We grew up hunting in the Northwest. Like many, we wore our share of plaid wool coats during deer season, and brown duck coveralls during duck season. Red plaid served us well, but like many things, there’s always room for improvement. Like any good hunter we took stock of our gear and searched for ways to make it better.

Those hand-me-down plaid jackets were replaced with military camouflage from the local Army/Navy, and would eventually be exchanged for the first bark-like patterns designed specifically for hunters. Our fabrics got “smarter”, and our camouflage became more realistic. Before long highly detailed hardwood limbs, oak leaves, and dark shadows would completely cover most camouflage patterns. Did we mention that we grew up hunting in Idaho—out West?

As amazing and revolutionary as these patterns were, they were developed by people accustomed to hunting in the dense vegetation of the South. Here in Idaho, we have as much open range as we do timbered areas. Needless to say, we found an opportunity to improve what was available to Western hunters, and non-Western hunters alike.

We charged ourselves with the task of creating a camouflage that wouldn’t “blob up” at a distance—inversely, we didn’t want our pattern to glow at a distance, either. The key to avoiding “blobbing” is to strike a balance in contrast between high-value (light) and low-value (dark) areas in the pattern. Contrast is such an integral factor in our pattern development, we trademarked the term HICON™ (high contrast) to identify what sets us apart from others. Other companies talk about colors, tones, and details, but contrast is what makes a camouflage truly effective.

We didn’t enter the camouflage industry focusing on manufacturers. We simply wanted to design better camouflage, and offer it to hunters that were, like us, frustrated with what was available on their local sporting goods retailers’ shelves. We never imagined the impact we could have by customizing the manufacturers’ licensing process.

We began attending industry trade shows in 2004, and quickly realized how dissatisfied manufacturers were with the current state of camouflage licensing. Prior to 2004, a manufacturers’ licensing would consist of hefty up-front fees, expensive royalties, and in many cases, the requirement of a fairly large quantity of product samples, that is, once the manufacturer waded through pages and pages of legalese with their legal team. All of this to license the same few camouflage patterns their competition would be licensing.

Once again, we saw an opportunity for improvement:  refining and renovating a twenty-year-old licensing model. We quickly adopted a flexible licensing model that saves manufacturers time, money, and the headaches that came along with managing previous licensing.