DPM or "Sticks & Leaves" Camo

[Klenchblaize]

After a number of years acquiring a wardrobe-full of camo kit that, according to Mrs. Klenchblaize, rivals the sartorial excesses of the newly wed Elton John, I have come to the conclusion that short of the need to match a tweed outfit to type of Highland terrain one intends to stalk, there is simply no good reason to opt for anything other than a jacket & pants in good old UK Forces DPM if you wish to move undetected through the woods of this Isle. For sure in the depths of winter a little less green and black might be prudent but if you're on a budget forget trying to look like an oak tree for a few months and check-out the catalogue of Arktis or some other supplier of this super-disruptive UK pattern.

As for the "sticks & leaves" clobber I'll keep most but strictly for looking whilst down at my local watering hole!

What are your views on the subject? (Clearly I have not commented on the variety of materials this pattern is to be found printed upon.)

Cheers

K

 

[Great Pebble]

They're fundamentally different approaches to the "art" of camouflage.

Realtree, Advantage and the other proprietry "Sticks & Leaves" type patterns are designed to make the wearer blend in with his surroundings. Thay can be extremely effective, and I mean extremely effective if correctly used. They are also very limited in which terrains they can be used in, a pattern designed for autumnal broadleaf forest for instance will make you stand out like a sore thumb in most other environments.

UK DPM and most other military camos (excepting perhaps so called "digital" patterns) on the other hand are designed to break up the outline of the human form which draws the attention and the eye on a subconcious level. They are effective in this respect across a wide variety of terrains and backgrounds, although obviously there are a range of different "base" colours for radically different environments - desert DPM for instance. While the colours chosen are generally subdued, even in an environment where they don't exactly or even moderately match the background thay still offer a degree of "concealment" - UK DPM is moderately effective for instance in an urban environment where the base green colour is not that predominant.

The newer generations of mil camo are geared more towards confusing electronic/optical devices than the Mk. 1 eyeball. A trend which is likely to be adopted by more and more forces in the future, including the UK, as concealment from the enemy's equipment rather than the enemy himself becomes a greater issue.