Camouflaging a Tent

[scottishpinz]

I have always had a fascination with camouflage, natural and man-made patterns. My favorite is the naturalistic pattern of the Norwegian Jerven Bag "Mountain Camo" Taking some inspiration from that and my extensive knowledge of camouflage I undertook to paint an old tent for use in stealth camping or as a photography hide.

Now the challenge with any camouflage pattern is that it works in many settings, otherwise one would simply paint the item into it's surroundings at risk of making it obvious as soon as either it moves or the surroundings change. Important elements are to break up shape and distract from form.

I briefly tested my results in nearby woodland. The problem with photographing camouflage is I either do it in away you cannot see the tent, or more realistically, make the tent obvious in the picture but hope to demonstrate an element of it blending. The tent material in certain light takes on a shine that positioning can often eliminate but the pattern itself cannot overcome.

All in all a fun exercise and I hope to try the tent in a variety of environments to see how it works. My only wish to improve it at this point is to add some light yellow into the pattern but I had no such paint on hand at the time.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I feel your pictures demonstrate perfectly the need to breakup an angular (non natural) outline far more than matching hews to varying environments. Perhaps try focusing the alternating colours along the tents stark contours?

K

 

[Madriverrob]

Fieldcraft principles from back in the day , beaten into me with a big stick !
Shape -Shine -Shadow -Silhouette -movement .

 

[brambles]

I assume those are solvent based paints? What will they do to the waterproofing and structural integrity of the tent material?

 

[Whistle]

I assume those are solvent based paints? What will they do to the waterproofing and structural integrity of the tent material?

I would worry about solvent damage too ... what's wrong with using a camo net ???

Then you can alter the shape/profile as well as the colouration or tone without damaging the integrity of the tent !!!

Cheers Whistle

 

[Robson Valley]

I've painted break-up camo patterns on coats, hats & pants for hunting geese and ducks here.
Used acrylic house paints, warm water clean-up. If anything, the paints stiffened the fabrics but didn't seem to damage it.

I like the tent but pale big streaks, darked along bottom edges, not spattered.

I did learn one BIG thing:
The acrylic primer and base paints (to which you add pigment) are a very dull white.
The "finish white" is laced with UV brighteners. You think it's almost glowing white? You're right.
That white is visible for 1/4 mile and more.
I phoned the customer service line at the paint company and they were quite happy to explain the difference.
I told them I didn't care to know the chemicals or the proportions and got answers straight away.
So I mixed some primer and a bit of biege color and went over all the white = very good.

The hunting? Learned to sit motionless. The geese see motion instantly.
I could sit in the middle of the field decoys as long as I didn't move.
When they have their flaps down and landing gear out, they stall. Hard to get up.
That's the moment to let the air out of them.

 

[scottishpinz]

OK, tent is a 16 year old £30 Argos tent which has reached the end of its life as a new tent has been purchased. However paint does not appear to have damaged it in any way and if I had wanted to carry additional nets for camouflage then that is a completely different approach.

In the pictures I have located the tent and photographed it so it is clearly visible. The reality in the woodland is that it did not stand out from a few meters away and I am aware that greater effort to break up the silhouette could jeopardise the pattern in other environments.

 

[pysen78]

I think your pattern looks really neat. Maybe the shine can be taken out by applying dust to spray on adhesive? Would be helpful along the ridge perhaps.

Also depending on what species you're hiding from it could pay to look into what wavelengths they see. I hear from hunters tha stuff like artifial whiteners in detergents wreck hunting clothes and my own forays into NIR photography has surprised me in regards to how some camo clothing can stand out against foliage in that spectrum.

 

[John Fenna]

My home made cotton tarp acquired some ugly stains and I was also not too happy about the proofing achieved with Fabsil and decided to use a wax base waterproofing to the areas that needed a physical "clogging" of the fabric. I chose to use Nikwax black bootwax....
I also hoped to break up the outline of the tarp a bit and used some fabric dye crayons, some brown bootwax and some ordinary Wax -cotton reproofer...
I took the photos to minimise the actual "fading into the background" effect of the camo... the waterproofing works well!

 

[MikeLA]

Fieldcraft principles from back in the day , beaten into me with a big stick !
Shape -Shine -Shadow -Silhouette -movement .

I remember that stick well if we got our fieldcraft wrong and a well placed boot

 

[MikeLA]

I like what you have both done to the tent and the basha. Just makes it more individualist as well. Good jobs

 

[Madriverrob]

I remember that stick well if we got our fieldcraft wrong and a well placed boot

We must have had the same skill at arms instructor !

 

[Robson Valley]

New life for an old tent. I had done likewise with the clothing.

 

[Jaeger]

Aye up All,

Pet subject of mine - been learning/teaching it for decades!

Scottishpinz - interesting post, good exercise - with ref to your tent base colour - you might be interested (if not already aware) that whilst most armies of the world use a disruptive pattern camouflage on clothing and equipment, the Israelis and the Austrians have stuck with shades of plain olive green - can you work that one out?

Notably the UK hunting/poaching fraternity (with the landed gentry to a lesser degree) have been enticed from those drab olive colours over to the 'glamcam' patterns which only work as you have described in specific circumstance and make them easy to pick out most of the time!

John Fenna - that is an interesting effect - have you found a location/vegetation situation where it works?

Madriverrob and MikeLA - Either the stick wasn't big enough or they didn't hit you hard enough with it - you missed out SPACING!

 

[Klenchblaize]

OK, tent is a 16 year old £30 Argos tent which has reached the end of its life as a new tent has been purchased. However paint does not appear to have damaged it in any way and if I had wanted to carry additional nets for camouflage then that is a completely different approach.

In the pictures I have located the tent and photographed it so it is clearly visible. The reality in the woodland is that it did not stand out from a few meters away and I am aware that greater effort to break up the silhouette could jeopardise the pattern in other environments.

Well, I rather feel you have it nailed (or painted!) so in little if any need from BCUK input!

Cheers

K

 

[John Fenna]

The high contrast basically breaks up the shape of the tarp against any background but the base colour is a bit pale to blend in on a wooded environment


A work in progress perhaps

 

[Dave Budd]

i would say that the best way to camouflage the tent would be to throw camo netting over it and then some natural brash and bracken.

I've got some pop-up garages tha I use as sheds in my woods and the camo tarps that cover them (to keep sap and bird poo off) make it blend in to the background when close to, but as soon as you back up 20yds, the thing sticks out like a giant boxy sore thumb! In my case the cost of the camo netting is stupid, so I haven't bought any. Instead I'm just letting brambles grow over them, but that's not going to help for casual camping

 

[Jaeger]

I know what you mean about the base colour JF, have you tried it out during the 'brown' season?

I have often used desert! cam patterns during autumn and winter to demonstrate their effectiveness in woodland much to the amazement of people. The base colour(s) look similar to your tarp - might be worth persevering with.

 

[scottishpinz]

I have tested the camouflage pattern in a few environments now and decided it needed more of the brighter green for both woodland and in the hills. The shape was still very prominent so some more 'silver' and dark has helped to break it up a little. This time I have photographer it to demonstrate how it is working

 

[John Fenna]

I know what you mean about the base colour JF, have you tried it out during the 'brown' season?

I have often used desert! cam patterns during autumn and winter to demonstrate their effectiveness in woodland much to the amazement of people. The base colour(s) look similar to your tarp - might be worth persevering with.

I only just did it - so not tried in the Brown season yet.... but I have used desert cam in reedbeds to good effect before....