Best Camofauge Pattern

W

Will Kwan

Joined
Nov 23, 1998
Messages
1,594
What is the best comprise camoflauge pattern?

Sorry if this is not related to Survival.

Will
 
This is a survival question, but more information is needed. Desert camo would stand out like a sore thumb in the forest, et cetera, et cetera...

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
Man, Will- You're LOOKING for trouble aren't you? You might as well ask "What's the best religion?" or "Who has the best mother?" Your chances of getting even two people to agree would probably be just as good.

However, I'm game enough to venture a thought or two. Since the question is pattern we'll avoid the whole 'ghillie' discussion and suppose that you are asking about printed camo.

Anything that breaks up your silhouette without creating contrast will make you less noticable. The old-fashioned prison stripes seen in movies might break up the silhouette a little, but the stark black and white was intended to draw attention. Not to mention that horizontal stripes make short guys like me look fat. Generally, whatever looks the most like what is around you is going to be the most effective. The old U.S. military six-color desert camo (chocolate-chip) worked fine in the rocky deserts of our own south-west, but was too dark for the sand, sand everywhere saudi desert. It was replaced with a three color, low contrast pattern. Do the Canadian armed forces use the same DPM as the British? I'm not sure, but it seemed to me that the British brown-green-khaki pattern was just toned down to a dark khaki-khaki-light khaki version of the same pattern for desert use. Both seemed to be very effective in the appropriate environment.

Here in the mixed-mesophytic forests of the eastern prairie, we have deciduous hardwoods with comparatively rapid successive understory (sorry, one of the few things I remember from college and I use it every chance I get.) Which means the leaves all fall off in autumn and the brush is armpit deep. I only wear camo in the hunting season which, for me, is september through january. Sometimes the leaves stay on longer or there is very little snow, so I like to wear Realtree All-purpose Grey. I don't own much camo with alot of greenery in it. If there are leaves on the trees, they will help conceal me. If the trees are bare, I look less like fresh browse. I choose the grey over the brown because the sun never seems to shine on a day that I manage to go hunting. I'm sure my quarry are unimpressed by the amount of T&E I put into dressing for them, although I know hunters to whom it is anathema to mix camos- "Mossy Oak pants with a Trebark jacket? The animals will laugh at me!" I've canoed the wilderness waterway of the everglades, and looking at the tangled trunks of mangroves standing in tannin-stained marl far beneath the canopy, I think I'd go with the A.P. xtra-brown if I had to hide there.

But, I ramble. Just think about where you expect to be and what time of year, what you are hiding from and what it can see (or smell, or hear, or feel), how actively you are being sought, what you will be doing while hiding and are you hiding day, night or both.

There are scores of commercial and military patterns out there. Probably there are several that would serve well in the same environments. If you really want an anytime, anywhere camo, I guess you could simply wear "earth-tones" in neutral shades and/or subtle patterns, plaids or paisleys. If you want to pack for all occasions, you could make your heavy coat white, your rain gear grey or OD and just try to match your gear and clothing to the general conditions in which it is likely to be used.

Not an exhaustive answer, just a few things your question brought to my mind. Any help?



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Be Worthy
 
SIMPLE! Wear dull, splotched colors and STAND STILL!!
redface.gif
Doh!

Seriously tho! Standing still is some of the best camoflauge you can get! You can wear the so-called top of the line designer cammies, but be seen miles away if you are moving.

Saying that, I've gotten within 4yds of deer on numerous occasions! Several of those times I was wearing a red-black plain wool sweater and a green or gray wool pants. Topped with a tan balaclava or desert camo boonie hat. I've even had two occasions where the deer looked right AT me only to look away and continue eating.

If a deer doesn't make me out to be danger, then a human isn't going to even see me!

The key isn't pattern, it's keeping still!
smile.gif


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Plainsman
primitiveguy@hotmail.com
<A HREF="http://pub7.ezboard.com/bplainsmanscabin.html" TARGET=_blank>
Plainsman's Cabin Forums</A>
 
With some inexpensive foreign military surplus olive drab or grey clothing and a few cans of different colored spray paint, you can make your own camouflage to suit whatever environment you happen to be in . Not stylish, but cheap and effective.
 
It literally depends on the local geography.

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Big-Target&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM
 
The "new" camo that has been out on the market for a while is great. It has been successfully marketed and looks good. But if it is any better than military camo or earth tones is questionable. ( I prefer earth tones or GI camo) After all, hunters in states that require lots of orange successfully stalk game every year. It has to do with the skill of the hunter, not the pattern of the clothes.

Erik
 
I like large blotches of color (that match your area). The smaller patterns, realtree etc. seem to "blob" at a distance. They are great for close up though.
For fall/winter, no snow...Italian army issue camo. Very large areas of 2 browns and 1 green.
Summer spring & pines...VietNam tiger stripes (we've all seen apocolypse now right?)
Also a gray t-shirt works too.
If you see a guy in a pair of VN tigers and a grateful dead tye-dye t, don't worry, its just me fishin!
 
"Best" how? Some BDUs are actually designed like they are because they look attractive to the wearers, so what the users think is clearly a factor in what's "best". (Which is very much a factor when it comes to aircraft. F-117s are black because USAF generals liked it better than the more reasonable grey first used and for sort of the same reason it doesn't seem like pink F-16s are likely. But yes, I know there have been pink fighters used not very long ago.)
Actual tests show that most of the time, pattern isn't really important (if a moose stands still, you can get very close to them without noticing them, and they certainly aren't mottled, are they?), the most important thing is how light or dark you are. Somewhat contrary to what one might think actual colour isn't that important either.
 
Essentials of Camouflage according to USMC:
COMPSSST
Color
Outline
Movement
Position
Shape
Shine
Shadow
Texture

Best camo depends on the above.
Color - Anything that is generally similar to the surroundings. Splotchy break-up patterns are best.
Outline - avoid being outlined as a person. Don't skyline.
Movement - Avoid fast movements. Move naturally (same flow as surroundings).
Position - Stand where you will have something else cover you or behind you.
Shape - break up the outline with leaves and other items. Sit so as to flow in with vegetation and rocks.
Shadow - Being in shade covers you & makes you hard to see. Make sure your shadow is not showing as it can 'highlight' you.
Shine - any shine is big no-no.
Texture - of concern only very close up. Only way to get around it is to cover up with surrounding materials.

GI camo works well in many wooded areas, but any camo with non-solid, low reflective colors works well if you employ basics well. Depending on environment - grassy, oak, etc some specialized (treebark or Mossy Oak) might work best.
 
The use of pink in camoflage.

Didn't the british military use pink splotches on khaki colored vehicles??? During sunrises and sunsets the redish hue of the sunlight, along with the pink splotches, made the vehicle shape"bleed" into the background making it virtually invisible.

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Big-Target&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM
 
I live in Southern Ontario (Canada), which has a variety of environments. We have both coniferous (pines and spruce) and deciduous trees (maple, beech, oak, etc.) as well as some open fields. The grass is generally green around here but a lot of it has been yellow the last few years. Its has been dry the last four summers. Also, the Canadian Shield (rocky outcroppings and cliffs) intrudes into Southern Ontario. The only thing we don’t seem to have is desert and jungle.

I hope this helps to clairify things.

Deer are funny creatures. They don't see the same as us. When I am not moving I have had deer approach quite close to me. I have not been able to sneak up on them.

Canadian military camo use to be plain green. It is now being switched to a computer generated pattern. The edges on the sploches are fuzzy.

Thanks again for any info.

Will
 
Will:
Everyone has their own opinion. The bottom line is blend in with your suroundings! I think GI woodland camo sticks out like a sore thumb. Compare it with exellent camo like mossy oak breakup and you will see a very big diffrence. As far as Im concerned here in wash state mossy oak breakup is hard to beat.
Buckshot
 
Excellent link!
That is what I was trying to say about smaller patterns "blobbing"
Another thought...The smaller patterns (mossy oak, realtree, etc) are great up close, but, the deer will see you from far away first, right?
A former marine told me that they'd use black spray paint on their OD's in Viet Nam. They'd do that with all of their equipment ON (LBE, Pack, etc). Granted that was the jungle, but again we have large areas of color that won't fill in at a distance. Col. Plaster has some interesting comments in his book "The Ultimate Sniper" I'll try to find that soon for you.
My buddie has the German "Jigsaw Puzzle" pattern top and bottom. It looks way cool (I had to buy the hat) but it turns to OD at 20 yards or so...

Play hide and seek with your hunting buddies & see what works! I think you'll be surprized!
 


Okay, I'm MORE than willing to stick my neck wayyyy out there ...
the best single camo pattern is ASAT.
Period.
End of discussion (yeah, right0

Mike




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No matter what you do, some things won't work out.
No matter what you do, some things will work out.
Worry about those things that you can make a difference with.
 

The art of remaining unseen in any environment means to blend in with the background, to become invisible. In the woods this usually means camouflage or a blind or hide of some type. Camouflage comes in many different colors and patterns, and materials. A person
could have 10 sets for each type of season or woods but this is not really needed. The first
thing to remember is it depends what you wish to be camouflaged from, with animals such as deer color is less important than a fairly large pattern that breaks up the silhouette. The old style plaid red and black check works as well sometimes as the most expensive ghillie suit under these instance. With people color makes a difference to a certain extent, the thing here is not to “stick out”, shades of brown and gray will work almost anywhere by blending into the shadows. My favorite camouflage is brown, black , and tan, big bold splotches of color that break up the silhouette and blend into bushes, trees, ground and shadow.

Remember pale white skin sticks out almost like a neon sign, both to animals and humans. I wear black or brown deerskin gloves in all seasons, covered by heavier gloves in cold weather. I also wear glasses, contacts bother my eyes so they are out, I solve this by
wearing a snipers veil tucked in around my neck. Painting your skin will help here too.

Movement is the next big problem, you would be surprised at how well ANY movement
can be picked out. Before I wore glasses I used to paint my face, I had deer and turkeys
pick out my EYE MOVEMENTS. The snipers veil helps to stop that also. One of the big
things about camouflage patterns with small patterns is while they may work fine up close
and while still , they jump out when one is moving, especially at a distance where the small
splotches blend together. I have watched more than one person sitting or moving very
slowly through the woods wearing military fatigue camo. The pattern is too small IMO plus I don’t think the color scheme works well in many areas. Sorry guys. But I can only tell what I have observed. When you have to move, move slowly, then slow down even slower yet.

Material is next, the important thing here is QUIET. Warmth is secondary as clothing can and should be layered for maximum warmth and comfort. The outer camo shell should not scratch when a branch slides across it, or when you walk and your thighs rub. Most cotton/nylon blends make a bit of noise at least until it has been washed and re-washed. Any type of nylon should be avoided, even the ALICE gear, while very handy, makes one hell of a lot of nose in the woods. I prefer wool and polar fleece material. For warm weather I will occasionally break down and wear the softest cotton long sleeved tee I can find. I pack stuff in homemade packs/ pouches/shoulder bags of camo fleece or well washed cotton denim materials. As far as inclement weather I will wear try to stay dry under pines, or put up with some dampness with wool clothing that still retains some insulating properties or sit very still with a Gore-Tex poncho. The good thing about the rain is the noise will cover what noise the poncho might make.

A ghille suit is nice, but for bowhunting it is fairly impractical as the material inevitably gets caught up in the bow, especially for those wheel bow shooters.

For muzzloading and re-inacting I wear linen and deerskin and wool, is shades of brown and green. I wear moccasins on my feet and have a lot of fun trying to hide from the “Indians” while going about a hunting trip.

This is what works for me, it has been refined over the course of 30 years bowhunting.



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Lee

LIfe is too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde
 
Great Link,DaveB.

I also think Ebbtide is right on.

Nearly every type of cammo is to small patterned and turns into a solid blob at any distance. Movement, of course, magnifies the problem.

The best scheme for cammo IMO is large blotches of colors that contrasts well. I like the old Rhodesian pattern. I think these large, blotchy patterns are harder to see even when moving.

Also, we may be concerned with hiding from humans as well as deer. Color certainly matters here.

In an urban environment, the best cammo seems to be a set of workmans coveralls and a tool bag or clip board. Instant invisibility!

[This message has been edited by GLP-1 (edited 04-18-2000).]
 
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