Blackfoot Designs was founded by Dave Greig in 2000. Dave was tired of trying to hunt in clothing that was poor quality, or simply not fit for purpose. There were not a lot of camouflage options for the Australian hunter then, and they often weren’t suited to hunting the Australian bush. He set out to create his own garments, with a two-fold vision of what they were to become. On one hand, they must be of high quality, comfortable cut and functional. On the other hand was to design an effective break up camouflage pattern, to fool our game animals vision.
Dave worked from a clean slate, researching materials, designing his clothing patterns and camouflage, trialling what works in the field and what doesn’t and then putting it all into practice to develop a highly respected line of hunting apparel. After 20 years of proudly supplying the Australian hunter, it is now time for Dave to hang up his hat and enjoy retirement.
Enter a new chapter in the Blackfoot story. My name is James Greig. In 2004, I was introduced to hunting by my uncle Dave. What eventually came of that trip was an undeniable, lifelong passion for hunting and the Australian bush. Naturally, when I got into hunting seriously, I started wearing Blackfoot gear. And I can honestly say after 10 years using it, when the opportunity to continue Blackfoot Designs into the future arose, it was a no brainer for me.
Feel assured that when you choose Blackfoot Designs, you are choosing a product that is borne from many decades of real life hunting experience, and made by the hands of a passionate hunter, fisher and outdoorsman. I am proud to be able to continue to offer Blackfoot clothing well into the future for the next generation of hunters.
WHY COTTON?
We choose cotton for our garments for a few reasons. Firstly, with all the high tech synthetics saturating the hunting clothing market these days, we offer a product not found elsewhere. It’s fantastic for being tough wearing and tear resistant. It’s also extremely resistant to picking up grass seeds and burrs. Australia is a big country with a huge range of climates, and we are quite well known for our hot climates. Blackfoot clothing suits the everyday Australian hunter, from cold weather, through to the heat and humidity of the top end of our country. Synthetics have it over cotton in the extremes of cold and wet, but let’s face it, most of us hunt in reasonable cold to warm conditions. When we exert ourselves on the mountains, we sweat. Synthetics don’t breathe like cotton, and you will sweat more. Yes, they have moisture wicking properties, but they wick your sweat out, it dries and then you get odour. Anyone who has tried polypropylene and merino thermals knows that the polypropylenes start to get smelly when merino thermals don’t. Synthetic vs natural at work. An animals sense of smell is it’s greatest defense, let’s not give it a further edge on us. 100% all natural cotton lets your body breathe, creating less sweat. You will require less hydration, and be noticeably more comfortable when out hunting. Sometimes the simple things are best.