CORE Camo
Features
• Modern disruption camo design, derived from Nature
• Multi-layer, dimensional pattern provides superior outline break up and focal confusion
• Macro, top pattern for break up and mid/long range concealment
• Blurred and soft edged micro base pattern for elevated and short-range concealment
• Low contrast color palette (tan, brown, olive drab, grey and black) designed specifically for common environments from the East to Midwest
From the onset, we tasked our designers with a challenging goal: create a modern, highly versatile, natural pattern adaptable to multiple environments and suitable for a range of hunting scenarios. If successful, this task would enable our customers to afford the highest quality gear possible; without spending unnecessary dollars on a closet full of camo patterns.
Applications and ConceptFrom the whitetail and turkey woods to flooded timber, Down East’s CORE is a proven, effective concealment design. The concept originated from hunting whitetail deer, waterfowl and turkey in eastern North Carolina and expanded as we explored the needs of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts from a much larger region that shared similar environments and game pursuits. We sought to design a pattern that was applicable not only to a variety of environments but also to a variety of situations. Whether hunting a whitetail buck at 30 feet from an elevated position, calling in a gobbler from 200 yards across a field or taking mallards at 40 yards in timber swamps, we challenged ourselves with creating a highly effective and versatile camo pattern designed with purpose for the environments where we hunt. Along with that concept, we also identified a need to create durable, high quality, technical apparel that is designed specifically for the types of hunting we pursue and allows hunters to stay comfortable and focus on their hunt rather than their gear.
Down East’s proprietary CORE camo pattern is a multi-purpose pattern blending modern design with natural elements and accents. While we maintain the belief that proper scent control and motion management are arguably the most important factors to many successful hunts, those disciplines coupled with our CORE pattern drastically increase the odds for a hunter’s success.
We purposely designed CORE as a modern, multi-layer, focal disruption pattern as opposed to simply a more traditional, mimicry pattern. Mimicry patterns are patterns often designed with high resolution images of sticks, leaves, marsh grass, and trees, and are intended to mimic an outdoor scene or specific type of tree as an example. While these types of patterns appeal to the human eye and appear very natural, animals such as whitetail deer lack the focal clarity and ability to process detail, colors and shapes as humans do. So while to the human eye such patterns are appealing and appear to be effective, these patterns do not address how animals view their respective environments.
Effective disruption patterns rely less on high resolution imagery and more on complex, multi-layered designs that break up a hunter’s outline or presence and prevent animals from identifying the hunter. The goal of the pattern is to blend the hunter into the respective environment and is not intended to mimic a type of tree, marsh grass or woodland pattern. The micro (smaller base pattern) and macro (medium to large base pattern) layers of the pattern create distortion and focal confusion which prevent animals from identifying the hunter as an object of concern.
CORE uniquely blends modern disruption camo design and philosophy with natural elements. We carefully designed each layer to achieve the effects of a disruption pattern while utilizing subtle elements and color tones naturally and commonly found in the environments where we hunt. The natural elements of the pattern, while identifiable and relatable up close, were purposely designed and blended into the pattern with function as a priority over aesthetics.
The micro base layer is a naturally inspired pattern designed for elevated positions and close-range engagements. The blurred effect and soft edges create focal disruption, and the smaller, non-repeating pattern provides superior close-range concealment against varying backdrops and environments. The macro layer (mid and top layer) was purposely designed with larger, varying shapes to provide depth, dimension, and concealment from mid to longer ranges.
The natural elements and blurred effect of the micro base layer combine nicely with the depth and dimension of the macro top layer resulting in a highly versatile concealment pattern which breaks up the hunter’s outline and minimizes presence. The overall low contrast color palette allows the pattern to naturally adapt to a multitude of environments in our regions of focus.
Utilizing both printed fabric samples of varying sizes and full garment prototypes, the Down East team logged hundreds of hours of field testing in multiple environments sampling over 150 iterations of the pattern until our purpose was accomplished. We painstakingly analyzed every color, the ratio of micro layer to macro layer, the natural features, and finally the size, scale, and proportion of the combined design. For our current regions of focus, our CORE camo does not disappoint.