CAMOUFLAGE and STALKING

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by ColtCarbine, Jun 13, 2009.


Tags:
  1. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    CAMOUFLAGE

    [​IMG]
    In a survival situation, especially in a hostile environment, you may find it necessary to camouflage yourself, your equipment, and your movement. It may mean the difference between survival and capture by the enemy. Camouflage and movement techniques, such as stalking, will also help you get animals or game for food using primitive weapons and skills. ​
    PERSONAL CAMOUFLAGE

    When camouflaging yourself, consider that certain shapes are particular to humans. The enemy will look for these shapes. The shape of a hat, helmet, or black boots can give you away. Even animals know and run from the shape of a human silhouette. Break up your outline by placing small amounts of vegetation from the surrounding area in your uniform, equipment, and headgear. Try to reduce any shine from skin or equipment. Blend in with the surrounding colors and simulate the texture of your surroundings.

    Shape and Outline

    Change the outline of weapons and equipment by tying vegetation or strips of cloth onto them. Make sure the added camouflage does not hinder the equipment's operation. When hiding, cover yourself and your equipment with leaves, grass, or other local debris. Conceal any signaling devices you have prepared, but keep them ready for use.

    Color and Texture


    Each area of the world and each climatic condition (arctic/winter, temperate/jungle, or swamp/desert) has color patterns and textures that are natural for that area. While color is self-explanatory, texture defines the surface characteristics of something when looking at it. For example, surface textures may be smooth, rough, rocky, leafy, or many other possible combinations. Use color and texture together to camouflage yourself effectively. It makes little sense to cover yourself with dead, brown vegetation in the middle of a large grassy field. Similarly, it would be useless to camouflage yourself with green grass in the middle of a desert or rocky area.
    To hide and camouflage movement in any specific area of the world, you must take on the color and texture of the immediate surroundings. Use natural or man-made materials to camouflage yourself. Camouflage paint, charcoal from burned paper or wood, mud, grass, leaves, strips of cloth or burlap, pine boughs, and camouflaged uniforms are a few examples.
    Cover all areas of exposed skin, including face, hands, neck, and ears. Use camouflage paint, charcoal, or mud to camouflage yourself. Cover with a darker color areas that stick out more and catch more light (forehead, nose, cheekbones, chin, and ears). Cover other areas, particularly recessed or shaded areas (around the eyes and under the chin), with lighter colors. Be sure to use an irregular pattern. Attach vegetation from the area or strips of cloth of the proper color to clothing and equipment. If you use vegetation, replace it as it wilts. As you move through an area, be alert to the color changes and modify your camouflage colors as necessary.
    Figure 21-1 gives a general idea of how to apply camouflage for various areas and climates. Use appropriate colors for your surroundings. The blotches or slashes will help to simulate texture.

    [​IMG]

    Shine


    As skin gets oily, it becomes shiny. Equipment with worn off paint is also shiny. Even painted objects, if smooth, may shine. Glass objects such as mirrors, glasses, binoculars, and telescopes shine. You must cover these glass objects when not in use. Anything that shines automatically attracts attention and will give away your location.
    Whenever possible, wash oily skin and reapply camouflage. Skin oil will wash off camouflage, so reapply it frequently. If you must wear glasses, camouflage them by applying a thin layer of dust to the outside of the lenses. This layer of dust will reduce the reflection of light. Cover shiny spots on equipment by painting, covering with mud, or wrapping with cloth or tape. Pay particular attention to covering boot eyelets, buckles on equipment, watches and jewelry, zippers, and uniform insignia. Carry a signal mirror in its designed pouch or in a pocket with the mirror portion facing your body.

    Shadow


    When hiding or traveling, stay in the deepest part of the shadows. The outer edges of the shadows are lighter and the deeper parts are darker. Remember, if you are in an area where there is plenty of vegetation, keep as much vegetation between you and a potential enemy as possible. This action will make it very hard for the enemy to see you as the vegetation will partially mask you from his view. Forcing an enemy to look through many layers of masking vegetation will fatigue his eyes very quickly.
    When traveling, especially in built-up areas at night, be aware of where you cast your shadow. It may extend out around the comer of a building and give away your position. Also, if you are in a dark shadow and there is a light source to one side, an enemy on the other side can see your silhouette against the light.

    Movement


    Movement, especially fast movement, attracts attention. If at all possible, avoid movement in the presence of an enemy. If capture appears imminent in your present location and you must move, move away slowly, making as little noise as possible. By moving slowly in a survival situation, you decrease the chance of detection and conserve energy that you may need for long-term survival or long-distance evasion.
    When moving past obstacles, avoid going over them. If you must climb over an obstacle, keep your body level with its top to avoid silhouetting yourself. Do not silhouette yourself against the skyline when crossing hills or ridges. When you are moving, you will have difficulty detecting the movement of others. Stop frequently, listen, and look around slowly to detect signs of hostile movement.

    Noise


    Noise attracts attention, especially if there is a sequence of loud noises such as several snapping twigs. If possible, avoid making any noise at all. Slow down your pace as much as necessary to avoid making noise when moving around or away from possible threats.
    Use background noises to cover the noise of your movement. Sounds of aircraft, trucks, generators, strong winds, and people talking will cover some or all the sounds produced by your movement. Rain will mask a lot of movement noise, but it also reduces your ability to detect potential enemy noise.

    Scent


    Whether hunting animals or avoiding the enemy, it is always wise to camouflage the scent associated with humans. Start by washing yourself and your clothes without using soap. This washing method removes soap and body odors. Avoiding strong smelling foods, such as garlic, helps reduce body odors. Do not use tobacco products, candy, gum, or cosmetics.
    You can use aromatic herbs or plants to wash yourself and your clothing, to rub on your body and clothing, or to chew on to camouflage your breath. Pine needles, mint, or any similar aromatic plant will help camouflage your scent from both animals and humans. Standing in smoke from a fire can help mask your scent from animals. While animals are afraid of fresh smoke from a fire, older smoke scents are normal smells after forest fires and do not scare them.
    While traveling, use your sense of smell to help you find or avoid humans. Pay attention to smells associated with humans, such as fire, cigarettes, gasoline, oil, soap, and food. Such smells may alert you to their presence long before you can see or hear them, depending on wind speed and direction. Note the wind's direction and, when possible, approach from or skirt around on the downwind side when nearing humans or animals.

    METHODS OF STALKING


    Sometimes you need to move, undetected, to or from a location. You need more than just camouflage to make these moves successfully. The ability to stalk or move without making any sudden quick movement or loud noise is essential to avoiding detection.
    You must practice stalking if it is to be effective. Use the following techniques when practicing.

    Upright Stalking


    Take steps about half your normal stride when stalking in the upright position. Such strides help you to maintain your balance. You should be able to stop at any point in that movement and hold that position as long as necessary. Curl the toes up out of the way when stepping down so the outside edge of the ball of the foot touches the ground. Feel for sticks and twigs that may snap when you place your weight on them. If you start to step on one, lift your foot and move it. After making contact with the outside edge of the ball of your foot, roll to the inside ball of your foot, place your heel down, followed by your toes. Then gradually shift your weight forward to the front foot. Lift the back foot to about knee height and start the process over again.
    Keep your hands and arms close to your body and avoid waving them about or hitting vegetation. When moving in a crouch, you gain extra support by placing your hands on your knees. One step usually takes 1 minute to complete, but the time it takes will depend on the situation.

    Crawling


    Crawl on your hands and knees when the vegetation is too low to allow you to walk upright without being seen. Move one limb at a time and be sure to set it down softly, feeling for anything that may snap and make noise. Be careful that your toes and heels do not catch on vegetation.

    Prone Staking


    To stalk in the prone position, you do a low, modified push-up on your hands and toes, moving yourself forward slightly, and then lowering yourself again slowly. Avoid dragging and scraping along the ground as this makes excessive noise and leaves large trails for trackers to follow.

    Animal Stalking


    Before stalking an animal, select the best route. If the animal is moving, you will need an intercepting route. Pick a route that puts objects between you and the animal to conceal your movement from it. By positioning yourself in this way, you will be able to move faster, until you pass that object. Some objects, such as large rocks and trees, may totally conceal you, and others, such as small bushes and grass, may only partially conceal you. Pick the route that offers the best concealment and requires the least amount of effort.
    Keep your eyes on the animal and stop when it looks your way or turns its ears your way, especially if it suspects your presence. As you get close, squint your eyes slightly to conceal both the light-dark contrast of the whites of the eyes and any shine from your eyes. Keep your mouth closed so that the animal does not see the whiteness or shine of your teeth.
     
  2. zarraza

    zarraza Survivalist in training

    a friend of mine who was a marine sniper spotter had talked about making ghille suits - i actually saw a guy (not my friend) at walmart buying yarn in the fabric dept. and my assumption because of his camouflage attire was that he was making a ghille suit with said materials.

    any way we could get that chart above correlated to thread colors and perhaps a step by step with pictures on making ghille suits? (i'm sure google searching would turn up some results, but) this might make the perfect thread to post that info.!
     
  3. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    [​IMG] >Desert<>Woodland> [​IMG][​IMG]
    Black - 1 lbs
    Brown - 1 lbs
    Tan - 5 lb

    Black - 1 lbs
    Brown - 2 lbs
    Olive Green - 2 lb
    Dark Green - 2 lb
    Leafy Green [​IMG]
    Gray - 3 lbs
    Brown - 2 lbs
    Olive Green - 1 lb
    Light Olive - 1 lb
    Lime Green - 3 lbs
    Light Olive - 2 lbs
    Dark Green - 1 lb
    Olive Green - 1 lb

    White
    [​IMG]
     
  4. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    [​IMG]
    To our valued customers: On this page, you will find details regarding the materials, method, and manner of construction of our "Patented" ghillie suit and related products. These details are provided so that you can see the value, originality, and many benefits of our products. No license of any kind, express or implied, is granted in our placing these details on the site. Rather, we assert and retain all rights, without limitation in the ghillie suit and in its method and manner of construction. We appreciate your patronage and look forward to serving your needs."
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    How to Convert the "Stalker" suit to a pair of BDU's
    Just follow these steps listed below!Supplies needed:​
    1-"Stalker" suit, the color of your choice
    1-Pair of Military BDU's
    1-Yard of brown canvas material
    1-Roll of foam padding
    2-3 tubes "Shoe Goo"
    STEP 1. Lay out your "Stalker" suit, and your BDU's.
    STEP 2. Count up 30", or 30 squares of the netting on the rear of the "Stalker". Cut across on the 31st square leaving 30", or 30 squares.
    STEP 3.
    Starting at the bottom of the cut netting, count 14", or 14 squares over, and cut on the 15th going up 22", or 22 squares to separate the two pant legs. Do the same for the other leg, count 14", or netting squares, and cut on the 15th square on up 22"-25", or squares. (What you have done is removed one (1) extra square in the middle of the netting, and 22 -25 total squares up, which will be the crotch of the pants.)
    Notice how the pants line up on the netting. The top piece is under the belt line, and just below the front pocket. And the bottom netting is about 4-6" away from the bottom of the pants. This is so the netting wont be stepped on, and the Jute you see still hangs down below the bottom pant cuff.
    STEP 4.Cut off the extra netting around the pant legs so just an inch or so wraps to the front. See in the photo that there is too much on the right hand side.
    STEP 5. Using the "Shoe Goo" glue all the outside netting edges to the pants. Glue on the knots as in the photos. If you have to glue a little at a time do so. You will only be able to glue the front, then wait at least 15-30 minute depending on the temperature before you can turn the pants over and glue the back edge. You may want to only glue the outside legs first, then let them dry about 15-30 minutes, then do the inside, then the rear.
    Click photo for larger view.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG] >STEP 6. When the edges are dry, turn the pants over so the Jute side is facing you. Count 2-3 rows of netting squares over, and separate the jute so you can see the netting. Now, glue every knot all the way down. Wait another 15-30 minutes for the glue to dry enough to touch. Then count another 2-3 squares, part the jute, and glue every knot again.

    STEP 7.
    Take your Foam padding, and cut out the pieces for your legs, and elbows. Use a Dab of the "Shoe Goo" to affix in place. Let dry.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    STEP 8. Cut some canvas pieces so they will cover the foam padding you have already glued in place. Make sure you leave at least ½"- 1" extra canvas to overlap the foam padding. Now this is the messy part. Squeeze out some of the "Shoe Goo" on to your finger! Apply the glue to the underside of the ½" of overlapping canvas all the way around so as to glue the canvas onto the BDU's. You have to use your finger because it is the best way to smear the glue on to the fabric. Make sure your canvas completely covers the foam padding. Now let dry at least 24 hours depending on the temperature.
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    STEP 9. The Jacket. Lay out your remaining "Stalker" piece.
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Examine the jacket closely!! Notice the sleeves are seemed close. And that the front piece goes all the way across to the other sleeve. Notice the jacket back piece is about 30", or 30 squares across. Look at where the sleeve is seemed at the Crotch of the arm, or armpit.
    With the suit facing you, start in the middle of the front piece and count up 5 squares. You are going to cut this front piece off, all the way across. BUT!! We want to save it so we can use it as a Rifle Wrap! So look at the diagram! Follow the 5 squares to the right or left until you get to a sleeve end. Now, cut on the 6th square, so you have the 5 remaining and cut all along the front to the other sleeve.

    Now, fold this piece forward, and you will see it is still attached at the rear of the sleeve. Count up 7 squares from the side, and cut on the 8th, and cut toward the end o
    f the
    sleeve to remove the front piece. You should have an open sleeve on the "Stalker" with 13", or 13 squares, and do the same for the other side. Now the front piece can be removed. NOW, if you cut off those remaining extra pieces on the front piece you just removed, you now have a small version of our Rifle Wrap!
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG][​IMG]
    STEP 10. With the sleeves folded open; look at the hood and how it is attached. Notice there are 4 knots seeming the hood together on one side, and either 4, or 5 on the other. The middle piece here we want to remove to open up the jacket. It is a piece 7 squares by 7, or 8 squares. Look at the next diagram. We want to remove this piece by starting at the front piece, and cutting up 7 squares until you reach the hood where it is seemed to the jacket netting. Now, do the same on the other side so the piece is removed, and now the jacket is open in the front.

    [​IMG][​IMG]
    STEP 11. Place your BDU jacket on top of the "Stalker" piece.
    [​IMG]
    Position sleeves on the netting so the under arm of the BDU sleeve is uncovered. Remember that we want to attach foam padding to the underarm of the jacket, and cover it with canvas.
    [​IMG]
    Fold over the top of the sleeve, and pull the jute back to prepare for gluing.
    [​IMG]
    STEP 12. Glue all edges of the netting to the BDU jacket. Make sure to glue on the knots. Again you may have to wait for a section to dry 15-30 minutes before you can continue.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    On the sides, you may have to trim some off depending on the size of your BDU jacket. We used a Medium Regular in the directions, and had to trim 2-3 squares from each side. You want to make sure you have access to your pockets, and that the jute will not hang in the front to be pulled off when you crawl.
    We also cut away about 8-10" of the jute that hangs down over the top pockets. We felt this hindered us in our crawling.
    (! We have elected not to add padding to the front chest area. We feel after crawling in our suits, we didn't need it. We mainly used our elbows, and knees, and occasionally slid on our chest. It didn't warrant the loss of the pockets in the front. Of course if you want total chest coverage, use the left over foam, and canvas to cover the areas the same way as above.)​
    [​IMG]
    STEP 13. Just like before, we want to count out 2-3 rows, separate the jute so the knots are exposed, and glue every knot all the way to the other side to secure the "Stalker" netting to the BDU jacket.
    Click photo for larger view.
    [​IMG]When you go up to the hood area, make sure you glue heavy, and glue almost to the top of the shoulders. Glue a little bit, let it dry completely! Try it on. If you feel you need the hood up higher, that it is hanging down to low behind you, glue up another row. You can never have enough strength here!
    Now you are finished. Take a look at some of the finished products.​
    >[​IMG]>[​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]



    1999-2009© Todd Muirhead/ www.ghilliesuits.com/ GhillieSuits.com Inc.™ and associated logos are trademarks of Todd Muirhead/
    Ghillie Suits.com Inc. We offer the Original Patented Ghillie suits &amp; Supplies
    GhillieSuits.com Inc. or are used with permission of their respective owners. All rights reserved worldwide. No unauthorized duplication, reproduction, or distribution of this work, or any portion thereof, including in electronic form, may be made without the express, advance written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized use of this material, or any portion thereof, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.


    Warning! Jute thread is flammable. Please avoid open flames, sparks, or other items that could ignite the material. Do not smoke while wearing your suit. All of our wearable garments are sprayed with a Fire-retardant spray. All Ghillie kits come with one lb. of a Dry Fire-retardant powder that the customer mixes with water and applies to his/her suit. We recommend Dry cleaning only. If you wash your suit with water, the fire-retardant must be re-applied. We offer the Dry Fire-retardant on our website for re-applying to your suit.

    Class 1, Normal Flammability" Has been found on all our products!
    info@ghilliesuits.com

    [​IMG]
     
  5. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I also bought a lot of yarns at Wallyworld!
    But I had to buy a lot of different shades and here is why:
    1) Where my land is located there are shades of greens and, light/frosted shades of blues at times...Juniper bushes and those danged berries!
    Now as far as the ground goes it's a regular run of the mill dark brown....and has intermittent tufts of white grass that runs on average about 12-16 inches high. ( oh yay!)
    So, I also had to buy some "raffia" at the local hobby store.
    What is strange is the diferences I found between my parcel, and one located some 8 miles further north of me.
    My land consists of newer juniper trees about 14-16 ft height at best, with volcanic type of soils.
    2) My "friends" (note the quotes!), is far different....their trees are much older, much taller, (60+ ft), and they have a lot of fallen/deadwood around. ( a lot of dead wood !)
    That wood is a nice silvery color, (well seasoned over the years), with the insides being reddish/orange!
    The ground there is beyond description, when dry, it appears to be a light pinkish/orange colored sand, not unlike the sandstone that area is famous for.
    It varies in shades from tan to orange colored in places.
    Now, when it rains up there, it's a whole different ball game!
    The ground turns red, orange, gold, yellows, and all varied shades of those intermixed.
    I brought back 7 samples to have "custom" mixed paints made....
    Due to the varigations, it was not even possible.
    I had to have several different shades mixed, then I'll have to blend them as I want.

    The easy part of making a camo suit was buying the materials:
    the Yarn, the raffia, the burlap, the dyes, and the netting.....

    The tough part is assembling it all.....
    It started out all so easy, then it suddenly went downhill......

    I tacked the netting to the wall, dyed the burlap in a variety of colors of which I had samples to go by, then cut, ripped and frayed the pieces to tie to the netting....
    I dyed, I cut, I tied, I swore, I placed tufts of raffia on it, I swore some more...I tied until there was a wall of what appeared to be a drunken spider on an lsd trip!
    It never really looked like much more than a Picasso painting of someone having tossed their luch after eating broccolli soup and dry spaghetti!

    The idea was at first, to make a "poncho" style, then I'd add the head piece later.
    Then I discovered, much to my dismay, that there is NO way on earth to crawl in a poncho! So, I'd need a 3 piece suit.....or at least a 2 piece type.
    I have to attach the camo material to a pair of pants, a jacket, with a hood, or make the headpiece separate.
    So, I sit here with several "totes" filed with, netting, 20 yds of dyed burlap, in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, not to mention the yarn that takes up 2 totes on it's own accord.
    (I have had a real fun time trying to "comb" the yarn, so that it resists going back to a twisted strand!)

    My patience just ran out....
    I think it's time to put the "KIDDO's" to work on this project!
    The good part is ,they can't screw it up too easily, and it keeps them busy!
    It sounds easy and fun, and I had to try it....Now, I see why they get the $ they ask for, when you buy a suit "ready to wear"!
    I found it to be frustrating at best, not so inexpensive as I thought it would be, and very much a pain in the ankles!
    Next, "crocheting" for fun and NO profit!
    LOL!!!
     
  6. zarraza

    zarraza Survivalist in training

    people crochet for profit? seriously?
    I think getting the kids involved in something like this is an excellent idea - i wish i had at least the support of my S.O. - i'm on my own in this preparedness mess i've created - and i'm always getting the third degree because i'm taking up all the empty space in the house - i can't even imagine telling her i need more space to hang my ghillie suits - but i'm working on that!
     
  7. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

  8. Disciple

    Disciple Monkey+

    There is a couple of the civilian camo's that work real well and with the blinds you can use, its almost no fair. the patterns are very realistic and hide you very well, so that said it truly is something to look into and consideration. Myself I wouldnt even consider going into the woods in something like acu-pat let along woodland camo cause it will make you stand out like a sore thumb and if you go in in some ghillie suit
    would get ya killed for looking like bigfoot.
     
  9. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

  10. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Ghost Blind... Now that is a cute idea....
     
  11. cornmonkey

    cornmonkey Monkey+

    The right camo means a lot but the no. 1 thing is movement.
     
  12. Disciple

    Disciple Monkey+

    I'd like too see ghostblind build something along the size and shape of the ameristep or bone collecter freestanding blinds. even something a little larger than that maybe even some Tent covers.
     
  13. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

  14. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    It can't be done in full structures. It has to tip outward to mimic it's surroundings. Dead vertical, you see yourself approaching, tipped inward you get the sky and the sun. Both bad news when you are trying to blend it.
     
  15. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I found the best deal online for the BushRag Camo Patches: Bush Rag - Camo Patches

    These patches can be a great alternative to ghillie suits, or to compliment your setup as a fallback. Just use natural vegetation.
     
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7