As odd as it sounds, camouflage is one of those things that no one looks at as closely as they should.
But blog person, you may ask, “isn’t that the whole purpose of camo in the first place?”
To you, I say, yes… But we’re going to anyway.
We’re not going to disparage anyone’s concept of camo. In fact, there are plenty of our older packs and lots of others’ apparel still going strong in other patterns to this day. But, let’s be honest, there are a few out there that are more of a fashion statement than a useful tool in the field.
Have we had great hunts in other camos? Sure. But we’ve also had boots that weren’t as comfortable, optics that may not have been as clear or bows that didn’t have the highest speeds. Just because it sorta works, doesn’t mean we should stick with it forever.
What we’re trying to say, is most camos are pretty good, and yes, we all know our grandparents were successful in a red plaid jacket and Dungarees. But times change, technologies advance and let’s be honest, there’s more pressure on smaller herds. If there is an advantage to be found to help find success on the hunt, why shouldn’t we take every possible assistance we can?
So, being Badlands, we went ahead and did something about it.
With the introduction of the Approach camo pattern (and its country cousin Approach FX) we brought our friend science to the table and put her to work.
We brought in color specialists, we studied how patterns are affected by changing light conditions, we asked experts how game animals see colors and patterns. It was hard work, y’all.
Seriously, like more than three years of testing and development to make sure we had the hardest working, highest performing camouflage in the world.
The end result was a pattern that looks like no other, because it performs like no other. We didn’t want our friends to have to buy a half-dozen patterns to hunt throughout the year or across the country. Instead of launching a new pattern every season, we put in the work to make the ones that work.
Crazy, right?
Yeah, we get that a lot.
How do Approach and Approach FX work so well in so many places? It’s all about not becoming a blob.
No, we don’t mean your Uncle Phil after Thanksgiving. We’re talking about how many camos end up turning you into a vaguely human-shaped blob. Not sure where you hunt, but we’ve never encountered a blob in nature (Antarctica and Kurt Russell not withstanding). Guess what? Most deer, elk, turkey and other animals haven’t seen them either.
And what do things tend to do when they seem out of place? That’s right, they stand out.
With the blend of light and dark swatches in Approach, and just enough colors worked in, we’ve created a pattern that simply vanishes into even the weakest of cover.
The secret to this near invisibility? Layers, baby. Layers.
We’ve built so many layers into this stuff even we can’t tell when one shape ends and another begins. This layering creates visual confusion, which means the human (or ungulate, avian, sasquatchian) eye doesn’t lock on and think “there’s something there.”
Now, you could take our word for it, or you could put your faith in all the Badlands faithful who have helped test these patterns going after just about every species in every corner of the globe. We’ve tested it, revised it, tested again, rinse, lather, repeat. We didn’t stop until we had developed the perfect camo pattern for all terrain, climates and species.
But you know us. Perfect just isn’t enough. So we continue to put Approach to the test each and every season to make sure that nothing sees you unless you want to be seen (have you seen the new Blaze Orange Beanie?).
From the PNW to the Midwest, the Eastern seaboard to the southern swamps, and even Alaska to Antarctica (yeah, Blob, we’re coming for you), we can say with no reservation that Approach and Approach FX are the perfect patterns for your hunts.
Want to learn more or check out all the Approach and Approach FX gear for yourself? Smart call. Just hit us up at BadlandsGear.com for all the goodies.
