, gray market leakage, and pricing breakdowns. With clear enforcement and clean partner ecosystems, you can add markets and new partners without sacrificing margins or credibility.
Honored to Work With These Tactical and Outdoor Partners & More
Protecting Trust in the Field and Beyond
In tactical and outdoor markets, the products you sell are used in high-stakes situations. A counterfeit harness, a gray market optic, or a rogue seller doesn’t just cut into margins, it puts people at risk. We know what’s on the line, and we know how to respond fast.
We stay lean and unencumbered, built to move quickly where bigger firms get bogged down. Our team includes some of the original experts in brand protection: strategists, enforcement specialists, and investigators who understand these channels and the risks they carry. We don’t just react, we take control.
What sets Howell & Associates apart is how we work with you. We don’t keep you at arm’s length, and we don’t treat your brand like another case number. We build direct relationships with your team and your partners, fight for your reputation like it’s our own, and never forget that protecting trust is the ultimate outcome.
Your gear is built to perform under pressure. Your channels should too. Let’s lock in control for the future.