Gear Advisor and Marketing Manager JAKE LILE

Born in Idaho and raised in Plains, Montana, I was fortunate to grow up in the hunting industry. My family’s love for adventure took me all over the West, predominantly in pursuit of archery elk and memories. My first W-2 job was with Trophy Taker (which later became Option Archery), an archery product manufacturer based in Plains; there, I assembled various archery accessories, sharpened a near-infinite number of broadheads, and performed quality control on archery products through my middle and high school years.

For college, I moved to Bozeman, Montana and attended Montana State University on academic scholarship where I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English Teaching and later earned my master’s in English Education with a perfect 4.0, earning “Most Outstanding” awards four out of my six years of education. After spending three years teaching high school English and hunting on all the weekends I could, I returned to the hunting industry, working initially in gear sales before becoming the Marketing Manager for Huntin’ Fool where my passion for education and long history in product manufacturing deeply influence my approach to testing and proving products on behalf of Gear Fool.

In addition to my work in the field and the classroom, I have spent over a decade coaching wrestling and am dedicated to helping people “choose the right kinds of suffering.” I believe that growth comes from pushing limits, not from needless discomfort. That same philosophy applies in the backcountry: the cold, the weight, the grind - they're part of the deal. But with the right preparation and the right gear, you can suffer for the right reasons, not because your equipment failed. As a Gear Expert, my goal is simple: help others experience the right kind of suffering.