When Sam Roberts, founder of Sambob, traded bird banding and backcountry hikes for a sewing machine and stacks of Polartec fleece, he wasn’t trying to launch a business—he was just trying to make the perfect hoodie.
“I got kind of into the ultralight backpacking world of gear,” Roberts says, recalling his days as a wildlife biologist crisscrossing national parks in Utah and Colorado. “You realize there’s not always the perfect item for each person available out there. I wanted to learn how to make stuff myself.”
What began as a pandemic-era hobby quickly morphed into something much bigger. Friends started asking for custom fleeces of their own. Then strangers did too. Today, Sambob is a thriving small business known for its bright color-blocked designs, made-to-order sizing, and commitment to sustainability—all stitched together from a studio behind Roberts’ home in Portland, Maine.
The name “Sambob” traces back to his high school frisbee team, where a trio of Sams required nicknames to keep things straight. “My last name is Roberts, and the Bob came naturally from that,” he explains. “It stuck with me all through college. When I started the brand, I thought it sounded narcissistic, but now I’m really glad I went with it—it’s personal. The brand is personal.”
That sense of personality is exactly what draws people in. Sambob’s signature offering is the chance to customize a fleece to your liking: pick the colors, the size, the zipper, the pocket configuration. Roberts initially made each order himself, often communicating with customers one-on-one. Even as the brand grows, he keeps that intimacy front and center.
“People are so used to buying from big brands, where you have no idea who made it,” he says. “But with Sambob, they know who made it—and they know it was made specifically for them.”
For Roberts, customization is more than a design perk—it’s about access. “Some people have a hard time finding stuff that works for them,” he says. “Being able to give someone a piece of clothing that fits and makes them feel comfortable in the outdoors—that’s kind of the ultimate goal.”
That mission is especially meaningful in a space that can feel exclusive. “The outdoor industry isn’t always the most welcoming,” Roberts says. “If someone puts on a fleece and feels like they belong out there, that’s a win.”
The fleeces themselves are built from high-quality performance fabrics, often seconds or overstock from larger brands. It’s both a sustainability practice and a practical solution for a small business. “You have to order like 800 yards to get fabric directly from Polartec,” he says. “So I work with what I can get—remnants, flawed rolls, scraps. A lot of the fabric would otherwise go to waste.”
As the company grows, Roberts is gradually shifting away from purely custom work, exploring small-batch releases, artist collaborations, and limited-run printed fabrics. Still, the ethos remains. “Each piece is still really personal,” he says. “I’m not trying to scale it to something huge. I want to keep it special.”
Roberts now has one part-time employee in Maine and a small network of sewists outside the state who help fulfill orders. “It’s not just me,” he says. “I’d be absolutely screwed without them.” He laughs, but it’s clear that every stitch, every decision—right down to who he hires and where fabric gets sourced—is driven by intention.
After a few years in Utah for his wife’s postdoc, Roberts moved back to Portland to be closer to family and raise their child. The creative community here, he says, has been a big part of Sambob’s growth. “I’m part of Maine Outdoor Brands, and they’ve been great,” he says. “Just having other small brands to talk to and learn from—that’s huge.”
There’s also something about Maine itself. “People love the idea of something being made here,” he says. “I don’t think it would be the same if I were in Massachusetts. There’s something romantic about Maine that makes people want to buy local.”
Sambob fleeces can now be found at select shops like Toad & Co. and Nomads, and Roberts has sold to REI and through the popular online retailer Garage Grown Gear. Collaborations with artists like Portland’s Jordan Parks have added a layer of limited-edition flair, while co-branded runs with organizations like the Appalachian Mountain Club introduce Sambob to new audiences.
But at its core, Sambob remains a direct-to-customer, Instagram-fueled labor of love. “I’d probably be nothing without Instagram,” Roberts says. “I started posting during COVID, just making stuff and sharing it, and people responded. It all grew from there.”
He keeps his social media strategy simple. “I just make a reel and post it two seconds later,” he says, smiling. “No schedule, no algorithm chasing.” (Follow Roberts and find inspiration for your next fleece at @sambob.biz.)
As for the future? Roberts hopes to keep growing—on his own terms. “I’d love to do more artist collaborations, reach more people,” he says. “But I still want it to feel like Sambob. Handmade. Honest. Something people feel good about putting on.”
Because in the end, these aren’t just fleeces. They’re an invitation to be yourself—in the woods, on the trail, or just walking around town. As Roberts puts it: “If it helps someone feel like they belong out there, that’s everything.”
“Being able to give someone a piece of clothing that makes them feel comfortable in the outdoors—that’s the ultimate goal.”