Optifade also draws on advanced computer-generated patterning technologies. Stika is the maker of the Optifade concealment system, which embodies scientific breakthroughs in man’s understanding of how animals see.

Gore acquired Sitka, a major player in the hunting industry. The “Predator” revolutionĪ new era in hunter camouflage began when W.L. It looks like an adapted mountain version of the ERDL pattern.Ĭolours match the surrounding rocky areas by shifting from a tan background to light grey, dark grey, brown, and black. Vias Camoĭesigned for high-contrast environments above the treeline, the KUIU Vias-with its distinct black lines and large macro elements-is effective at long range.

The company’s latest efforts include a new 3D print version that adds shadows and more depth to the pattern. Predator’s Deception line began a revolution by abandoning photorealism and replacing it with the high-contrast patterns. It works to break up the outline of the wearer. The ASAT pattern itself consists of curved brown and black lines against a tan background. It resembles France’s Lizard camo pattern, but with more prominent lines. ASAT CamoĪSAT is short for All Season All Terrain. The pattern was named Trebark because it resembles the bark of trees that predominate across North America. This was achieved by experimentation with various colours copied from photographs of trees. The idea behind Trebark was simple enough: create a pattern that mimics vegetation in North American forests. Its popularity was such that the market quickly began brimming with many types of camouflage hunting shirts, pants, vests, jackets, caps, and more.Īrtwork from a Trebark camouflage advertisement that appeared in archery magazines. Hunting camouflage history was made in the late 1970s with the introduction of the Trebark pattern developed by Jim Crumley. It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that camo became a thing for hunters. Nor is it to suggest that hunting will be uprooted and done away with in the near future, because it won’t.īut a big departure from the past is the use of camouflage. That’s not to say hunting is gone, because it’s not. Hunters no longer are essential for survival. As a result, the best hunters were highly regarded and in some communities given a status rivaled only by today’s A-list celebrities.įast forward to now. Indeed, our ancient ancestors’ survival depended on their hunting skills. So let's now turn our attention to hunting camouflage and attempt to understand it better before comparing it head-to-head with military camouflage. We’ve already talked about military camouflage in this blog post. MultiCam is made mainly for breaking the silhouette of a moving operator through multiple environments (like dense forests and urban areas) and is designed to work against human perception. Realtree Xtra is made primarily for hunters who will be staying i n one spot and seek to conceal themselves from animals. That they embrace different methodologies is understandable in light of the fact that each pattern is meant for vastly different use cases. For Realtree Xtra, the methodology is mimicry for MultiCam, it’s blending effects. We see that they are unalike-in part because their designs employ very different methodologies. Let’s start by examining two recognised patterns, Realtree Xtra and MultiCam. Camofluage for hunting and military use have a common purpose: to blend humans into the surrounding environment so that they can avoid detection.