By all means the ghillie suit is the best when it comes to personal camoflage. The ghillie suit originated in Scotland during the 1800's for use by land owners against poachers. It is currently used by British, Canadien, and U.S. snipers. A ghillie suit is constructed of a base garment, such as ordinary BDU's or mechanics coveralls, to which a netting is attached and pieces of burlap and fabric resembling natural colors are tied in. This breaks up the users outline and helps him blend in. For my ghillie suit, I used a pair of mechanics coveralls, and attached some Army netting to the back and attached burlap strips. The netting should be sewed on wherever possible for better strength. The burlap strips are in brown and green tones. On the front of the suit I glued and sewed some extra canvas around my knees and elbows for more protection. Also, I added a pouch in the back of the suit on the inside for a Camelback Water Bladder. Obviously, the colors you use on your own ghillie suit should be similar to your natural surroundings.
Below are a few tips for ghillie suits:
-Glue ballistic charts on to sleeve.
-Make strips of fabric about two feet long. Tie them on the netting at the halfway point of the strip.
-Keep the front clean for crawling. You don't want your suit getting tangled up in undergrowth.
-This should take some time to contruct. Be patient. It could take a few weeks, or it could take a few months.
-Put sponges or padding underneath canvas on elbows and knees.
-I'm sewing on external pockets for tools ( snips and a knife) instead of turning the suit inside out, since the camoflage on the front of the suit will remain.
-Shread the strips of burlap so they frazzle and blend together. This makes the burlap look more natural.
-Tip from Matt Moore: Before going out into a field, throw your hat out into it to see how well it blends in with the field.
-Another tip from Matt: Get some Army Green line rope and frazzle the middle strands to get stuff that looks like moss. I haven't tried this yet, but don't be afraid to yourself. Matt also suggested attaching some fake plants to the suit.
-Yet another tip from Matt Moore: Cut up some Olive Drab Army socks. I personally use some OD cloth for this purpose, but the stuff I used is hard to find
-Tip from Glenn Baker ( Glennbak@aol.com): Put the suit in a net and bury it overnight to get the human smells out of it. He said that this probably wouldn't affect the colors. I hope to get some information about dying burlap from Glenn in a while. Stay tuned.
-New Technique for Shredding: First cut the burlap into about a two foot square, and then shred the burlap. Put these strands onto the suit. By doing this, you don't waste any of the burlap. This method tends to be more tedious, however.
-Have a partner add natural camoflage to your back, or lay the suit on the ground and add plants and stuff. It much easier to do this before you put on the suit.
-What I find best for natural camoflage are tufts of grass and sticks with leaves on them. These are easy to add to a suit on the back, and have your spotter check up on it every once in a while to make sure the camoflage is still there.
-When hiding in a ghillie suit, keep yourself low to the ground. The best places to set-up position are in shallow depressions, such as pits and gullys, and in shadows.
-Spray-painting: I used some olive drab spray-paint intended for hunting purposes. I found the stuff at a nearby Army/Navy store. It made my suit perfect. It darkened the too light greens, and darkened the browns to a muddy, earthy brown. It took roughly two full cans to cover my entire suit, and I coated it twice.
-I still haven't perfected any dying techniques, so please email me if you have any.
-Remember: Only wear your suit when it is absolutely necessary. You will get too tired if you walk around all day in it.
Personalize yours as best as possible. The picture above shows what a finished one will look like, without being shredded ( that is not my suit). Check back here soon for more tips. E-mail me if you have any questions or comments or good tips for making ghillie suits.
My Personal Ghillie Suit Construction
Pics of My Own Suit-New 10/25/98!!!!
Retreat!!!
