Urban camo

H

Hotrod

Joined
Mar 19, 2003
Messages
978
Hey guys...

I got to pondering the other day... if you dont want to be noticed when out and about, how do you blend into the back ground?

I've done a little reading about the meta model that we work on... but not enough to know heads or tales about it :confused:

So hows it done? Ninja trick, or party gag alike... I wanna hear/learn about it :cool:
 
I think the best way to blend in with everybody in an urban environment is to adopt the "grey man" persona. First off, dress similar everyone else, with blue jeans and a tucked in shirt you really can't go wrong, or khakis and a button down shirt. You don't want to wander around in camos, or otherwise draw attention to yourself. Jackets or clothing with sports team logos or other advertisements on them would be a no-no, too easy to pick out of a crowd, and too easy for people to remember. If you don't want to stand out, dress in drab colors, be clean shaven or at least neat and tidy in appearance and always look like you're going somewhere important. Nothing draws attention like loitering.

I got some of this information from the now out of print British book "Survival" by Len Cacutt. Fantastic book if you can find it.
 
Hmmm... I'm a medium-height, medium build white guy with average length (for a guy) brown hair. I typically wear jeans and a polo-style shirt or pocket-T. When I am out and about, I usually have a purpose and act accordingly (as a previous post suggests). I find it pretty easy to go unnoticed. Makes sense to me--it's easier to look like the rest of the herd than to look like the pasture...

I've read a tiny bit over the years about various techniques used by SEALs or other operators, but don't know what to make of it. I do know that some terrorist organizations just train their operators to appear as middle class tourists or business people. That's me :)

This thread reminded me of a news story about sniper a while back. It was in the rural southeast IIRC and the suspect was an overweight white guy driving a dark Ford pickup.
 
As an LEO I have to say nothing screams nut faster than someone dressed all in black. Even camo pants don't draw my attention as fast as that will. Stay with earth tones.
 
Good observation. There are alot of "Goths" around here who wear all black and they do stand out.
 
Even though I like led zeps song "paint it black" ... Its to hot to wear all black! Though I guess it would hide grease :cool:
 
That kinda hurts the work uniform, black pants or jeans and black T or sweat shirt when working backstage. But then you have to be a bit of a (harmless for the most part) nut to do that anyway.;)
 
Originally posted by Hotrod
led zeps song "paint it black"
Click to expand...


Unless Jimmy and the boys did a cover, "Paint it Black" is a Stones tune. :)

They did do Black Dog, which kicks a$$.
 
You have a few choices.

Dress like a student. It's easier to conceal a lot of firepower in a backpack.

Dress like a homeless or poor person. No one looks at them.

If you're in the city, dress like a businessman.


Social camo is a good skill to cultivate. if you can become the everyman, you can move around almost unnoticed.

I tried to explain this to Spark, but he insists on Rhinestone vests, chaps, and mirrored sunglasses with a lot of leather tassles. He does blend in where he likes to socialize though, so mabye he's got it.
 
Well in Rochester all the people who who make their living selling drugs and robbing people and a ton of people who like to just make it hard for the cops have done this.

They all wear white t-shirts and bluejeans.

Drive around the getto and see dozens every block.One cop I know went to a shooting,shooter was black male white t-shirt bluejeans.He pulled up to stop a guy fitting that discription and had about 15 more that looked like that walk over to his corner.
 
White t's an blue jeans are my everyday clothes... lol...

SO I fit in with the greasers, and the druggies now? :p
 
dark blue jeans(hide dirt and grease from work), dark blue, green, or black shirt... work boots or sandles, short hair(sides and back are about 1/4", top is just under an inch). shirt tucked in and jacket or sweater unzipped.

if I want to blend in, just try and find me. I dress like 90% of the ppl around here.

weekends it's BDUs or khakis and a black t shirt. fits right in with me living 2-3km from the university...

but it gets annoying when I walk to get somewhere, crowds split for me. could be the fact that I look like I have to get somewhere and I'm not afraid to walk through a group if they take up a chunk of sidewalk. cadets gave me a 120 cadence, 60cm pace for normal walking. if I'm getting somewhere on foot, I do 2.5feet/pace and a 130-135 cadence.

I can clean up nicely, and walk downtown. you'd expect me to walk into any of the office buildings. usually just dress like a student, earth tones(I have 1 red shirt and 1 light blue shirt), and work boots.
 
You want to hide in the city?
Dress just like the character you are not. Business man to bum. Redneck to hippy. If someone is looking for the kind of person that you are dressed like, you will not be it.

The person that is trying to hide would never dress outlandishly and purpously draw attention to themselves, would they?;)
 
Kinda reverse thinking... but ya dressing like a Pimp with the fuzzy hat... Might go un noticed in some parts of the US! :D
 
Know where you are going. One I that always USED to work well was a 'work uniform'. Back until maybe 10-15 years ago, every mechanic, steamfitter, tradesman you saw wore a "work uniform" - typically dark gree, grey or dark blue. Their name over one pocket, their companies over the other. EVERYONE knew, "Hey, it the mechanic/repair guy", but NO ONE knew your face. Sometimes I had to go out before or after work still in my "blues" - I NEVER EVER got stopped going into and out of a building, even when they were stopping other folks. You could carry a mid sized satchel with tools of all sorts, and just get waved on by. Crashed a few clubs that way. Carryed a change of clothes in the satchel, walked in, went to the bathroom, and changed in a stall. Stuffed the "blues" in the satchel, and away we went

Today? Urban? Assuming your in the mid 20s to mid 50s age bracket, and in an urban/suburban setting, put on a pair of dockers and a polo shirt in grey/loden (aka OD) get a hair cut, drive a neutral colored mid sized car (Taurus, Civic, Camry etc), and NO ONE will notice you. You'll look just like everyone else. People can SEE you, but you wont be NOTICED
 
the ultimate in suburban camo...
my dark green '93 Dodge mini-van, with stickers on the back window and a Black Lab in the back seat! Looks just like EVERY other damn driver out there!

Matt in Texas
 
Much good advice in the above posts.

The only bit I can offer is to act like you belong wherever you are. When you look nervous or uncertain, you draw everyone's attention.

The bit about work uniforms is dead on. Some people at infilnews.com went around to city hall and stole all the lightbulbs out from the foyer as a proof of concept. It works.
 
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