Do you DPM or not and why?

[Countryman]

I have a few sets of DPM and desert pattern camo. And to me it's just cheap gortex. I wear it for function and don't worry about the look.

I get the odd comment in the office of, 'Ah, I didn't see you there'. And that is with the desert pattern stuff that I keep in the car. But that's about it.

I do recall a friend once getting a bollocking on a civilian run rifle range, as the guy running it thought that camo had no place there, you think you are in the army etc. When he pointed out that he was still wearing his stripes, and that if aunty Liz saw fit to issue them, he saw no reason not to wear them. (And that he was RAF, so how dare he insult him calling him army!)

Anyone not currently serving is not allowed to wear military camouflage at Bisley certainly and I believe it is generally not allowed on Military ranges under civilian use.

Elsewhere on ranges you might get away with it but clubs are becoming a bit more media savvy these days and nobody wants to give the press the impression of a paramilitary club or a bunch of armed "wannabe Rambos".


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[Greg]

Depends what I'm doing in the outdoors...Olives for doing the bushy stuff....camo for hunting / airsoft and normal hiking gear for, well, hiking...

 

[boney gumbo mcgee]

I prefer greens or browns when out and about in the woods, I do own camo trousers and jackets of various different countries, bit of a collector me, but I would never wear a camo jacket and trousers at the same time, but it does not bother me in the slightest when others do. Each to their own, whatever makes you happy and works for whatever you are doing.

 

[santaman2000]

May just be a rumor; but I heard John Fenna had ordered this bit

 

[John Fenna]

May just be a rumor; but I heard John Fenna had ordered this bit

Lies - all lies I tell you!

 

[monkey boy]

I only have one or two camo tarps, other than that I wear earthy colours, to be honest and I don't want to upset anyone here. But when I see people in camo from head to toes, I just think it looks silly.
A little bit is ok, but some go over the top on it.

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[mousey]

Lies - all lies I tell you!

Are you sure John...

 

[JamPan]

It's interesting. The reason I asked is because I drove past an old weathered chap with a long grey beard in full army DPM including Bergen who was walking down a suburban street.

My instant thought was he was a bush crafter either on his way to the woods or coming back, and he looked really out of place where he was.

I'm either earthy colours, or bright hiking gear and don't own any camo at all. Even in my earthy colours I get a sense of passers by feeling less at ease in my presence than the bright hiking gear. Even walking through the forest I get a lot less hellos than the bright gear.

 

[KenThis]

Even walking through the forest I get a lot less hellos than the bright gear.

That's odd because I found it sort of the other way, in that I feel like I meet less people when I'm brightly coloured rather than classic 'grey' man. Maybe it's a real difference between Yorkshire and Wales? or maybe it's just a trick of perspective?

I should add though I'm more static in that I find my spot and then start playing/practicing. When I walking to my spot I don't make eye contact and people have told me I'm almost perpetually scowling, almost as if I'm purposely trying to dissuade social interaction...

 

[MrEd]

dark colours for me, i have a black smock, a navy blue smock and various shades of OD and green fleece, jumper etc.

I wouldnt wear camo jacket and trousers at the same time, i do have a dancam jacket which is well thought out design but i rarely wear it anymore as i have gone off camo a bit.

I also have an ex-mil landrover that does the rough/dirty/heavy work at home and i wouldnt drive that in public in any type of camo.

I wouldnt wear DPM or current issue MTP tbh

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up,

By ‘dpm’ I assume that you are using the generic term to cover all patterns of ‘camouflage’ material and not just 1960s – 2000s British camouflage pattern.

Do I wear it?

To and from locations – no. (Apart from when I'm using a 120l ruck but I cover that with an OD cover).

At locations where/when it is required – and I’m static – Yes.

Aside from the practical advantages/disadvantages of wearing ‘camouflage’ clothing i.e. it can blend you in if you get it right or show you out if you get it wrong, there is without a doubt a perception issue with it – the perception of others who may observe you wearing it.

You can walk through the countryside in OD and most people will dismiss you as being part of the country scene*. Do the same in ‘dpm’ and most likely more notice will be taken of you, maybe even being perceived as ‘up to no good’. (*Although frequently people with whom I have spoken with en route have referred to OD as camouflage!).

I believe that this perception harks back to the 1970s when the UK population were extremely alert to the issue of domestic terrorism.

But as they say - each to their own.

Plain, 'Earth colours' and particularly grey can be as effective as any disruptive pattern if used correctly.

I've always looked to nature for cam inspiration - you rarely see a fallow or a squirrel until they move - brown/taupe and grey.



And wildlife are the masters!



Do I use disruptive pattern for 'base camp' items - Yes, appropriately sited they help maintain a low profile.

As for bright hiking clothing – that’s a form of pollution isn’t it?

I’ve lost count of the number of people dressed in Day-Glo who I have spoken with out in the sticks who have complained that “we haven’t seen any deer”.
“Don’t worry, they couldn’t miss you!” I often reply.

 

[Big G]

I don't mind wearing Camo, when when away from the towns and city's, out in the sticks.

On one of my trips out in the Yorkshire dales, with Al ( Bopdude) we were hiking on a narrow trail, and spotted a group of hikers coming towards us, so we moved of the trail to let them past. As they pasted they nodded and thanked Al. But hadn't seen me stood near a tree, dressed head to toe in MTP

 

[walker]

i do own some flectarn trousers but only use for work as for the outdoors i mostly hike around dartmoor and the beacons black hills , with dartmoor being a training area i dont think it looks good being in camo and to me feels odd walking round in camo with squaddies about but i understand from a price point some pepole carnt afford expensive gear so in the need to get out and get involved use it till they can afford better gear

 

[Robson Valley]

If you want to dis wearing fluorescent/Day-Glo, maybe even camo pattern, OK but remember this:
In many jurisdictions in North America, fluorescent clothing is the LAW for hunting,
right down to the minimum specified number of square inches of it. Like it or not.
So in the adverts, you may see mention of the area covered. That's why.

This is all I know and it sure as Hello works for our big birds, turkeys included:

Just don't move. Don't. Learn to sit/stand still with whatever pattern you're wearing. The best I can do is 15 minutes by the clock.
Canada geese and Snow geese are incredibly sensitive to motion. Sit still, out in the open, and they behave dumber than a bar mat.

I've used cut-leaf camo cloth to dress up a long jacket as a ghillie top, did that ever work well!
Earth tones of house paints brushed on old clothing works for me.
Most camo patterns here are too green and too dark for the landscape but some light gray and browns of paints can fix that.

I am invisible in my NatGear snow camo, even standing in a snow-covered pea field.
As long as I don't move. My partner looks for the gun barrel.

Tourists, maybe. Otherwise, wearing camo of any kind around the village just isn't done.

 

[dave53]

I only wear outdoors also just because I prefer it and at my age I answer to no one


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[Alan 13~7]

Most all of my gear is super grade military issue (old un issued or "new stock") olive drab or camo for no other reason than just because its bomb proof it does the job & it's aesthetically pleasing to me & it all looks like it belongs together like part of a set.

& I proudly wear my DPM camo British Army Soldier '95 combats most every day in civi street like some guys wear jeans & the likes, without fear of prejudice or ridicule, I am 54 years old 5' 4'' & 147 lbs & like dave53 I care not what anybody thinks.
I like the colour/pattern, for me its a fashion/life style choice.
When the weather is dry not too cold I normally wear an olive drab or coyote vest top with mine, & if its wet I wear my Camo Goretex Wet Weather MVP hat, not that I Give a $hit but seemingly nobody bats an eye lid, least wise not that I am aware of if they do. The so called perception of domestic terrorism as Jaeger so aptly puts it, does not seem to exist when I am standing in the school play ground waiting to pick up my kids from primary school.

They are cheap @ £15 a pair new & un issued. In summer they are practice for DIY, cool because they are light weight, they wear well & they shrug off most every day DIY grime & if inadvertently you splodge food stuff or oil or grease on them it sort of disappears in to the pattern & they don't need washing every other day & still look the same.

 

[MikeLA]

Yes because they are comfortable durable and I don't care what others think

 

[C_Claycomb]

I was an early adopter of Realtree, got it from the US before it was available in the UK back in the 90s, used if for hunting. I found DPM too dark for the areas I was in, also I didn't like how people associated it with the military which shaped how they reacted to me. For close encounters with animals I am a believer in camo that matches the background. Walking around in public in the UK though, camo stands out as much as day-glo does in the woods. These days, since I hardly hunt any more, I rarely find myself in any sort of camo. My normal wardrobe is full of earth tones though, so the line between every-day clothes and muted woods gear is very blurred.

When I was visiting my folks in Kentucky, I found that no one looked twice at me if I went into a super market wearing head to toe Realtree. There are a lot of people around there that hunted and camo painted pick up trucks were pretty common. Places like Walmart, K-Mart and Rural King sold hunting clothes, guns and ammo, as well as greetings cards, baby clothes and gardening tools. As a result, I wasn't bothered about wearing it to and from hunting with friends, even if we had stop at stores on the way.

 

[Tiley]

Earthy colours for me. I did start out wearing camo but felt embarrassed wearing clothes that might label me as something I am not nor ever have been. Although they are in plentiful supply, are relatively inexpensive and pretty hardwearing, I still prefer the earthy, subdued colours.

 

[Mowmow]

I love a bit of camouflage but I prefer going into town or the pubs without looking like a terrorist or action man.

Ill happily don some if I'm hunting, camping or working outdoors. Where it doesn't matter what I look like and the camo or whatever it is printed on is serving a certain purpose.
I find Mtp is quite a pretty pattern tbf and is quite a diverse camo.

Although generally for those pursuits I still do prefer plain drab colours as I think they just have a more "relaxed" look about them and dont draw too many eyes regardless of if in town or country. I also find mismatched drab colours will tend to look nicer and blend together better than mismatched camouflage patterns as the shades fade into each other nicely without any patterns fighting each other.

And although i love camo and i own a lot of camouflage kit I'm also a believer that when trying to remain concealed, camouflage clothing is probably the least important factor as it's useless unless you get everything else right, but when you do it just gives you that extra edge.

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