Simon King portable blind

I saw a video about the Simon King pop-up portable blind. I really like that it has openings at the bottom for ground level shooting. Here are my questions:
1. Have any of you owned or used one? If so, what did you like/dislike.
2. Is it available in the US. I only see it listed in UK.
3. Is there a similar product that also has ground level openings?

Thanks, in advance, for your input.

FYI, I did see the blind now available on Amazon. Now wondering how much I'd use it if I bought it.

.

philk54 wrote in post #19331498
.
I saw a video about the Simon King pop-up portable blind. I really like that it has openings at the bottom for ground level shooting. Here are my questions:

1. Have any of you owned or used one? If so, what did you like/dislike.
2. Is it available in the US. I only see it listed in UK.
3. Is there a similar product that also has ground level openings?

Thanks, in advance, for your input.
.

.
For those who may be interested, here are some links to more information about the Simon King blind that you are asking about:

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=BdkCgXIVuXA

https://www.amazon.com …dlife-Blind/dp/B01NBIE38A

At $225 USD, this seems very expensive for what it is. . Models of similar size and similar design typically sell for around $75.

https://www.amazon.com …mZG9Ob3RMb2dDbG​ljaz10cnVl

Personally, as one who is a "do it myselfer" and one who likes to customize, I would buy the cheaper $75 version and then cut holes wherever I wanted them to be for ground-level shooting. . In fact, I have a doghouse blind that is very similar, and that is what I did years ago. . Just cut holes her and there so I could shoot from whatever side of the blind I wanted to, at whatever height I wanted to shoot from.

The problem with spending $225 for such a blind is that then one would be hesitant to cut it up to suit one's needs best. . And then you're stuck trying to use it the way it came, which is sometimes going to result in a compromise when it comes to exactly where you shoot from. . Your photos will not be quite as good, because you may not always be shooting from exactly where you want to shoot from.

I mean, no matter how well they try to locate the holes, there will invariable be times when you may want to shoot from 3 or 4 inches further to the left, or 2 inches higher, or two inches lower. . Having a knife or scissors in the blind with you allows you to cut or enlarge holes whenever you want, even in the midst of shooting.

So, what is more important to you, having a very nice blind in great condition that you can take pride in, or having slightly better photos that you can take more pride in? . That's really what it comes down to.

.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19336095
.

.
For those who may be interested, here are some links to more information about the Simon King blind that you are asking about:

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=BdkCgXIVuXA

https://www.amazon.com …dlife-Blind/dp/B01NBIE38A

At $225 USD, this seems very expensive for what it is. . Models of similar size and similar design typically sell for around $75.

https://www.amazon.com …mZG9Ob3RMb2dDbG​ljaz10cnVl

Personally, as one who is a "do it myselfer" and one who likes to customize, I would buy the cheaper $75 version and then cut holes wherever I wanted them to be for ground-level shooting. . In fact, I have a doghouse blind that is very similar, and that is what I did years ago. . Just cut holes her and there so I could shoot from whatever side of the blind I wanted to, at whatever height I wanted to shoot from.

The problem with spending $225 for such a blind is that then one would be hesitant to cut it up to suit one's needs best. . And then you're stuck trying to use it the way it came, which is sometimes going to result in a compromise when it comes to exactly where you shoot from. . Your photos will not be quite as good, because you may not always be shooting from exactly where you want to shoot from.

I mean, no matter how well they try to locate the holes, there will invariable be times when you may want to shoot from 3 or 4 inches further to the left, or 2 inches higher, or two inches lower. . Having a knife or scissors in the blind with you allows you to cut or enlarge holes whenever you want, even in the midst of shooting.

So, what is more important to you, having a very nice blind in great condition that you can take pride in, or having slightly better photos that you can take more pride in? . That's really what it comes down to.

.

How do you handle retaining rigidity or tension in the rest of the structure when you start adding holes in something like this?

.

Snydremark wrote in post #19336118
.
How do you handle retaining rigidity or tension in the rest of the structure when you start adding holes in something like this?
.

.
This type of blind doesn't depend on the fabric itself for rigidity ..... or at least it depends very little on the fabric. . The rigidity is provided by the round flexible "hoops", which remain unaffected no matter how much you cut the fabric up.

I keep a yard or so of camo material, scissors, a utility knife, and safety pins in my "blind kit", so I can make a little cover to go over the slits and holes that I cut. . That way, if I have 4 or 5 holes cut in the sides of the blind, I can safetypin* material over the holes that I am not using.

I've had many blinds over the years, some store-bought, some homemade. . I have cut almost all of them up in various different ways, and never regretted having made a hole or slit in any of them. . The only blind I haven't cut or modified in any way is the Hoki Ground Blind, by Tragopan Blinds:

https://photographybli​nds.com …oducts/hokki-ground-blind

The only reason I haven't cut or modified the Hokki Ground Blind is because it is a very tiny, highly specialized blind to begin with, and there isn't really anywhere I could cut a hole that would be beneficial.


* I used "safetypin" as a verb, so it seemed like it would be more fitting to make it one word instead of leaving it as two separate words.

.

Looks allot like the doghouse blind that can be had for way less money. I own several of them, they work great.

https://www.amazon.com …orting%2C101&sr​=1-10&th=1

BitmanDave wrote in post #19336342
.
Looks allot like the doghouse blind that can be had for way less money. I own several of them, they work great.

https://www.amazon.com …orting%2C101&sr​=1-10&th=1
.

.
I used to get them for $50. . Still a decent value at $80, but isn't it amazing how much prices have risen in the past few years?


.

Thank you for the great info, Tom.

Dumb question. What are the scenarios where you find "the dog house" most useful?

downhillonwater wrote in post #19437709
.
Dumb question. What are the scenarios where you find "the dog house" most useful?
.

.
I'm not sure if this question was directed to me or not, but I can give an answer, as I have used dog house style blinds on many occasions.

For me, they are most useful when there is some cover to nestle them into. . And when a blind will not be subject to high winds.

Out on the open prairie in grouse leks is NOT a place that I would use a dog house blind, because the wind will either tear it apart or blow it away. . And even if I can stake it down so well that the wind won't blow it away, because of its looser construction, there are lots of little places where the material is a bit loose, which means the wind makes a tremendous amount of noise when it hits such spots. . This noise scares the birds away. . So any time there will be steady, sustained winds from 20 to 40 miles per hour, I will absolutely not use a dog house blind unless it can be set up amongst trees or other thick vegetation ... which of course means NOT on the prairie with lekking grouse.

A dog house blind can be quite useful in forests, under the canopy, for Ruffed Grouse at drumming log locations. . Just gotta brush it in real well because Ruffed Grouse are quite skittish.

Dog house blinds have also been useful for me along river banks for ducks, when there is vegetation on the bank that it can be nestled into, or when the bank is very steep, and the topography acts as a wind break. . In such situations, it is especially helpful to break some chunks of ice off of the river's surface, and place them at the base of the blind. . This helps the blind to blend in a bit more, and also keeps wind from getting in from the gap between the bottom of the blind and the ground (as most dog house blinds do not have built in floors).

.