Is there really any need for camoflage?

[lannyman8]

well, i wear cammo at work, for shooting and bushcraft. but all in relative proprtions, wearing full cammo when camping is not really needed but i think a mix is fine...but thats just me and other people do as they like

in a year or 2 it wont really matter as the army issue cammo is changing to mulit-cam, once all the civilians know this it wont bother them as it will just be a person in old gear doing outdoor stuff.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Jesus wept. Is there a room 101 for these threads?

 

[British Red]

Here is the thing.

There is no "need" for bushcraft at all

Its just a hobby. It doesn't matter.

If you hate DPM - join the UKPSA (practical shooting association).

Camoflauge is outright banned from practical shooting coompetitions

 

[Biker]

will you swap a knife for it...

Perhaps, but I would only want a genuine Woodlore branded one for it ... With a ventile sheath of course.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Perhaps, but I would only want a genuine Woodlore branded one for it ... With a ventile sheath of course.

With a patina of badger tears.

 

[Biker]

With a patina of badger tears.

Well that could be an option I suppose, let's just say I wouldn't want anything endorsed or associated with Bear Grylls.

 

[santaman2000]

No I don't think so, is it fun?

I like it. I suppose it depends on the individual though.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Well that could be an option I suppose, let's just say I wouldn't want anything endorsed or associated with Bear Grylls.

You're only going to use it to cut some camembert anyway.

 

[Zingmo]

The purpose of camouflage is to hide. If someone spots you then you look like a nob. At that point it is best to have a cover story like "It's really good cheap gear" or "I wasn't hiding from you, I was hiding from the wildlife". If you aren't wearing camo then you don't need an excuse.
IMHO it is ok to wear camo but don't overdo it.
Z
(wearing camo converse allstars)

 

[Barn Owl]

I don't really get the op mind set.

Why shouldn't we wear olive or cammo in the countryside or woods?
if you've worked as a keeper in the country, then you must be used to a good percentage of that populace in such gear.

Maybe it's because I've been in the country all my life and around here it's been day to day clothing for many.
i don't see how anyone could be alarmed at seeing folk dressed in what has been worn by us poorer countrymen/women for years.

Why do you want to wear 'civilian' type clothing in a mucky,thorny and sooty camp?
Everyone should of course wear what they're comfy in but I don't get why you're saying we should ditch clothing in order not to alarm folk walking in their branded £50 t shirts and the like with untrained family pooches causing mayhem.

 

[Badger74]

The ultimate camouflage - internet forums...

 

[Vyvsdad]

Jesus, I'm fed up with my own thread.

I never intended to tell people what to wear, I merely meant to open up a discussion.
I never recall saying that camouflage (look at that, I spelt it correctly too) was bad, and I admitted that I have plenty myself.
The one thing I did say was that I am wary of the (few) people who do turn up in full camo with camo accessories.
I'm well aware that many people who do live in the countryside do wear it but then again many do not, wearing instead the modern one use unisex option. Jeans.
I am from a long established farming family in Herefordshire and lived there until I was 16 and then on and off 'til 22, so I'm not some molly coddled london-centric (though I do live there now) townie.
Now, as we all know jeans are pretty bad in a bushcraft situation, but you know what? I've worn then plenty of times and I've survived to tell the tale.

When it comes to wearing camo as a keeper, the only time I ever wore it was when I was pigeon shooting, wild fowling or beating on another keepers shoot. It was by no means a 'uniform' or everyday work wear, but that's just me.
My main concern is what the general public may think, whether you like it or not. A lot of you have said 'haters will be haters, but who cares?' or words to that effect. Well I do. I'm sorry but I think we should all see ourselves as ambassadors to our hobby. If you disagree, well that's fine. Different opinions and the discourse that follows is generally a good thing. Just because people disagree, doesn't mean they can't get on outside of that discussion, but I will continue as I am, talking to people I meet about what I'm doing, and perhaps they go home in their 'branded £50 t-shirts' (?) and badly their 'untrained pooches' (oh come on, that's a cheap shot) and talk about that nice chap they met in the woods doing some foraging, and perhaps they might then google it, and perhaps they like what they see and book to go on a course and everyone's a winner. You never know. Or maybe some of you out there like the idea of bushcraft being esoteric.

But at the end of the day, yes wear what you like, I will.

I'm rambling, I'm bored, I'm off.

 

[Stringmaker]

For me its about not jarring with the colours of the landscape in which I happen to be. It just seems appropriate, even respectful to blend with your environment.

When we have visiting school groups, all of the male volunteers are very careful not to wear any DPM or surplus gear, even though we all have various bits of it, but you still see a subdued mix of dirty greys, blues and greens.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I have orange guy lines (and purple prussiks)

Have you consulted a doctor about it ?

 

[Nagual]

I think I can summarise with saying, yup I agree. |What people wear shouldn't matter, but people being people will have their own opinions of what clothes mean. Rightly or wrongly there is a certain stigma attached to camo.

Do we need camo? No.
Do we want to wear it? Some do.

Nag.

 

[RonW]

And don't start nagging about brands, y'hear??

 

[Tengu]

I dont care about clothes (I cannot afford to)

and I dont care what others wear.

 

[Biker]

For me its about not jarring with the colours of the landscape in which I happen to be. It just seems appropriate, even respectful to blend with your environment.

Hadn't really thought of it as that and I like the way you're thinking. Bit like what Robin Williams said in Good Morning Vietnam. "You shouldn't wear camouflage in the jungle, you should clash"

I like the idea of earthy natural colours, it sorta makes me feel like I am part of the natural world and not some day-glo chav barging his way through undergrowth.

Vyvsdad. Good point about us being ambassadors of our hobby, but remember people are still likely to walk away from the bloke foraging in the woods thinking he's some Catweazle prepper and several sandwiches short of a picnic. How many of our workmates think we're just wannabe Bear Grylls' or Ray Mears' simply because we like to whittle a bit of wood and carry a sheath knife in a rucksack?

In all honesty if I saw someone in full cammo I'd think twice about talking to them... assuming I even saw them.

 

[Vyvsdad]

How many of our workmates think we're just wannabe Bear Grylls' or Ray Mears' simply because we like to whittle a bit of wood and carry a sheath knife in a rucksack?

Not many. I'm a green woodworker, so most get it.

 

[Biker]

Not many. I'm a green woodworker, so most get it.

I expect in a working environment like that they would. Count yourself lucky.

I'm betting those of us here who work in an office don't have such sympathetic colleagues, I expect the closest they've come to the woods is a vague recollection of driving past some on the way to Alton Towers. The kids in the back playing their video games, the wife reading her kindle and the husband hanging on every word the sat nav says for fear of missing a turning. So you can imagine what sharing what you did at the weekend with them would be like. "Hey folks, I built a shelter out of sticks and a tarp then created fire using a fire drill... ummmm why are you looking at me like that?"

Get what I mean?