Featured in Australian Hunter Magazine Edition 19 2006

BLACKFOOT DESIGNS..summer weight clothing by John Dunn.

since it's introduction in 2000, the Blackfoot Designs range of clothing & outdoor products have won a great deal of well deserved praise within the hunting community. Designed to hide a hunter's human shape rather than emulate particular elements of any given environment, the breakup camouflage pattern in Blackfoot Designs clothing has proved itself effective right around Australia, and internationally, in every type of terrain, from open grasslands to dense forests. Always looking to improve and increase his range, Dave Greig has added some new clothing to the Blackfoot Designs line that increases it's versatility and provides a greater level of user comfort thanks to a new cloth. Having spoken to Dave at several gun shows about his new gear, I sent him some measurements. Having clothing made to fit is not a problem at Blackfoot Designs, given that all the products are handmade. While standard patterns of clothing are offered - visit www.blackfoot.com.au for the full range - Dave is also happy to tailor items to customer specifications. To the best of my knowledge, thats a service no other manufacturer offers. My new clothing duly arrived via snail mail - a pair of pants, a shirt and lightweight cap with face veil. All were made of a new high-definition summer cloth - a 55:45 per cent blend of linen and cotton suitable for warm to hot hunting conditions. Lighter than most cotton fabrics, the cloth is promoted as highly breathable. This helps the wearer to stay cool, reducing body odours. It is also softer than normal cotton and comes ready to wear.

DESERT HUNTER PANTS: made to measure, the Desert Hunter pants have a wide leg, comfortable fit that allows plenty of room for movement - an essential feature for all hunting clothing. The waist has a Velcro panel and D-buckle closures, as well as a series or extra wide belt loops for people like me who like to wear a leather belt. The fly has a zip and the pants have a Velcro-closed back pocket and accessory pocket can be fitted at extra cost.

RED CROW SHIRT: this is a long sleeve shirt with Velcro tabs at each wrist. These allow the sleeves to be snugged up tight or rolled up depending on the weather or if you need to dress out or skin an animal. The straight-cut body is loose, allowing air to circulate freely around the torso if the shirt isn't tucked into the pants. An 18cm zip at the throat is an effective means of regulating your body temperature and is easily opened or closed as required.

GEORGES CAP: named after a customer, George's cap is styled on the USMC cap. It has a good, wide brim with Velcro fixing points around the underside for attaching a face veil. One size fits all thanks to a Velcro adjuster on the back. Dave also supplied me with a face veil to suit the cap.

IN THE PADDOCK: I wore the whole outfit on a five day hunt in South Australia in mid-Febuary. As expected, everything fitted and worked perfectly - even when temperatures climbed into the high 30s, which was probably too hot to be hunting anyway. One afternoon we were caught out by a passing storm and were soaked to the skin within minutes. The storm went through and half a hour later, the Blackfoot Design clothing had virtually dried itself out - undoubtedly due to the lightweight fabric. On the last morning of the hunt, we found a good mob of fallow way out in the open country and though we managed to sneak much closer courtesy of a drainage ditch, there was still a good stretch of open ground between us and the deer. Using the curve of the hill and a skinny tussock of grass for cover, we belly crawled another 100m or so to close the gap to around 250m. With no possibilty of getting any closer I took the shot and collected a nice red buck. I'm not suggesting for a moment that some other type of camo woundn't have provided the same opportunity. Ian Hindrum, my guide for the hunt, was wearing a different pattern altogether and he crawled in with me. What I am saying, however, is that without camo clothing, there is no way we would have been able to get anywhere near those animals. In that respect, Blackfoot Designs is as good as any other camouflage clothing on the market and probably much better than some. Wearing the summer-weight camo closer to home, I actually had a willy wagtail land on my head as I sat glassing a hilllside early in the morning. To say that the bird was surprised would be something of an understatement. I don't understand bird talk, but I bet London to a brick that what he was saying about my camouflaged person was neither complimentary nor fit for publication in a family magazine like this! The same morning I put a pair of foxes out of a shallow creek line running through open grasslands. As soon as I saw them move I sat down. They ran about 40m then stopped to look back. They obviously coudn't or didn't see me as a human shape and they too sat down in the short grass, completely oblivious to the fact that I was sitting there watching them. Opportunities like that are hard to come by. I must admit I've been a fan of Blackfoot Designs camouflage clothing from the first time I saw it. It works really well in most country I hunt and the new summer- weight cloth makes it that little bit more comfortable to wear during warmer weather. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself - I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised

This is here because I feel it says it all... that is why we hunters do what we do.

THE CIVILIZED SAVAGE

The love of the chase is deeply imbedded in man's nature. During the untold centuries of his savage condition he followed it of necessity. We now revert to our primitive employment for our pleasure & recreation, pursuing with ardor, sports which often involve much bodily fatigue & always require skill & training. An impulse, often irresistible it seems, leads man away from civilization, from it's artificial pleasures & it's mechanical life, to the forests, the fields & the waters, where he may have that freedom & peace which civilization denies him. If this be not so, then why is that the man of affairs as well as the man of leisure feels again the joy of his youth as he bids farewell to his office or club, & seeks the solitudes of the woods & plains. He will meet there some old familiar face in a guide, or fellow sportsman & welcome it with the ardor of good fellowship. He will undergo all sorts of bodily discomforts,- coarse food & rough bed, the wet & the cold,- & yet be happy, because for a little spell he is free; in other words he has, for a time, become a civilized savage. If, with gun & rod, he goes into the recesses of the great woods, & lives there for weeks or months, or mounts his horse & traverses the western plains & mountain passes, relying on his rifle for subsistence, he is made to realize that there are many things to be learned outside of cities & away from his usual occupations. He will find food for philosophy in the behaviour of his hunting companions; he will see who is manly & unselfish, who endowed with pluck & self reliance; for three weeks association with a friend in the wilderness will reveal more of his real character than a dozen years' with him amid the safe retreats & soothing comforts of civilized life. He will learn how few are the real wants of a happy life in the midst of uncivilized nature. His troubles, if he carried any with him, will vanish; time will seem of as little value to him as to the savage, & like all true sportsmen &" honest anglers, " he will return to his home with a calmed spirit & a contented mind.

                                                                                                         ALFRED M. MAYER.

Excert from Cossi's Column, Page 76. Wild Deer & Hunting Adventures.Issue 4, Volume 1, Winter 2005. What to & What not to Wear:

The camo design that has really surprised me has been the " Blackfoot " design that I was wearing when I guided Tony Hutchinson to his Fallow. Dave Greig, from NSW, a hunter with thirty five years experience has carried out some serious reseach into designing his own unique pattern, a blend of grey, black, green & brown on a fawn background. The garments I tested were of 100% cotton. Breathable, windproof & quick drying. Most importantly I did notice when a client of mine was wearing this camo, (pants, jacket & hat) although the green bush & gum suckers were at least 45 meters behind him, as he walked towards me, the break up design gave the impression that the hunter was still on the very edge of the bush. The seemingly heavy black lines contributing to a large amount of break up. Dave also has a large range of garments made from the cold weather king, "Sherpa Fleece", extremely light with superb thermal properties & water shedding abilities. With the coming winter Sambar season in mind, my order has already been placed. Blackfoot Designs also have an extensive range of other products, Binocular Harness, Hats, 4x4 Seat Covers etc. Dave Greig 02 4443 2150. Whatever garment you choose you have my total recommendation, you won't be disappointed!

Product Review. Australia Shooter Magazine. August 2004. Page 38. CAMO CLASS by John Dunn.

It doesn't seem all that long ago when Australian hunters didn't have a great deal of choice about camouflage clothing. While there were lots of designs available overseas very little of it seemed to make its way out here. Consequently, ex-Army ruled! Today of course that's no longer the case. The range of clothing now available is extensive enough to be confusing unless you know exactly what you want. Even so, most is still imported and I guess that's why it's good to see a quality Australian product available for discerning hunters. Blackfoot Designs began in 2000, kicked off by Dave Greig of Vincentia on the N.S.W. south coast. With over 35 years of hunting experience under his belt, Dave was frustrated at not being able to purchase what he considered the right gear for the Australian environment. Determined to get what he needed, he set about and designed his own.The camouflage he came up with is a break up style pattern - designed to confuse the eye rather than emulate particular elements of the environment as many other designs do. With its blend of green, black, grey and brown on a fawn background the pattern actually struck me as eye catching when I first saw it at a gun show   - especially the signature little black bear that's included in the design. Yet even in such a contrived environment it was obvious the pattern didn't "blob out" or lose it's break up effect at a distance as some darker patterns do, especially the military designed ones. And as I was to find out, when you put it up against any form of vegetation it really does become eye confusing - which is exactly what it was designed to do. All Blackfoot Design clothing is made from 100% cotton cloth, which is ideal for the bulk of Australian hunting conditions, especially during the warmer months. The fabric is lightweight and breathable, dries quickly when wet, is relatively wind proof and - as time has proven - is very durable. Importantly for a lot of hunting conditions it is also very resistant to grass seeds.For mountain hunting during the winter months cotton is less than ideal. Dave recognises this and recommends that fleece or wool layering garments be worn under the Blackfoot Design clothing to avoid possible exposure to the effects of hypothermia. He also points out that the clothing isn't waterproof so if it rains or snows the wearer will need a good waterproof jacket - or somewhere to get out of the weather. While critics might choose to interpret that as some sort of deficiency in the product I see it more as an honest reflection of the reality that most hunters aren't deliberately out and about when it's really wet or cold. Yes, people do get caught out but anyone who hunts the mountains without being prepared for a cold weather change hasn't done their planning properly anyway! For review Dave supplied me with a pants, a jacket, a hat and face veil and a binocular harness. DELSHAY PANTS: These are manufactured in a range of sizes so prior to delivery I supplied Dave with my waist and inside leg measurements. What I got was a pair of strides that fitted perfectly. The legs are straight cut so there's plenty of room to move and no tight spots when it comes to crawling, or stretching to get over logs. There's a big hand pocket on either side, deep enough to ensure whatever you put in them stays there yet wide enough in the opening to make retrieving the same easy. There's a back pocket on the right hip and a bellows pocket on the side of each leg, all with Velcro closed flaps that once again make the pockets secure yet easily accessible. External belt loops are provided around the waist for those who carry hunting gear on a wide leather belt but the pants can be comfortably cinched up and secured with a fitted Velcro strip and a D ring closure that's easily adjustable and simple to use. The fly is zippered, the top secured by a Velcro patch. Construction wise everything is double stitched, the edges turned and hemmed to avoid fraying. Overall, the quality of workmanship is excellent. RRP of the pants is $159. Given the quality of the product I believe this is excellent value for money. BAYA JACKET: Available in a range of standard sizes off the shelf, the Baya jacket effectively finishes off the camouflage suit. Like the pants, no buttons are used in its construction. It has a full-length zipper up the front that runs to the top of the collar to provide ventilation or closure as required. The sleeves are full length with Velcro straps for wrist closures. There's a deep open pocket on either side and a flapped, Velcro closed bellows breast pocket on the left-hand side. The tail of the jacket incorporates a zip closed game pocket. As with the pants, everything is double stitched and the quality of workmanship is self -evident. RRP of the Baya jacket is $159. WANAGI HAT & FACE VEIL: Three weights of this hat are available. The hat supplied for review was summer weight - featuring a camouflage brim and crown with camouflage mesh sides to allow plenty of   air ventilation to keep your head cool. All Wanagi hats have a reversible band - brown on one side, blaze orange on the other, easily changed around and secured by a series of Velcro patches. The orange strip makes a hunter visible to other hunters in the area but doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the clothing itself. Mid and winter weight versions are also available, the latter fleece lined for really cold weather. Under the brim of the hat is a semi circle of Velcro patches that allow a camouflaged Face Veil to be attached. In the paddock, the veil has two important design functions. In the first place it eliminates light reflecting off the hunter's face, a dead give away to wary game even if the face has a healthy tan. Most importantly it hides the hunter's eyes. As predators, humans have forward facing eyes - a sign of danger to most animals and a primary reason for avoiding eye contact with them wherever possible. The veil is long enough to reach down to cover the hunter's throat as well and will cover most faces from ear to ear - effectively camouflaging most of the head and yes, it will also keep some of the flies out of your eyes The beauty of this set up is that the mesh is coarse enough to allow the hunter to use his binocular with the veil in place. If that doesn't suit it only takes a simple flick to put it up over the brim of the hat and out of the way. RRP for the Wanagi Hat is $45. The face Veil is $15.