Green obsessed...

[Kim]

What is this obsession with wearing green when we're out? I'm wondering if it's not misplaced somehow, and if all our bushcraft roll models were wearing blue, would we be?

Are we hiding from something when we're out? Surely not animals, they can't see in colour anyway?

People perhaps? In most cases isn't it better to be seen, because let's face it, I'd be much happier seeing somebody sitting very quietly in the undergrowth wearing something bright purple than stumbling across someone whose trying not to be seen, in green.

And if any of us run in to trouble when we're out. As a sensible bloke once said, better red than dead...be seen.

Why are we so worried about people spotting us when we're watching wildlife, as for most of us, it's the wildlife we're there to spot not the people?

 

[Ogri the trog]

You have a point Kim,
For what its worth, we may be trying to blend in with our natural suroundings. Or we may want to buy and wear rugged clothing, and some of us are drawn towards ex-military stuff that tends to fit several bills.
I would agree that when on a serious mission, bright colours would be safer, but maybe for everyday scenarios we're just keeping our heads down and avoiding the gaze of the "not-understanding" public.
Personally I wear what I feel comfortable in - which by coincidence happens to be the subdued shades of greens and browns lately.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[arctic hobo]

Personally my kit isn't all green by any means, although it is all relatively dark. The green things I have are surplus kit, and the colour was chosen because it is preferable to DPM. I do however like to blend in and be relatively unseen to humans as well as animals. Animals may be colourblind, but I don't like sticking out like a sore thumb in a fashionably bright orange mountain jacket, and I don't like seeing other people doing it either - it looks very artificial.
I guess part of it is also like people who buy cameras want them to look like SLRs, even if they might be just a junky cheap digital - it's not just that it looks more professional so you're happy with it, but also that people will take you more seriously if you look the part. Less important in bushcraft than photography, I admit, but it might be a contributing factor.

 

[Paganwolf]

but i like green! lol......i just feel more comfortable wearing greens and browns i like to blend in to the back ground when i am out so it suits me, sitting watching nature in a woodland wearing a bright red jacket and trousers is like whispering through a loud hailer, just doesnt work or seem right. anyway the only non brown or green things i have are what i go to work in .

 

[Kim]

But why? Isn't that more about our own perception than the wildlife that's looking back at us? And re the post about not wanting to be seen because of being thought of as a bushcrafty type strange person, isn't trying not to be seen more suspicious to the ordinary person out walking, than someone who is clearly visible and not trying to avoid detection?

 

[sandbender]

When I'm out in the wild I don't want to see orange tents/cagoules in the distance, and I wouldn't want to spoil anyone else's view by wearing such, and that is why I mostly wear olive drab.

 

[Paganwolf]

But why? Isn't that more about our own perception than the wildlife that's looking back at us? And re the post about not wanting to be seen because of being thought of as a bushcrafty type strange person, isn't trying not to be seen more suspicious to the ordinary person out walking, than someone who is clearly visible and not trying to avoid detection?

May be maybe not, try bird/animal watching in bright yellow they will see you coming a mile away because of the extreme contrast not because they can see the colour, with green the contrast is not so great so you are less likely to be seen. Its each to their own i think most outdoorsy people walkers,climbers ect wear bright colours because they want to and its what suits them.Woodsman/hunters/bushcrafters wear drab coulours because they want to and it suits them.

 

[Kim]

May be maybe not, try bird/animal watching in bright yellow they will see you coming a mile away because of the extreme contrast not because they can see the colour,

Oh yeah... I hadn't thought of that before.

 

[ScottC]

Because NATURE is generally percieved as being GREEN thats why you see a GREEN forest and not a BLUE one and so we try to BLEND in to be a part of NATURE.

 

[eraaij]

Interesting discussion.

For me it is all a matter of wanting to blend in with nature. That means wearing the colours that are 'natural'. But it also means that I leave my bushcraft clothes outside as much as possible. If you want to blend in, you better not smell 'unnatural'. And smell is perhaps even more important than vision.

I keep thinking of that canadian couple we met on a trip a couple of years back. Dressed nicely in green, we could smell them before we saw them. I guess the bears could too

-Emile

 

[Justin Time]

I think I was the only person at the first Wilderness Gathering who was wearing jeans... boy did I stand out

I'd go with the others: I do want to blend in.. when I'm on the hills I hate to see bright blobs moving on on the other side of the valley... I've usually got somehting bright in my sac if I need to be seen, but that wouldn't help me if I was unconscious I guess.

 

[bambodoggy]

When I'm out in the wild I don't want to see orange tents/cagoules in the distance, and I wouldn't want to spoil anyone else's view by wearing such, and that is why I mostly wear olive drab.

You're bang on there Andy, nothing worse than looking out on a beautiful land and seeing it dotted with dayglow red or orange or purple....ok, so you can be seen and you're clearly proud of whatever you're up to but would you mind naffing off as, all collectively, you're making the please look like a landfill site!!!!

In the TA we were under standing orders to carry a dayglow orange marker panel at all times in the mountains. It could be clipped on top of your bergan when you wanted to be seen and stashed inside it when you didn't. So while I agree with "red or dead" in principle, to wear it all the time seems exccessive to me...I carry a whistle but I'm not walking round hooting it every few minutes! lol

Bam.

 

[ottar]

Personally, I like to feel part of my surroundings, subdued greens and browns help with that. Being a fluorescent blot in an otherwise pristine woodland would make me feel out of place, too 'civilised' to be a part of nature.

Also, many animals do see in colour, and all can see difference in shades. Some, deer for instance, can even see the UV from the brighteners in most wash powders.

Besides, I like green

 

[Ogri the trog]

And re the post about not wanting to be seen because of being thought of as a bushcrafty type strange person, isn't trying not to be seen more suspicious to the ordinary person out walking, than someone who is clearly visible and not trying to avoid detection?

For anybody that has half an ounce of bushcraft sense, keeping out of view is very easy when "undesireables" enter the wood looking to make trouble. Sometimes its easier to dissapear from view and re-emerge when it suits you, rather than remain in the public gaze and have to face endless questions as to why you were there or what were you doing.
Would we not question the motives of someone dressed in a white shell suit, wearing a burbery cap and trainers, tending a fire in the woodland?

Ogri the trog

 

[arctic hobo]

Would we not question the motives of someone dressed in a white shell suit, wearing a burbery cap and trainers, tending a fire in the woodland?

That's what I meant by "looking the part" lol, I think you phrased it better

 

[marcja]

If we draw ourselves to the reason we actually do what we do... is colour really a determining value?

If trees were blue would we wear green just to stand out?

I personally am not keen on the phrase 'see to be seen', though I'm sure some walkers/hikers are. Just in case they do get lost and need to be found somewhere in the mountains [which somewhat makes sense].

Personally, I happen to like the colour because it suites the surroundings I usually find myself in. I wanted a Gore-tex jacket and found loads but wouldn't buy until I found a green one. Well, Sprayway by Mountain Warehouse supply one and it was the perfect colour.

 

[Doc]

I am sure I see more wildlife when wearing subdued colours. Deer may not see in colour but many birds do.


There is also the question of 'visual pollution'. Wilderness is valuable, and there is little of it left (Technically, there is no wilderness left, as even Antarctica and Northern Canada show some imprint of man, eg climate change and fallout, although often these changes are not readily apparent).

I don't want to ruin anyone elses experience of the outdoors. So I wear quiet subdued clothes, and 'study to be quiet'.

 

[Moonraker]

I think a large part, consciously or subconsciously, is that green is the accepted colour of bushcraft. In that I mean it is what others wear and as has been said, it becomes a sort of distinguishing feature of 'bushcraft man' or women

An example of this phenonema was a recent trip to the local (small) airport. As I was waiting I saw a guy get off the plane and he was wearing a very nice og Swandri Ranger. I had to really resist the urge to go up to him and ask him if he belonged to BCUK forum

When lots of people say they wear green to blend in to the landscape, well truthfully if that was the real reason then we would all wear camouflage clothing which is much better at dissipating the form of the body as it moves through the countryside and hence it's military use. OK, you may not want to see seen as overtly militaristic so avoid DPM etc, but there are plenty of hunting camo like Realtree etc which is design exactly for the purposes described, especially when it comes to not being seen by wildlife ( and most will hear or smell you a mile off before they see you). And at this time of year green often is quite a contrast to the sandy/ straw hews of the drying grass and vegetation. I wonder how many of the early pioneers wore olive green as they honed the bushcraft skills we endeavour to learn today?

I understand an avoidance of dayglo wear but plenty of other colours and textures and a patterns are available. Maybe we have to be honest and accept that we all tend to follow the herd to an extent ( same goes for kit etc).

For some reason I often get a great desire to wear blue then I look up and remember why or perhaps it's just to be a bit different....

 

[Earth Mother]

Great thread Kim. I can see both sides of the argument. Chris Ryan points out that camouflage is intended for the military where being seen could have terrible consequences, whereas for the ordinary outdoors type being seen is crucial especially in emergency situations. Bushcraft is for the mostpart a solitary experience and wearing colours intended to blend with the environment isn't helpful in a medical emergency. When I'm out and about and trying to be close and a part of nature, bright and artificial colours just don't seem appropriate regardless of what the wildlife can or can't see.
I've just come back from my local pub and if this post makes no sense I apologise, but I had a great night!

 

[stotRE]

Green has been proven to be a soothing colour, thats why cricket and army forage caps have a green peak(on the inside).
This is designed to ease eye strain for cricketers or soldiers that are stood on parade.
I personally carry a hi-viz vest inside my bergan incase of an emergency but i prefer to be hidden when out walking. (Maybe this is the ex-soldier in me but i feel more professional and more concealed).