Affiliate disclosure

Last updated October 19, 2026

The plain version: some links on this site and in our emails are affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, the retailer may pay us a commission. It costs you nothing extra, and the price is the same as going to the store directly.

Where you'll see affiliate links

Gear kits, deal posts, The Cache Weekly email, and occasional links on tool pages (for example, a link to a paid hunt-planning service). Pages with gear links carry a short note near the links, and that note points back here.

Right now, many of our links go straight to the retailer and earn nothing. As we join retailer affiliate programs, some of those links will become affiliate links. This page and the notes near the links apply either way.

Our editorial rules

A commission never decides what we feature. Every pick has to pass these rules first:

Premium only.Proven brands and gear we'd trust ten seasons from now. No knockoffs, no grey-market or "too good to be true" clearance sites, and only authorized dealers.
It has to ship to Alaska at a fair price.We check Alaska shipping on the store's own cart or shipping policy (usually to a Palmer or Anchorage zip) before listing. If shipping north is expensive, excluded, or hazmat-restricted, we say so or leave it out.
Real prices, dated.Each price is checked on the product page and we list the date we checked it. Sales end and sizes sell out, so always confirm before you buy.
No paid placements.Brands can't pay to be on a list. If we ever run a sponsored post or receive free gear for review, we'll label it clearly at the top.
Same pick with or without a commission.If the best option has no affiliate program, we list it anyway. Local Alaska shops get a mention when buying locally makes more sense.

How we label origin

Some picks carry a small text badge: Made in Alaska, Made in USA, Made in USA · imported materials, or Assembled in USA. Here's what they mean and how we decide.

We use the maker's own words.A badge goes on a product only when the maker's product page (or its own "where we make it" page) makes that claim. We link that source next to the badge and record the date we checked it. We recheck before featuring a product again, and drop a badge we can't re-confirm within 120 days.
"Made in USA" follows the FTC standard."All or virtually all" of the product is made here: final assembly in the US, all significant parts and processing in the US, and negligible foreign content (FTC guidance). "Made in Alaska" is the same test, applied to Alaska.
Qualified claims stay qualified.If the maker says "Made in USA of US and imported materials" or "assembled in the USA from domestic and imported components," our badge says "Made in USA · imported materials" or "Assembled in USA." We never round those up to plain "Made in USA."
"Designed in" doesn't count."Designed in Alaska," "Alaska-inspired," or a flag on the box isn't a claim about where something was made.
We badge products, not brands.Many brands make some lines here and import others, so each product is checked on its own.
No badge means imported or not verified.We couldn't find a clear statement, the claim came only from a third party, or the product is made overseas. We still recommend imported gear when it's the best tool for the job.
"US small maker"marks independent, owner-run shops that make the product in the US. It isn't an origin claim by itself.
These are our own labels.They aren't the State of Alaska's "Made in Alaska" program logo, and no maker pays for a badge or a spot in our makers directory.

Why we do it

Commissions help pay for hosting and the time it takes to keep the regs search, draw odds, and avalanche pages free. We don't run display ads.

Questions

If something on the site looks like it breaks these rules, tell us at hello@chugachcache.com. See also our privacy policy for how affiliate cookies work.