Is there really any need for camoflage?
- Thread starter Vyvsdad
- Start date
It is, JB, it is. Savage sells a pink camo .22 cal bolt action rifle. Always the first item sold in our annual gun shows & sales.
Just me that sees the practical application of brightly coloured tents/clothing? There's a reason survival bags are bright orange. Personally I favour function over form.
N
Nomad
Guest
Bright orange for high contrast, and hence easy visibility, in an emergency. Being out in the country isn't, in and of itself, an emergency. They are a visual pollutant, which is why my orange survival bag is in a green rucksack.
Aside from the visual pollutant safety-kid aspect, if everybody went out covered in dayglo, how would anyone know which ones are in trouble and need rescued?
When it's an emergency use an Air Marker Panel. When it's not an emergency, why do you need to litter the countryside?
J
If in a real emergency is scrambling in a kit bag for an air market panel a viable option? I agree they look gawdy I don't think anyone can deny that but I would sooner see hi viz allover a moorside than hear of someone dying because they couldn't be found by rescue teams. Personally I'm a great advocate of carrying mini flares after a personal experience. But they can start fires
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But putting an ORANGE tent up is possible? Perhaps you should keep the AMP somewhere easier to access...
I think that argument is slightly flawed.
Also given the increasing prevalence of FLIR as a SAR tool, I think there is even less argument in favour of Orange tents.
If you're that worried, carry a PLB.
J
It's a bit sad when people think they are privileged enough to tell people what they should and should not be wearing or camping in when outdoors.
Personally i'd sooner see 5 orange tents rather that 1 single fire scar, or rubbish the previous camper has left behind.
End of the day we're all out there because we enjoy it, if someone hates seeing someone camped in a bright coloured tent then i see that as their problem they need to work through NOT the campers.
I use my own money that has been hard earned to buy the kit that i want, if someone wants to be camo gear that's their choice, brow beating others away from bright coloured tents comes off as extremely arrogant to me though.
Personally i'd sooner see 5 orange tents rather that 1 single fire scar, or rubbish the previous camper has left behind.
End of the day we're all out there because we enjoy it, if someone hates seeing someone camped in a bright coloured tent then i see that as their problem they need to work through NOT the campers.
I use my own money that has been hard earned to buy the kit that i want, if someone wants to be camo gear that's their choice, brow beating others away from bright coloured tents comes off as extremely arrogant to me though.
I'm going to stay out of the ethics of it and say that from a lot of the higher end tent producers points of view that their flagship tents tend to go on expeditions. A lot of the time this can be either high altitude of somewhere where the weather is going to be bad and visibility can be low. Trying to find a tent when you're tired in a blizard is pretty hard so they tend to be bright in colour. Also if you are tent bound in a storm for days the lighter conditions can stop you going stir crazy.
They also look "good" in promo.photos and so aspirational to the buying public hence why they sell so well.
Personally I like to blend in and prefer green, but at the time I bought my last exped tent (Hilleberg Tarra) I could only get it in red, and the thing lasts so well that.it'll still be about for years. My.other tents are more muted though my Tipi is canvas coloured.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
They also look "good" in promo.photos and so aspirational to the buying public hence why they sell so well.
Personally I like to blend in and prefer green, but at the time I bought my last exped tent (Hilleberg Tarra) I could only get it in red, and the thing lasts so well that.it'll still be about for years. My.other tents are more muted though my Tipi is canvas coloured.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
I think to even bring it into the same conversation as ethics gives it more validity than it deserves.
People wear what ever colour they want, if a person wants a red or yellow tent then i don't see how it's anyone else's business.
Sorry it that seems to come across as rude, but if we start telling people what colours they should wear and the colour of their tents they should buy then should we also tell people that live in the countryside that they can't buy bright coloured cars or farm machinery?
Where does it stop, should all people that walk past a cemetery be made to put on black clothing?
Fortunately we live in countries were we wear what we want in what ever colour we want, there are already far to many rules and regulations we have to live by because some busy body (is that phrase still used?) has complained loudly about something.
It's not as though tents are dotted over every landscape daily, i can't remember the last time i saw a tent of any colour while out hiking, even those of us that wild camp do it late in the evening and break camp early in the morning.
My tents could be dayglow green with red spots and you'd only be able to see it for maybe 1 hour before moonlight takes over.
To put it into the same category as littering i find not only ridiculous and ignorant but also insulting.
I don't use the word ignorant lightly either, littering is a criminal offence, camping (in any colour tent) is at worst a civil offence, so it's worth putting things into context.
Which is why I said I wasn't getting into ethics of it. Folk have lots of rigjts here and I.don't want them worn away. I was just saying why I think coloured tents are so.prevelant. I too have a bright tent as stated, but my.personal choice is for more muted tones. It makes me feel more in tune with my environment, I'm not pushing it on others.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
My two cents - when I was doing fieldwork in central Africa, wearing camo instantly would have made me a target - locals would ask (nervously) if you were a 'mercenary', while police and military would react very aggressively, so a real no-no. Military gear is generally cheap and tough (although often made by the lowest bidding contractor), but I still have an ingrained resistance to wearing camo. I'm also a bit fazed by the number of wanna-be squaddies or 'survivalists' who see it as an image choice - personally, I like to be seen as more of a 'woodsman' than an ex-military type.
But, after all, it's each to their own, and I think that, in some situations, camo would be the obvious choice. If I was in a 'tactical' scenario, I would do my best to be difficult to detect. But not in Starbucks. In central Manchester.
But, after all, it's each to their own, and I think that, in some situations, camo would be the obvious choice. If I was in a 'tactical' scenario, I would do my best to be difficult to detect. But not in Starbucks. In central Manchester.
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
My two cents - when I was doing fieldwork in central Africa, wearing camo instantly would have made me a target - locals would ask (nervously) if you were a 'mercenary', while police and military would react very aggressively, so a real no-no. Military gear is generally cheap and tough (although often made by the lowest bidding contractor), but I still have an ingrained resistance to wearing camo. I'm also a bit fazed by the number of wanna-be squaddies or 'survivalists' who see it as an image choice - personally, I like to be seen as more of a 'woodsman' than an ex-military type.
But, after all, it's each to their own, and I think that, in some situations, camo would be the obvious choice. If I was in a 'tactical' scenario, I would do my best to be difficult to detect. But not in Starbucks. In central Manchester.
Thanks for the input. The forum is UK based. We could have a different topic to talk about clothing types elsewhere in the world if you like. Personally I'm not interested in what to wear in Africa. Some may find your post really useful however.
I did find it an interesting post actually - fair and well reasoned, and one that I resonate with. No need to shoot them down!
Aye, what we wear may not make too much of a difference in the UK, but we go on holidays and trips abroad from time to time.
A number of years back I was prospecting some routes out in Turkey. Using their version of OS maps (made for their militry and harder to get then, though legal),
Wearing a small pack, carrying a set of binos and wearing not camo but dark green.
I was a bit to close to a military instalation and was spotted and detained. (They thought I might be a spy). The kit and clothes- green cargo pants and military style shirt didn't help matters.
Luckily I had friends in the Turkish.Government who vouched for me.
So just 'cause you get away with it on the high street here doesn't mean you shouldn't think on trips.not too far from home.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
A number of years back I was prospecting some routes out in Turkey. Using their version of OS maps (made for their militry and harder to get then, though legal),
Wearing a small pack, carrying a set of binos and wearing not camo but dark green.
I was a bit to close to a military instalation and was spotted and detained. (They thought I might be a spy). The kit and clothes- green cargo pants and military style shirt didn't help matters.
Luckily I had friends in the Turkish.Government who vouched for me.
So just 'cause you get away with it on the high street here doesn't mean you shouldn't think on trips.not too far from home.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
I like dark colours myself. Black/brown/green/navy combats. These are things I ware everyday. I down mind wearing a patted flannel shirt over the top of a t-shirt. But mostly I will have a dark plain polo shirt on. These are my day to day clothes. I am not interested in flash clothes, £60 jeans and stuff like that.
I do own a few items of camo. But it's not something I normally wear. I do not have anything ageists it. Most of my combats are "Surplus "
Seeing other people wearing also dose not make me feel uneasy, And I do not Judge them for wearing it.
I do own a few items of camo. But it's not something I normally wear. I do not have anything ageists it. Most of my combats are "Surplus "
Seeing other people wearing also dose not make me feel uneasy, And I do not Judge them for wearing it.
Modern camouflage patterns are nice but the same can be achieved with earth colors. More attention to your surroundings and blending in, breaking up your profile will get you better results. Dressed in mossy grass in a pine forest will stand out. Hunter gatherers never used set patterns other than their surroundings yet here we are their decedents, it must have worked well. Just saying.
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Of course there's no need for camo gear unless you are stalking hapless wildlife. But nor is there any real need not to. There are far more intimidating sights in the country. If you are of a nervous disposition you should follow nature and just move around in large, colourful, often noisy herds. Join the Ramblers.
Having said that I was once rather worried by one DPM'd individual I chanced upon when walking down a country village lane approaching dusk. The biggest concern on that occasion wasn't so much the clothing, more the fact that he was carrying a powerful torch. On this occasion duct taped to a double barreled shotgun.
Turned out to be harmless, but it was one of those times when you really don't like someone shining a torch right in your eyes.
Having said that I was once rather worried by one DPM'd individual I chanced upon when walking down a country village lane approaching dusk. The biggest concern on that occasion wasn't so much the clothing, more the fact that he was carrying a powerful torch. On this occasion duct taped to a double barreled shotgun.
Turned out to be harmless, but it was one of those times when you really don't like someone shining a torch right in your eyes.
