PFD Love In The Time Of Coronavirus

If you’ve been shopping on our website recently, you may have noticed that we’re out of stock on a lot of our products, especially PFDs. We’ve received some emails from our loyal customers, checking to make sure everything is OK. Thanks for asking!

COVID-related shipping delays and historically high demand have made it tough for us to keep our shelves stocked. We thought you may find some of the details interesting, so we asked our supply chain manager to share some juicy details, as it relates to COVID disruptions. 

When sh*t hit the fan in March of 2020, we thought the freaking world was ending. Like most people, we weren’t thinking about shoes and lifejackets then–we were just trying to weather the storm. Then, around May, the weather started to warm up, and people realized that getting outside was a great way to get out of their quarantine funk and have fun in a safe, socially-distant way. All over the world, people found a new love for getting outside and enjoying Nature! Nice! 

We started to see a huge uptick in demand, and that demand has stuck around ever since. The problem is, this new demand was so great that manufacturers couldn’t keep up. Not only have the factories struggled to make our product fast enough, but just about every outdoor brand you can think of is trying to get their hands on the same components in order to make their products, making it harder than usual to get products finished. Even zippers have been hard to come by. Zippers!

Needless to say, this demand has been crazy. But we have plenty of footwear in stock, and you can find our PFDs at your local retailer! Check out our retailer locator page to shop Astral locally. And if you’re still wondering when that product you’re waiting for will be back on our site, check the table below: 

To be discontinued Fall 2021:

• Filipe
• Rosa
• TR1 Junction
• Hemp Porter

As always, we’re here to answer your questions and help you find what you are looking for. Anytime you need us, shoot us an email at info@astraldesigns.com or give us a call at 828-255-2638.