Alpenflage any good in the UK?

[troutman]

Hello All,

I'm thinking about getting a Swiss Alpenflage sniper jacket to go over the top of my rab pertex shell when I'm in the woods or just generally working outside around sharp twigs! The camo doesn't seem very effective with those red spots on it, anyone got one- is it not as bad as it looks? If not might attempt to dye it as they are pure cotton!

Thanks
troutman

 

[brambles]

Oddly the mix of red and green is OK in pine forests , where the bark can be very reddish but they have zero water , or even moisture, protection. I had a jacket and 2 sets of trousers for playing paintball in many moons ago, still have the trousers somewhere.

 

[troutman]

thanks brambles- deciding between flecktarn or alpenflage, at least the flecktarn jackets might do better in the rain!

 

[decorum]

... The camo doesn't seem very effective with those red spots on it, anyone got one-

I used to have a pair alpenflage trousers ~ good kit and near bombproof, but heavy. I bought it for the design of the pieces rather than the pattern on the cloth but used properly that pattern is a scarily effective camouflage ~ I've had people quickly lose sight of me in summer deciduous, plantation and sloping grassland.

The poncho is a particular favourite of mine as it's a 'walk-in cape type jobbie' rather than a 'drag it over pull it off'. It has the added benefit of being big enough for me to drape over myself and my camp chair ~ the downside, when I've done so, being the nagging feeling that I'm akin to Davros in a dress .

is it not as bad as it looks?

It's exactly as bad as it looks :yikes: ~ but it's well designed and well made from good cloth.

If not might attempt to dye it as they are pure cotton!

The cotton pieces will dye but, as with most camouflage patterns, you'll likely not get full coverage and might need to repeat down the line to top it up. As with dying other camouflages, going darker hides more ~ iirc I went with woodland brown.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Ditto all the above,
I have trousers in Alpenflage, they are far enough from British DPM to loose the "Walter-Wannabe" association, but nothwhere near teh blue or pink Urban Camo that seems to be popular at some sunday markets.

As others have said, they are bombproof and scarily effective.


The only ones would steer clear of are those that have been bleached - as they are much brighter coloured than some, more of a pink background with green/red splotches.

Ogri the trog

 

[jimbo75]

Did you know, alpenflage was originally a very late war German camo called liebermuster! The red was to counter the use of infra red in the later stages of the war... Issued to both ss and wehrmacht troops.. It is 'incidentally' the only pattern we know the actual official name for. I am a self confessed camo geek!!

 

[copper_head]

I looked at a pair of Alpenflage dungarees (M70's) today, seemed to have plastic sewn onto the knee area. Seemed like a good idea, pity they didn't have my size
I would have definitely dyed them though!

 

[decorum]

I looked at a pair of Alpenflage dungarees (M70's) today, seemed to have plastic sewn onto the knee area.

Built in braces rather than dungarees? Never used the braces and ended up having to tie then onto the buckle ~ ended up getting shot of them completely . Voluminous cargo pockets though .
Having worn them a few times, to see they fared, the first alteration I made (even before the dye job) was to remove that blasted pita boil-in-the-bag stiff as a board plastic liner :sad6: .

Having already worn one pair to destruction, would I have another pair? Absolutely! .

 

[copper_head]

Well fair enough, experience is king afterall!

 

[Laurentius]

Very heavy on account of all those pockets and not in the least waterproof, but warm and looks like nothing else on earth. It is surprisingly effective as camouflage simply because it breaks up the outline so well.

 

[British Red]

Bear in mind that if you want DPM for stalking, many animals do not see colour as we do...red is not a problem if, for example, stalking deer.

 

[troutman]

Thanks chaps- I have to admit I was not expecting as much positive feedback on this. Might have to invest in a jacket now! Also very interesting info on the camo- I did a little research on it but found nothing of use so that was very helpful. I will certainly give it a go- but might remove some of the jackets pockets' as they are bound to add to the already hefty weight!

 

[andybysea]

Ive got a bit(shirt and trousers) of alpenflage clothing,used to use it for airsoft years ago,now just occasionaly use the trousers when doing jobs in the garden,its good hard waering stuff, also very effective in pine forests especially in low light as i think the human eye doesnt see red in low light conditions(something along those lines)

 

[santaman2000]

Ive got a bit(shirt and trousers) of alpenflage clothing,used to use it for airsoft years ago,now just occasionaly use the trousers when doing jobs in the garden,its good hard waering stuff, also very effective in pine forests especially in low light as i think the human eye doesnt see red in low light conditions(something along those lines)

Red, Blue, Yellow. All the primary colors (to the human eye anyway) begin to fade to a momnochrome in low light.

 

[Miyagi]

I have the jacket and the dungarees in alpenflauge.

Its the closest I'll get to a Harry Potter invisibilty cloak, works really, really well.

The jacket - even empty - weighs a ton, and isn't waterproof. It'll soak up a lot of rain, and get heavier still but its bombproof and will keep you warm. It has more pockets, poacher's pouches and compartments than Mary Poppin's handbag.

The pockets around the waist fulfill the same function as 58 webbing and there's a small haversack that attaches to the jacket too if you need it.

Great bit of kit.


Liam

 

[little_leaf177]

I have had me of these smocks in the ast, which is awesome. The hood has a veil tucked in the interior if you want to hide away without having your face/eyes shown.
as one member said... They are bomb proof!! All worth the money... I think I paid around £10
the camo is some of the best around for wooded areas as the red & white really distributes your body shape.

Regards
leaf177

 

[Miyagi]

Ahhh I forgot about the face veil and the red blotches look like berries, great in mixed woodland.


Liam

 

[spiritwalker]

as red said animals dont see colour so it makes no difference you can have bright orange and black its the pattern that works and more importantly breaking the head shoulder sillouete. unless your hiding from humans of course...

 

[Corso]

not much to add however the jacket has massive utility pockets on the back akin to dpm utility pouches and amazingly can add a matching backpack to the back

View attachment 15647

only problem i found to my set was the sleeves were too short - and i'm average build too

 

[decorum]

snipped >>> there's a small haversack that attaches to the jacket too if you need it.

snipped >>> can add a matching backpack to the back

The pack attaches to the jacket and the jacket, in turn, attaches to the trousers ~ link to Four Bees Blog

Four Bees pic of his adapter mod ...

Further information, including diagrams of the jacket's load-out, HERE.