Most detergents also contain surfactants that tend to destroy water repellancy treatments. So they make you visible in UV and miserably wet.
Non-military camouflage?
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We judge camouflage by human sight wavelengths but, in reality, wildlife eyesight works way outside our capabilities. We probably all know that pigeons, for example, see in the ultraviolet wavelengths and you can have the best camo jacket ever but, if it's been washed in a modern 'whitener' detergent, will stand out like a lighthouse to a pigeon
Deer, we know, have difficulty seeing in the red end of the spectrum - so, bright red clothing (in a broken pattern) works well for them and has the benefit of being seen by anyone else out there with a rifle.
My point being, as others have hinted, camouflage is very dependent on the animal one wants to hide from, human or otherwise.
Mostly.
Most people are way less observant than you would think. As I others have said, movement, shine, shape etc also all come into play.
But you would be surprised by how many people wouldn't notice you in the woods if you are wearing normal clothing.
Olive, ranger green, grey, coyote brown plain colours would all work well.
But you would be surprised by how many people wouldn't notice you in the woods if you are wearing normal clothing.
Olive, ranger green, grey, coyote brown plain colours would all work well.
I have seen some plant dyed t shirts possibly made with some kind of batik proces. Or maybe they were the monday morning third grade products. Anyway the look was green-brown camo. By human eye quite good too.
Been walking in Haughmond Hill. If you want to blend in to that scenario then you need bright clothes, at least two loud children, a bike or two and a dog which is only half trained.
It occurred to me that if you did happen to be spotted in that setting, sitting very still among the trees, dressed in camo all by yourself you might cause some alarm.
It occurred to me that if you did happen to be spotted in that setting, sitting very still among the trees, dressed in camo all by yourself you might cause some alarm.
My yen for inconspicuity is also from the point of view of stealth camping. Some landowners and busybodies take a dim view of it now, despite literally leaving no trace. Sadly due to too many fire obsessed/bad behaviour folk, so I don't blame them.
A lot of my kit is ex-forces on the basis of function, price & quality. I am concerned that I might also be mistaken for either a poacher, dubious character, or a Walter.
Currently I'm trying to come up with a quiet "Civilian out walking" harmless cover(s) for my various walking gear/packs. So thank you, the suggestions about colours etc are helpful for me. Also, carrying a dog lead "explains" a lot.
A lot of my kit is ex-forces on the basis of function, price & quality. I am concerned that I might also be mistaken for either a poacher, dubious character, or a Walter.
Currently I'm trying to come up with a quiet "Civilian out walking" harmless cover(s) for my various walking gear/packs. So thank you, the suggestions about colours etc are helpful for me. Also, carrying a dog lead "explains" a lot.
There’s still loads of functional kit in the CS95 DPM pattern which got phased out about 15 years ago now, so think that’d help avoid the Walt accusations if any were to turn up.
Also regarding the dog lead… risky territory, as there’s another demographic whose name arose from them using the ‘walking the dog’ excuse in parks and woodland…
You're either look old enough to be so forgetful you forgot to bring your dog, or you're young enough to have a gimp?
I've got far too much kit now to buy more and have been upgrading some to PLCE and Molly - recently bought a Virtus daypack.
I had not considered that sort of demgraphic!! But its the sort of place I'd avoid anyway.
Broch is right, camouflage has to match the surroundings! And that kids' pack that looks like a sheep is in it out!
I had not considered that sort of demgraphic!! But its the sort of place I'd avoid anyway.
Broch is right, camouflage has to match the surroundings! And that kids' pack that looks like a sheep is in it out!
Quite like the T shirts a d I generally figure that not talking at 80 Db and having footware that doesn't clump like a Palace guard goes a long way.
Just stopping to look about and listen every once in a while helps a lot.
On the quiet jacket thing. If its raining hard its often noisy enough that a slight jacket rustle is inaudible and although I do own a nice Ventile (single layer) jacket its showerproof at best so utterly gash when its chucking down. If the jacket is wet, unsurprisingly, it feels wet and as American waterboarding torture techniques have shown, its hard for something to breath through water soaked fabric.
No doubt some venerable herbaceous bordercrafter will now tell me I'm"Doin it rong"
Just stopping to look about and listen every once in a while helps a lot.
On the quiet jacket thing. If its raining hard its often noisy enough that a slight jacket rustle is inaudible and although I do own a nice Ventile (single layer) jacket its showerproof at best so utterly gash when its chucking down. If the jacket is wet, unsurprisingly, it feels wet and as American waterboarding torture techniques have shown, its hard for something to breath through water soaked fabric.
No doubt some venerable herbaceous bordercrafter will now tell me I'm"Doin it rong"
These are really nice mate. As plenty of others have said. Not sure if they fit the bill for me personally for the purpose you designed them for but I'd wear them day to day.I like the idea of going less noticed when walking in the woods, but the wife (and most of our friends) would scoff (and, rightly or wrongly I always think I might be accused of being a Walter Mitty) if I took to wearing anything in a camouflage pattern.
It got me wondering whether I could get some T-shirts printed that would serve a similar purpose without being overtly military.
I've mocked up some examples that hopefully show the sort of thing I'm thinking:
I'd love people's thoughts on the idea generally but also any other good subject matter I could use for the images, and whether they are subtle enough/too subtle?
Thanks a lot.
i'm not sure if it's still available or how expensive it would be to produce in small quantities, but the camo pattern of the NVA (== the armed forces of what INCORRECTLY gets called East GERMany) was "raintarn" -- an olive green base with little stripes in brown. from a few meters away the stripes kinda disappear and you seem to wear plain olive. might be a possible option, too (as you could use any colour you like as a base)...
If I was looking for an inconspicuous outline break-up pattern and if it was still available it would be a lumberjack check in grey and pale brown but my experience Sambar hunting here is that large checks work better than the oatmeal look of tweed, but plain drab colours work just as well when they get a bit dirty and smudged. My real hunting camouflage is red and bright orange because deer see that as a greeny-brown tones
Hmmm NVA here is North Vietnam from the war era, what does "NVA" stand for when talking about Communist East Germany please ??
I've got back into wearing/using British DPM since all the actual walts re-equipped with MTP.
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