Take a look at Rhino blinds, very high quality and durable. I own four of them and they are two seasons old, no issues to report. The material is far superior to the cheapo brands and will last much longer.
After looking at all the favorable reviews I bought a Double bull double wide. My 2nd choice would have been a Rhino...same favorable reviews. You could try a smaller Double bull or possibly look into Ghost Blinds.
Primos's warranty only covers the hardware, rods, ....etc. Not the material. They will fix holes/tears for free with shipping on your dime, however if the material has dry rot, then you're SOL. Cant fix that.
I have an older 360 Matrix that has seen better days. The fabric is basically at the dry rot stage and has stretched a good bit. I'm seriously considering the ShackAttack for the new one, or possibly one of the new models for 2018.
I really like the Hay Bale Blinds they are a lot roomier and no brushing in just set them up and hunt, Deer and other animals are use to see Hay Bales so they pay no attention to them. They do take longer to set up but that is not a problem in my opinion as you usually set them up and leave them for a while.
I have owned the majority of the DB blinds both pre-Primos and Primos. In the originals, I owned the T-5, the I-5, the BS-5, and the Matrix. I still have an original T2 actually. My all time favorite still is the Dark Horse. I own somewhere around a dozen of them and I have 8 or 9 stashed in storage still in never opened original boxes, as I want to have many for years to come. I bought them all on close out years ago. I have been using the same three hard for several years now. They hold up well and are worth it if you can find someone selling a used one.
You asked about some of the newer ones though. I have either owned or hunted out of several of the different Wide Mouth/Double Wide/Deluxe variants of the Dark Horse. In general, I don't like them. I hate the large door, as it is very difficult to seal out the exterior light. I also do not like the hubs ... they are huge and weigh a ton. They add a lot of weight to what was a moderate weighing Dark Horse design. I bought one of the Smack Downs a year or so ago because I found a "deal". It was a terrible blind. Cheaply made, a pain to put up, and overall junk. I returned it. I also currently own a Shack Attack. Overall, I really kind of like this blind. It is a cross between a T2 and a Dark Horse. However, the Shack Attack uses the heavier giant hubs like the Wide Mouth blinds use. It isn't too bad since there are only two hubs in this blind. As to the new "one way" see through blind, I have my doubts. My concern is that it lets in too much outside light for turkeys to keep the interior black enough and it lets out too much scent for deer.
As to other options, I bought three Xenek blinds last spring. They are pretty nice. Overall, I really like their front window, even better than the Dark Horse. There are parts of the blind that need to be improved though. The exterior has a sheen to it that I think flairs turkeys from my experiences (though I did manage to kill a bird out of one last spring). I ended up using ultra flat spray paints to dust the blind and take the sheen off. Also, since the height dimension is greater than the width dimension, setup and tear down has to be done in an exact sequence and even then can be tricky. I don't like trying to sneak in and set up an Xenek blind in the dark. I cannot do it quietly like I can one of my Dark Horse blinds. But all in all the Xenek is a very nice blind.
Xenek is a nice blind. I do agree it has a sheen to it. Also is a learning process to Get it set up. Still nothing like a T5 to me. Please bring back the T5. Please. Hunt
15 year old T-2. with a new paint job, a two new hubs. I would purchased another "primos" if the quality was there
15 year old T-2. with a new paint job, a two new hubs. I would purchased another "primos" if the quality was there
I purchased this Dark Horse 6 years go and while under the strong Colorado sun, the camo faded some,( I added some paint) the material has held up very well. Yes, I have replace two hubs and all of the roof rods, (made them longer so the roof would not fall in) but over all, good blind for turkey, deer and goose hunting. Too bad it is not made any more.
I sat in the new double bull surroundview 270 at Cabela's KC (I think this is what you mean by one directional material). It would be awesome for turkey hunting if you don't have a budget.
I just can't justify the $399 for a handful of turkey hunts a year and I leave my blind in the woods to be destroyed by nature.
Really enjoyed reading you guys thoughts on the new Xenek blind. I just recently purchased one this past weekend from the NWTF sports show in Nashville. Ive always been a big dark horse double bull fan but had to retire it last year after almost 12 years. I immediately ordered the new double wide deluxe last year and hunted out of it twice an after having a dark horse for so long it just isn’t the same. So I thought I might give the Xenek a try this year an see if its satisfying. If anyone’s interested in a DB Wide I have practically a brand new one for sale... PM me.
Sucks that you still can't get the T2. I bought a 2nd one just before they discontinued it. The shack attack is almost twice the weight of the old T2. If primos would build the T2 just like Keith and Brooks used to make it, I bet it would sell like crazy.
Paul@thefort or anyone else who knows: what’s the best type of paint to use on fabric? I too have a fifteen year old t2 that’s awfully faded. Have a Double Wide that I use but like how lightweight the t2 is.
I use flat camo paint from a spray can. Comes in a variety of colors. To blend in the colors I have recently used a sponge to apply the paint as shown on my Drake Horse blind. Spray the paint on the sponge and apply and or dab.
If I don't have to pack a blind very far from the truck I would much rather sit in a large blind with plenty of room to set up camera, tripod, camcorder with lots of elbow room for shooting and filming. It's also nice having plenty of room to stretch, take a nap, or room for hunting companion. This is especially true if in the blind from before sunrise to after sunset several days in a row! With that said, I've been going blindless the past few years while turkey hunting...it's a lot easier! If weather is bad it would be nice to have protection from rain, snow, wind, etc though!
I'm going to check out New Archery Products new blind. Hoping to find one and see it in person. Looks good on their web site and Keith one of the DB original owners is doing a video about it.
Xenek blind is great blind with better window options.Don't forget if you like to film it has slits in the walls to put tripod leg thru to give more room in blind.A well built blind with reinforced corners great fabric and a good backpack that comes with.I bought 3 last year and have no problems with use or ware on them. There is a learning curve to setup and breakdown but can done in an hour once you realize the correct order to deploy and breakdown.No more difficult than any other once mastered. Really like the kuiu pattern also.
I've used the 360 DB blinds a lot...they r OK. Every time I am in one, I always think of changes or improvements in them that I'd like to see. The xenek blind seems to address these and I will try it out during this year's turkey hunt.
I was just going to post on this and ask if anyone has used a surroundview blind. They also have an app that you can download that gives you the gist of what it looks like to use it. Kind of a cool app actually.
Scoot, I saw the same one at the Fargo Scheels it was the 270 which has the see through on 3 sides hence the name 270. I really like being able to see out, the limited vision from a ground blind is one of the downsides of ground blinds. This blind has 2 vertical windows at the corners like the old T5 it also has a window at the center of the panels, if I remember right I think it was a triangle. I have a T5 so I was glad to see the similarity.
Seeing it in the store vs in the field is another thing. My main concern is if that amount of see through material affects the animals ability to pick up movement in the blind if lets say the sun was low in the sky back lighting you in relation to the animals position. The one way material in the Surround View appears to be much less apt to allow an animal to see movement than shoot through netting, plus the camo print on the outside is much more defined than shoot through netting which causes my eye to focus on the print vs any perceived movement behind the one way material of the Surround view. The 180 which only has the one way material on two panels would reduce the chance of the hunter having the see through material behind him( not sure if that would be a problem) as an animal looks through an open shooting window but the 180 is a smaller blind.
Anyway I sure like the visibility and am kind of leaning towards getting one for my next blind. I sure would like to hear from someone that has used one in the field but they just came out so I doubt we will get much feedback until AFTER turkey season.
For a bowhunting better blind it should have 1) high quality non sheen material with small 3D leafs (so as to minimize movement in winds 2) 180 degree front window with vertical sliders for complete silent control 3) small quiet side and back windows that close entirely to prevent cross wind scent transfer 4) ground extension of the blind material approx 6" also to prevent wind currents from underneath blind 5) heavy duty stakes 6) lots of strap loops all over blind to facilitate brushing in 7) a simple wide/quiet/air tight entry 8) two or more camo options. 9) a sufficient large and durable/comfortable carry bag. In my opinion, such a blind wouldn't really cost any more to make than existing Primos type blinds.
I've used and liked many different Primos blinds. I bought a 270 surround which I really like hunting out of. But it is the most difficult blind to take down that I have ever used. Picture 30 minutes in the woods looking at my phone of a video to take it down. And it didn't work. Hate it.
Both the top and bottom of those windows adjust, Scoot. The bottom looks like it goes pretty low. I wish it had that window configuration on all 4 sides....I would buy it for sure. It would be like an improved version of the Double Bull T5!
I still like the old DoubleBull T-5 blinds the best! Still have one but would love to find another, as a backup. Just haven't found a newer blind that sets up as quick & easy, and where you can shoot from all sides equally. Best blinds ever, IMO, for turkey hunting.
