How did Nocs Provisions come to be, and what problem were you trying to solve?
Nocs founder and CEO Chris McKleroy: Nocs was founded in San Francisco in 2019. We were searching for the perfect binocular to bring camping, check the surf, and spy on our local raccoons at night, and we just couldn’t find it. Most offerings were big, bulky, and expensive, or small and cheap, from brands that were either all-in on hunting or stood for nothing. We saw an opportunity to build a compact, high-quality, waterproof binocular for under $100 and a brand that stood for what we’re about: inclusivity and accessibility in the outdoors while leaning into great design to reinvent the category. We’ve donated tens of thousands of binoculars to nonprofits bringing folks into nature, measured and reduced our carbon footprint, never use plastic in our packaging, and strived to create a next-generation brand that serves as a welcoming platform to people who have been out there or are getting out there for the first time.
How do you describe Nocs Provisions to someone who’s never heard of it?
Chris McKleroy: Binoculars are a magical tool to further immerse ourselves in the outdoors. When I meet someone and tell them what I do, they ask who it’s for, and I ask them, “Do you like to hike, camp, or spend time in nature?” Yes? Then it’s for you. They enhance just about any experience outside, from camping and hiking to sporting events, concerts, birding, and spotting wildlife. Ultimately, binoculars are a portal to connecting with the details of the natural world.
We believe that when people can see the details of nature — the interconnectedness — they’ll choose actions that protect the outdoors. People won’t just give a s*** about the planet for no reason, but when they can see the connection we have to the natural, wild world, they might. And we believe that caring about nature, actually learning about it rather than just taking a selfie, is totally cool. We want to build a brand that celebrates the rad people who are out there doing this. It’s cool to give a crap about the natural world.
What makes Nocs a brand that retailers actually want to champion?
Chris McKleroy: We’re enormously thankful for our retail partners, reps, and internal team. Our successful retail partnerships stemmed from working with some of the best reps in the game. They championed the brand and vouched for what we’re about. Yes, we make a bomber product line with some of the best quality in the industry, but we also stand for more than that. We found tremendous value alignment with REI, and that’s been a phenomenal relationship.
We were the first brand in this category to truly lean into modern design and color, and we’ve found that Nocs is very additive to our core outdoor retailers: either they had no optics, or optics hadn’t worked for them before. The brand was developed down the street from Mollusk in San Francisco, and that was a great aesthetic reference: if it would vibe well there, we should be good.
Our product is our backbone. We manufacture with one of the best optical manufacturers in the world — dust-free, next-gen robotic assemblies — backed by a No-Matter-What Lifetime Warranty. As I like to say, our optics pass the unc-test: when you hand them to your optics-nerd uncle, they get a thumbs up.
New Nocs x Audubon Society Pro Issue Bino. Photo: Brady Mickelson.
What’s your philosophy on working with retail partners in a mutually beneficial way?
Chris McKleroy: We are a full-price brand; we don’t discount, which means we’re offering full margin to our retailers 365 days a year. We want to create a meaningful category for our reps and retailers, especially in a category that is traditionally heavily promotional. We have great reporting, deep data analysis on what’s working in-store and online, and a B2B portal for retailers and reps. Our No-Matter-What Lifetime Warranty is handled directly through our in-house team, taking the retailer completely out of the equation and allowing us to move fast. Fortunately, that doesn’t come up much, because our TQM is some of the best in the industry.
How has the changing outdoor consumer shaped your product development?
Chris McKleroy:  We see ourselves as a modern outdoor brand speaking to a younger generation who are finding themselves outdoors for the pure enjoyment of being outside — finding presence, not racing to the top of a mountain or obsessing over Strava times. We’re about that Type 1 fun, that holistic connection to the natural world found from just being out there with friends. This is as simple as getting off the couch and exploring your backyard or an urban park.
We’re building for a generation that values presence over performance. The outdoors shouldn’t feel technical, exclusive, or intimidating — it should feel welcoming and fun. We design products that lower the barrier to entry without lowering the standard: precision optics that compete at a high level, but are approachable, beautifully designed, and durable enough to live in your pack every day. When someone can see the flash of a bird’s wing or a swell filling in on the horizon, they’re building a relationship with nature — and people protect what they feel connected to.
New Bino Day. Photo: Brady Mickelson.
How do you stay true to both performance and style?
Chris McKleroy: Binoculars are a centuries-old instrument of exploration. As a design-founded and design-led brand, we’ve developed optical systems that meet our customers’ needs in the field and designed them to fit the modern kit. We’re heavily inspired by modern art. The original design inspiration came from Frank Stella lithographs, old-school BMX mushroom grips, and the hand-painted signs found in San Francisco.
We love the trend of style reaching the outdoors, not just skimo or top-of-Everest vibes, but high-performance, functional products with a real aesthetic sensibility. We know who this consumer is; we are them. We want to build the highest-quality optics we can, packaged in a form that’s easy on the eyes and fits the vibe.
How do you market to a consumer who defies easy categorization?
Chris McKleroy: We don’t really think in terms of categories. We think in terms of curiosity. The same person who checks the swell at sunrise might be birding in the afternoon and at a show that night. That’s modern outdoor life. So instead of designing for “a birder” or “a surfer,” we design for people who like to be outside and notice things.
From the beginning, Nocs has been about inclusivity and access. We’ve donated tens of thousands of binoculars, supported community bird walks, and partnered with educators and outdoor groups long before inclusion became an industry talking point. We believe it’s cool to care about nature. It’s cool to know the name of a bird. It’s cool to stop and say, “Wait, look at that.”
We’re also inspired by art, music, surf, and creative communities that overlap with outdoor life. At the end of the day, we’re building for a generation that doesn’t see itself as one thing. They’re just curious, and we make tools that help them notice more of the world around them.
Biologist and Educator Alex Troutman. Photo: John McDonald.
What does a great retail partner look like to Nocs right now?
Chris McKleroy: A great retail partner for Nocs is aesthetic-forward. We’ve found success everywhere from whale watching tour providers to REI, places with a curated selection of well-designed, quality products. Retailers that have created an ambience showcasing the modern outdoor aesthetic have done well with the Nocs line. In contrast, we’ve struggled in places that are more “warehousey” or rely on discounting to drive sales. We thrive in a full-priced, curated environment, from design boutiques like the MoMA to larger retailers like REI and Dick’s, retailers that drive a premium experience with well-curated brands.
What’s the piece of the Nocs story people consistently underestimate?
Chris McKleroy: When we got started, we had a blank slate and plenty of time to define what we stand for. A lot of friends suggested environmental causes — beach cleanups and the like — but I kept wondering: that’s great, but for who? Being in the outdoors my whole life, so many of us privileged to spend time outside have that moment of “man, if only everyone could experience this.” Ultimately, we’re only bought in to protect the environment because we care about it, and without experiencing it, why would anyone have a reason to?
So at launch, we focused our philanthropy on two things: financially supporting organizations bringing people from underserved communities into nature, and sharing the authentic stories of people of all walks of life — including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who have been out there in nature, just not being highlighted by outdoor brands.
We chose this in 2019, at the founding of the brand. Following the turbulence of 2020, we were able to authentically connect with people and retail partners who care about this, further cementing who we are. We’re still ten toes in. We’ve watched other brands latch onto this idea at the height of the pandemic. But little-known fact, we’ve been about this since day one, and we’re still very much about it today.
Scoping with the Nocs Field Tube Monocular. Photo: Tucker Adams.
