nutters

[Brian]

Hi,
I used to wear a lot of DPM when I was younger and lived in England but now I wear mostly green. I still like DPM but its not always the most sensible thing over here, my trousers are swedish army but none of this makes me a nut, I have served and have a lot of kit left over. I dont wear webbing as I dont like to carry the same scale of kit as I used to and I dont need it immediately to hand, but it doesn't mean that someone else trying out this method of carrying kit is doing anything wrong, they are just experimenting with kit. As already said its fairly cheap and easy to get hold of, each to their own mate.
Brian

 

[andyn]

Andy,

I hear that ex military blanket poncho's are all the rage in Bushcraft circles this year, grey with the centre line is the must have item...

LS

Has that been endorsed or used by ray at all?

 

[Dougster]

I find my swedish army trousers and green helly fleece just clash! Oh to have a standard olive.......maybe gucci this year....

 

[wingstoo]

Has that been endorsed or used by ray at all?

Ray?

Whose he?

I knew a Ray Smith and he wore one...

LS

 

[2blackcat]

I seem to have the Swedish theme running through a lot of my kit too

Not the flat pack stuff though

Next time I cook out I'm thinking of putting meatballs on the menu
(There's that Bruce Parry vision again)

 

[malcolmc]

I feel I need to defend black –it isn’t necessarily dubious. I’m a fan of black kit not due to any military connotations but because I seek to be discrete in a natural environment. I used to wear greens and browns but I in the early 70’s I went to a Bunkaru (Japanese puppet) play and was amazed at how the puppet masters, who are present on a well lit stage throughout the performance, just disappear; they wear black. Since that time when I needed to replace kit I went for black (when I could get it at the at the right price - always had the impression the SF connection put the price up, unjustifiably mostly, I’m really pleased about that, not). I think I see more wildlife when I’m out and about these days. (Mind you, it might be just because old age is slowing me down.)

I do carry some hi-visibility items for walking along roads or attracting attention if I’m faced with an emergency.

One pet hate of mine (this is the grumpy old man bit) is people who march into an AONB wearing day-glow shell suits - Wiltshire seems to attract them. Any camo gear’s better than that.

 

[qweeg500]

Nothing wrong with military kit. DPM has been a fantastic cheap option for pigeon shooters (like me), stalkers, wildlife watchers or basically anyone who doesn't want to be seen easily for years.
But, now that the price of Realtree gear is really coming down, I think alot of people will not go for DPM when they replace their kit.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

I like the DPM kit, as i like the pattern, and yes, i am a nutter

 

[EdS]

Got to admit I do wear combat trousers alot but that is because they are cheap and hear wearing - but I tend to go for vintage or obscure camo or over dye desert / urban ones 'cos I like the silly patterns.

Only where DMP around the house/wood. Thought I do go out from time to time in Flecktarn. Mostly overdyed stuff. Just spot bleached some German moleskin and over dyed with Orange dye.

 

[jay120970]

well that turned out to be a good thread didnt it as it gave peeps lots to talk about
i understand that some kit is good and i dont go for bright stuff myself but was hoping for peeps to
come up with maybe some good alterntives to some of the kit
i myself love black but what i was getting at is that some people just seem to go for that
when theres some realy good stuff out there

 

[jay120970]

my swedish army cooker is black as ive sprayed it with bbq paint and it has lasted years wipes clean realy easy and looks great i use a old fashion type 450 mil tin mug enamal type which has served me years and only cost me around 50 pence and for water bottles i use laken bottles which are fantastic and realy strong i have just picked up a wide mouth nalgine type bottle made by lifeventure for a fiver in one ltr size which doubles as a toilet when its cold and your warm in your bag at night my sac is i admit a karrimor saber 45 but again its black and my trousers are made by regatta which are both cheap and plain colour and very hard waring plus dry very fast
some of this army kit isnt as cheap as peep make out and although strong is quite heavy to carry
eg steel mugs etc and some of the trousers arnt as fast drying as you would think
as for sleeping bags dont even go there big heavy and to be honest out of date by the time they end up in surplus shops

as for webbing i thought the idea was to carry as little as possable i tend to dislike to much straped to my body except my knife and flint

would love a all black tarp anybody know where you could get one ???

cheers guys for all the replys thanks (nutters lol)

 

[sandsnakes]

Lets face it, none of us wants bright orange. I was once in the hills in the 80's and it looked like a day-glow convention, blue, orange and yellow!

I use german army goretex, cheap, effective and cheap. The other stuff you can just dye. Get a pack of blue Dylon wash dye from tescos, throw it in the machine and your cammo kit will come out dark green or shades of green.

Many of us use camo because of the blending in effect, not frightening game and, oh, did i mention cheap?

I have been on a course where a chap had a £200 northface jacket which leaked and tore on a very small thorn. Most military kit is ripstop in some form.

So paint and dye. In my paintball days our team made our own distinctive camo by tiedyeing old military greens, twas dam effective. 1st time out couldn't find where I had put my shirt down!

You can do browns and black/greys as well.

So use the kit and change the colour old son.

Sandsnakes

 

[jay120970]

as far as deer hunting gos they couldnt see you in orange anyway its been proven which is why you can get orange camo type fleaces for shooting in the us as the other guys out there can see you
its the sent that gives the game away
take this for a point

how many sami or other inuit type people living of the land for a way of life not just the odd weekend do you see running round like rambo none i might add the whole point of this thread was to see what people had or could come up with that was not military based and was more bushcraft based
eg natural

 

[jay120970]

why were on the subject paintball what the hell is all that about boys with toys lol

just for a note british wax jackets are coming up with a new range and want info for some new ideas so get emailing them as i have with some good ideas for a perfect bushcraft jacket in wax canvass you never know

 

[spamel]

Well, I tend to wear a pair of light olive green Columbia trousers, a pair of K2 walking trainers in brown anbits of silver trim and a tan woolen shirt by dockers. I think I blend in enough, and I think the shirt isn't too far from the natural colours worn by deer. It works for them!!

 

[Seagull]

Not exactly "camo", but close......

Anyone recall the story of the Painted Cow ? as told by Blaster Bates.

I doubt it was all true, but it sure was funny.

He reckoned that , during the U.S. deer hunting season, dairy farmers had to paint the word ," C O W " port and starboard of all cattle kept outside.

Seems the insurance companys wouldnt pay up for deaths caused by hunters, ,less the beast was so marked!

Ah! its the way he told ,em.

Ceeg

 

[Brian]

Jay,

you said that army sleeping bags are too big and heavy, which is true but they are very warm and fairly well made(good if your in a vehicle or fixed camp) but I think if you do a search you will find that a lot use other bags like Nanok. I think you got a lot of replies defending DPM because you called people nutters mate
Not sure where to get a black tarp from, I've seen black ponchos here though
http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr1753.html
found it doing a google search, one question though mate why black?

Brian

 

[Wayland]

I've been known to bushcraft in a Viking style tunic just because it's comfortable and practical.

It's been sort of superceded by a an OG Swannie bushshirt now for much the same reason.

Another reason I tend to wear natural colours is because they don't show the muck as much when you're in the wild.

 

[sandsnakes]

Jay,

sure you aint got a ninja fetish? The bushcrafter in black strikes again!

:thinkerg: Seriously I have dyed a lot of stuff from charity shops using the wash dye powder. If you load the machine with more than the staded amount of clothes you can tint clothing ex german army tousers and shirts will go black if you do a shirt and trousers. Slate green if you throw in a few pairs.

I add this because much of the topend gear is expensive, but if you dye ski gear you get less lurid colours. Ski gets thrown out by many people at the end of the season.

not every thing I have is camo (he said checking his underpants)

Sandsnakes

 

[jay120970]

glad to hear that yer undies arnt camo

anyway yes dying some of the german stuff is good ive had a couple of the shirts myself there very good in summer as long as there plain and the badges have been taken off first

the germans also do very good gortex in plain colours am not slagging the stuff but it seems that
some people stray away from the idea of living outdoors and dont seem to be intune if you get what i mean with the ways
theres a difference between bushcraft and survival yes
survival gets by and makes do and bushcraft is being able to live comfertable in the same situation
i know bad spelling