Interview with Toxey Haas,
Mossy Oak Founder
Q: How is Break-Up Infinity different than other patterns?
A: When you look at the camo patterns available today,
you may notice that your eyes move around the elements of the pattern, but then they reach a stopping point. There’s a background or dead space. Break-Up® Infinity™ keeps the eye moving into the pattern for infinite depth.
For the past several years we have dedicated our effort to patterns built specifically for a pursuit, such as Duck Blind for waterfowl or Treestand for hunting from an elevated position, but we recognized the need to continue to provide the most effective general purpose pattern ever!
Since 1995, Break-Up has not only been our most successful pattern but the most successful pattern in history. It was built on the goal of literally “breaking up” the outline of a hunter by using naturally contrasting elements. This latest evolution of Break-Up uses the most advanced digital technology to create never before achieved depth of field, eye-confusing contrast, and perfect realism. You look into the pattern just like you’re looking into the woods. Break-Up Infinity works equally well on the ground or in a tree. The key is that it is the only pattern that simultaneously breaks up the hunter’s silhouette and blends in with elements that surround it, clearly making it the most versatile pattern ever!
Q: Why is it important to keep developing new patterns?
A:Mossy Oak Brand Camo was founded on the pure obsession to get closer to critters, which led to creating the industry’s most effective camouflage patterns. Clearly that pure obsession is stronger today than ever! Our experiences in the field inspire us to create new patterns to get hunters closer. We’re constantly seeing elements and details in nature that if applied to our clothing, guns, boots and other gear, will help us blend in and get closer to our pursuit. Developing new camouflage patterns is important to feed the hunger all outdoors men and women have for being outdoors and remaining undetected. We stay hungry, so we’ll keep developing new patterns.
The other side to pattern development is technology. Being able to reproduce elements in nature with the utmost realism is energizing for us. Technology is improving by the second. We want to use the technology available to us to give hunters the most realistic patterns available.
Q: How long did it take to develop Break-Up Infinity?
A: 25 years of pattern development and a lifetime of experience! The way I see it, each pattern led to the next. It’s been a continuous evolution of developing camouflage that is more effective and realistic. We’ve spent 15 years on Break-Up alone. Once we had the vision for Break-Up Infinity and new where we wanted to take it, it was a 3-year (+) process of development.
Q: Did the process require new ways of thinking?
A: Numerous new concepts were adapted for this new pattern with emphasis on depth of view. We took thousands of photos of wooded settings across the country to see how we could accurately replicate the “look of” the forest with no real end to the view to create the “infinite” depth in the pattern. We developed a whole new way of photographing our background and elements in natural settings to enhance them. I would say that THE most importance way of thinking for us continues to be “open-minded thinking,” collectively evaluating and honoring thought from every corner of our great team.
Q: What challenges did you face during the development of Break-Up Infinity?
A: One of the challenges was placing elements in proper focus to encourage your eye to look deep into the pattern. We spent months selecting the perfect digital images and hours laying them out on screen and re-adjusting to create that depth. Mossy Oak has always tried to stay connected with the original look of Bottomland in our patterns; with Break Up Infinity, Bottomland provided the pivotal look of the pattern’s centerpiece tree trunk. This gave us a realistic bark to develop all the light and dark elements around and create the perfect breakup of the human form with unlimited field of view.
Q: Did you have any hunter/user input during the development process?
A: As I have stated is the case with all our patterns, the development of Break-Up Infinity was literally a total team effort. While the R&D team is responsible for the development process, each step of the way we solicit and encourage input from all our staff and pros. Often times it is a comment from someone not so involved with the development that turns on the light bulb and makes it better.
