A legendary vintage in a modern cut, this is our bread and butter here at Fireforce Ventures. These modern cut Operator boonies feature a 50/50 cotton-poly ripstop blend. It is cut in allow profile short-brim which as become standard issue in many Western militaries. We've made significant improvements in the sizing of these boonies comparative to our 2021 offerings, making this boonie an absolute must-have for your next adventure in the bush!
Features:
- 50/50 polycotton rip-stop construction
- Low profile brim
- Ventilation grommets on both sides
- Bungie neck cord
- Utility loops
The Rhodesian Brushstroke pattern is legendary, from it's inception during the Rhodesian Bush War, to later service throughout Africa, a variant to this day remains the standard camouflage pattern of the Zimbabwe National Army. The pattern itself originates from the need of the Southern Rhodesian military to replace it's aging supply of olive and khaki drill uniforms in the early 1960s. Development began with the David Whitehead Textiles production facility in Salisbury, with designer Diana Cameron creating what would become the 1st and 2nd patterns of what would become known as "Rhodesian Brushstroke". Taking huge inspiration from earlier British Denison colours and styles, the 1st pattern was somewhat muted with an overall tan hue and relatively little contrast. Further utilizing the greens of the contemporary Portuguese and French Lizard patterns, and finalized 2nd pattern was developed.
The result was a camouflage scheme with a sharp contrast that ingeniously simulated natural colours of the bush and remained effective even as the intense African sun faded the overall pattern. The incredible "2nd Pattern, Rhodesian Brushstroke" was quickly adopted at the time of the Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. Beginning with the issue of distinctively British garments styled off of older "Khaki Drill" and "Battle Dress" uniforms, Rhodesian Army issue garments evolved to become simpler to produce and more utilitarian. As the Rhodesian Bush War ramped up through the 1970s, the garments and accompanying equipment were outsourced by a wide variety of home grown Rhodesian companies including City Clothing Factory, Ferera, John Rowett & Sons, Statesman, Paramount, Trako, and many others. The garments featured John Whitehead produced fabrics, or in-house produced fabrics featuring the exact same shapes of the original 2nd pattern prints with slight changes to individual colours. This was also accompanied by the production of various "knock-off" aftermarket patterns by companies such as Monogram, or Lord Kitchener, that individual servicemen could purchase to supplement their supply of official army issue Rhodesian Brushstroke.
Sizing Guide:
- Small: 56 cm - 7 inches diameter
- Medium: 58 cm - 7 1/4 inches diameter
- Large: 60 cm - 7 1/2 inches diameter
- XL: 62 cm - 7 3/4 inches diameter
