On a serious note, I explain to people the 7 S's of camouflage: 1.) Silhouette (think the outline of head and shoulders, or what an AR looks like) 2.) Shape (the actual pattern ON the material) 3.) Shadow (Trying to stay outside of direct sunlight when moving) 4.) Smell (Obvious. Don't wear smelly cologne, or deoderant) 5.) Shine (Dull everything down!) 6.) Sound (Keep things from rattling and clinking, and watch your steps!) 7.) Speed (Don't move fast. Be slow and deliberate.)
I know black stands out on night vision like dead pixels on a monitor. we paint everything in camo colors and the final step is to throw a few pine needles, leaves, etc on it to break up the final layer and allowing the layers below to peek through. it works well. As far as shapes and outlines - that is why your boonie hat has that webbing to shove a few branches of local fauna into to break up that outline. also it is good to have camo printed bug net to pull over your face... don't forget your hands and other human shapes (pull a little yarn through camo gloves to break up that shape outline)
@@Spider-Too-Too LOL. Seriously, what I need is a face paint class... I saw one on YT one time, but didn't mark it for future viewing. Application was quick, but I guess if you put it on every morning like shaving, it goes pretty fast... It was some kind of star burst on forehead and chin, and then just fill in shadows, blend, smear, etc. Also, a good light weight, bug mesh gillie poncho would be nice... especially if it rolls into pocket size... good even for urban environment where you can step into an overgrown empty lot and just disappear. Sit down, pop out the ghillie and face net, and an MRE for a quick meal and siesta during the hottest time of day.
@@barking.dog.productions1777 those Crye Compact Assault Ghillie "half poncho?" looks pretty high speed and there are some airsoft replicated out there for cheap
DCU was extremely effective in the desert environment, so much so that soldiers were getting run over and left behind. thats why we switched to ACU so we would be more visible to everyone, which also failed because soldiers were still getting run over...which is why we implemented reflective PT belts in combat environments. Which lowered the amount of soldiers killed by run overs but increased the amount killed by enemy fire. This offset led to the development of multicam, which is extremely effective in all environments, resulting in entire platoons of soldiers being run over and left behind.
1)The superiority of lighter base colors over darker colors is really important. Most camo patterns are too dark, they just look like black outlines from a distance, you're better off with a dull tan, olive drab, grey or khaki. Dull light grey is actually very effective. As long as it isn't too bright and stands out like neon green or army digicam. 2)Obscure the shape of you head. The Israelis use a thing called a 'mitznefet' that's basically a big floppy bonnet that covers the helmet. Just something shapeless instead of your head or helmet, it applies in pretty much any environment.
As a fellow camo nerd, it’s interesting to note that the tiger is patterned with orange because their prey (deer, antelope, zebra) have eyes that cannot see the orange against native foliage background. Our eyes see it as orange due to different biology
I was a sniper 91/95 your sniper buddy is right, your camo changes as you move through different terrain (ferns to dry grass etc) then you have to take into consideration time of year, I found British DPM was OK in the autumn but at a distance you would almost look black against the green of grass it was so dark, so tones are really important.
What’s also funny I’ve also been saying the same things here for years, and I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve gotten flamed by lots of people online(including “former infantry”). It seems too many are married to camo patterns rather than the field craft that goes into effective camouflage
chocolate chip is actually quite effective in Nevada/Arizona and Utah in the Spring/Summer, especially when you use a bit of fabric dry to darken it a shade or two, creating a " light chocolate milk" type of brown, put it against the rocky brown desert backdrop at 200 yards, you literally vanish. Same goes for 3-color desert
If you have to say "this camo is actually affective in this spot, if this is done to it" it isnt affective. There are actual, scientific ways to measure the affectiveness of camo's- and a skilled person can make almost anything affective, but chocolate chip, even if its my favorite, ranks VERY low on affectiveness is military trials ever for the exact area it was designed for.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I have successfully taken deer turkey and rabbit in the Missouri woods during fall/winter. Blends really well with the dead oak maple and walnut leaves, in addition to dead grass. It combines enough micro and macro patterns that it is effective at relatively close range 25m and out. Now that said hunting turkey is extremely difficult because they have eyes approximately three times better than a human. Make of that as you wish because this is just my experience. Nothing more.
@@mardiffv.8775 if you are in a business district dress a little better. Sometimes a suit blends in. Environment is the factor. Observe others, see who does not blend in.
in basic training our drill sarge had us walk through an area...he had us stop there and asked us to find the troop....we were all looking away from the middle of the tiny clearing and into the brush....then when we couldn't find the person he had the person move. fucker was leaning up against the tree with the rifle leaning as well. we didn't see shit because the soldier face was painted AND had small soft twigs through out the ilbe and rifle...helmet as well. not a lot...just enough to break up the outline and rifle color. i was so lucky to have two former light infantry guys for my drill sgts. they even taught us to use the bottom of our boots to drive in tent stakes for sound control. little shit like that just made me so happy i joined the army. 1987-2017 army then air guard. go USA! btw we were wearing m81 woodland camo. it really was great stuff in a wooded leafy environment. not so much in the desert.
I’m pretty sure chocolate chip camo was specifically made for that part of the country; it sucked in the Middle East and was replaced with the coffee stain/3 desert camo. I agree with all of what you said about adding natural materials etc just pointing out that choc chip got a bad rap for sucking in the Middle East, but could be a good base in western us desert.
It was designed for a specific region in Utah- it might be ok specifically there, but there are still better options. Camo doesnt work how people think it works- a lot has been learned since choc chip. Its still better than nothing, its still an acceptable base all things considered, but its not best for anything. It IS however quite trendy now.
6 pattern desert “choco chip” was designed for the deserts of the south west back in the late 1970s it was brought to Saudi Arabia around that time as it was going to be tested for any potential Cold War conflict in the Middle East and it was found to be lacking in most environments except for that of the Sinai and Israel,Palestine, Lebanon area which is where the US was operating in its peacekeeping role in the 1980s so the patterned continued. Of course Gulf War breaks out and it’s the pattern issued in bulk to the forces however at that time the 3 color coffee stained pattern was being introduced for rear duty and police service like air police, despite what a lot of people think there really wasn’t enough desert camo of any pattern to go around and outfit the whole military, a lot of units stationed in Europe redeployed to the Middle East never even got a desert pattern helmet cover and spent the whole war in jungle cammies, during the Somali civil war was when DCU really took off and became the standard pattern of the US armed forces as 6 pattern or DBDU fell out of circulation only being seen used sparsely as some supply issues still needed ironed out
I think anything with a blurred pattern is a good start. I accidentally washed a pair of my Woodland BDUs with the old Bug Juice in a pocket which blurred the sharpness of the distinctive color patterns. It worked great as a base camo. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do as good a job here if not better than any other military or most civilian camo out there.
I've found that earth tones work great for me. I live downtown in a large urban area surrounded by people with a radically different ideology. Having a camo pattern isn't ideal and would attract attention, profile me and make me a target. Ranger green, coyote brown and grey mixed together work great in an urban area as well a wooded area.
'Who I am I to talk to you about camouflage' ... 'I did recce in the military' - meh. 'I am also a camouflage nerd' - Ooooh! Expert!!! Always listen to people who have a passion about something.
I think the point of those maps is to give people a starting point for their environment. This stuff isn't meant to be law, it's to give people a good idea of what could work for the area that they're working with. The guys that made those maps are constantly updating it too, based on ongoing testing and stuff.
The original maker of the map reached out to me- it was made as a light hearted mao, like a joke If its being updated its for clicks- there is 0 testing that goes behind it.
Navy vet 85-95 . I wore Woodland camo during my two years shore duty as an MP . I still have a set of Woodys and they work well here in South Carolina . Recently I bought a large canvas drop cloth used by painters and dyed it with one pack of green Rit dye and one pack of brown Rit dye . It turned out similar to WW2 German Feldgrau. Field testing showed pretty good results . I'm going to sew it into a combat smock and pair of pants and buy a boonie hat to match . I have another drop cloth that I plan to dye Butternut Brown . Similar to what alot of Confederate soldiers wore rather than official Confederate Gray .
GA resident here! Strichtarn camo is my go-to. Especially with how many pine trees we have. Alpenflage also works very well during the fall,winter, and spring time, while also blending with all the clay and woods
Best camo ive come up with is a brown that matches soil in your area. You can ad whatever foilage, litter, ect to it to blend it in so good that if you didnt move youd be practically invisible. And itll blend in in urban inviroments with the populance.
I live in CT and do a lot of stuff in the woods at night or dusk, mainly fishing. I spraypainted my kayak the dark brown camo color they sell at walmart. you cant see it on NV because its matte but even at dusk to the eye the boat vanishes. At night you just want dark but not black colors unless youre deep in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night new moon etc. The hardest things to see at night are trees so any tree colors will be good. Red is also good for night time but not bright red. your eyes cant pick up red when its dark which is another reason dark brown works so well because its basically just orange but very dark. as far as during the day goes id just say dont move too much but i dont really find myself out there during the day very often.
6-color Desert Chocolate Chip was actually formulated based off of the deserts of the Southwestern U.S. When we tried to use it in Middle Eastern theaters like Afghanistan, it failed because the sand there was more pink-hued due to high granite composition. That's why we switched to the 3-color Desert. Also, black is absolutely great in camoflauge. Suddenly, everyone's scoffing at it, citing that 'black doesn't appear in nature'. Yes, it does, in the form of shadows. Because clothing doesn't have protrusions everywhere that cast shadows like natural foliage does, black must be used to mimic shadows. People say it's more visible under NODs, but whatever. I've even heard Desert Storm-era reports that the tiny black 'chips' in 6-color Desert Chocolate Chip heated up faster and more intensely than the other colors on the uniform. Sounds pretty absurd. For me, I live in Southeast Texas, which is pretty much tropical most of the year. It seems developers are finally getting the message that dull, subdued colors may not be the best for that environment. Most of our foliage is a brilliant, almost neon green. That's why I like AOR 2. It has that verdent lime green which is just perfect, along with the deeply saturated black portions of the pattern. Multicam Tropic may be even better as far as the rich lime green colors, but I wish their black was less subdued and more deeply black like AOR 2.
I love the history and science behind camo too. Bought a few different patterns in the last 10 years, all based on where I'm living and potentially travel to. In every day its tan pants and preferably light green shirt, doesn't stick out and can be easily added to with vegetation if needed. Somehow they got the two areas I've lived recently as well as several brothers in another state right on that camo map. The only place black blends in is if you're trying to pass through or blend with blm/antifa lol
Personally I like faded m81 woodland bdu and the erdl lowland for the southwest including the pine forests. The erdl lowland looks like it would work very well where you are...
This is correct information, filmed in a great location. Thank you for your service. Focus on not swatting at mosquitos, not turning your entire head to look at something, not touching your face several times a minute, not scratching, etc. Walk several paces and stop for several minutes before continuing. I can promise you, you will see more game/ birds/ etc and disturb the natural ambiance less. And cover up or paint your human face and hands. Our mind excels at detecting a face, and a silhouette of a human. A mesh cobra hood and some debris takes care of the silhouette flawlessly. Semper Fidelis
Don't wash your clothing, never let it be exposed to tobacco smoke or kitchen scents, move slow, smooth, and (as much as possible) stay off or to the sides of paths, roads, etc. A looser fit is always better.
I remember Real Tree was incredible popular for bow hunting back in High School. It was great camo as long as you had the tree truck directly behind you. Great information in this comment section and in your video.
Excellent thoughts. Now I see comments below asking if certain types are good. Makes feel as though they missed the message of your video....LOL. I wear lots of different BDU camo camping and hunting. However, the reasons are: 1) Ease of moving in them. 2) They don't show dirt like solid colors, so I don't feel like I'm wearing dirty clothes. 3) The nice, big pockets are handy. 4) Quick drying.
Very good points. I think a hood that extends past your shoulders and to about mid back that be looped with local foliage would be a very good piece of kit for anyone and a balaclava to help break up the face.
Yes, check out the Soviet camouflage smock from world war 2 often called "amoeba", dead simple pattern but the huge, weird hood that extends to the shoulders like you suggested disrupts the silhouette so well that it's surprisingly effective, plus the awesome texture of simple cotton fabric is dull and doesn't reflect light.
Love the video, us civillians do sometimes go overboard with the camo debate. I saw a really cool one though, a British Camo with a red brick pattern supposedly for urban environments, but i never saw it anywhere else for sale or anything.
If you live with snow you should get overwhites. My suit came with a pack cover and long strips of fabric for a rifle as well, weighs less than a pound and packs down to the size of a tall boy 👌
Dude if you do camo reviews, start the video with you hidden somewhere in the frame, show us how you can stay hidden with every thing you review. I think it would be fun to try and spot you and it'll showcase what you meant in this video. Thanks again as always for the good tips the pull back the curtains on bullshit.
Chocolate chip apparently designed for the Mojave desert, having driven through there a few times, I can definitely see the inspiration. Out of the camps we have, its probably the best for the area.
@@ThepreppersbunkeroutdoorsIn that case, what patterns would you recommend for the Mojave? More specifically the regions adjacent to the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests in California
Solid earth tone colors are easier to move in and blend better the dirtier they get. Camouflage patterns are better sitting still but both can blend you in well enough if you know how to use what you’ve got. Remember your mind is the greatest weapon you’ll ever have!
FDE, the Base-layer of earth. Multicam splotches of Black, Sand, and OD Green. Then add green camo netting overtop for sprung/summer. At least that works for me, hunting in Missouri.
I don't currently own any camo, although I have owned nearly every major brand. I like solid earth colors better, I can wear it anywhere including work. I like foliage green and medium grey. My "camo" for western hunting this year is just solid grey lol.
My dad and I were scouting an area while backpack hunting. We had set up camp and it was the evening before opening day. We sat on a rock in our jeans and plaid flannels. Dad took a nap, and I woke him up when a 4x3 buck came and walked a semi-circle around the rock we were sitting on and meandered off. We satyed still. He never looked up. No wild predators of adult deer come from the sky...
Find some dirt, dump water in it to make mud, roll in it, then stick sticks, leaves etc on yourself. Sounds stupid but that's the easy way that actually works. The other process is complicated but our man will explain it in a video in the future.
Buy a camonet, wrap it around your torso and sticks and grass to it. Mind you, only for stationairy purposes, during walking it would snack too much branches.
There's a LOT of camo in that chart that ISN'T there but is as effective ie, Kryptek Highlander, Nomad, and Mandrake plus ATACS AU, FG, and IX, plus AOR1/2 (NWU Type 2/3) Multiland, LBX Project Honor, Vegeta, Digital Flora, SRU and so on
This is good info. I'm in the northeast and usually prefer good old olive drab or woodland. Also there is a reason tigers are orange. Im going to nerd out so get ready. Most land animals have dichromatic vision. Their are some exceptions such as primates. They do not see color in the same spectrum as humans which are trichromatic. This makes it very hard for prey to differentiate the orange tiger from green foliage in a lush green forest. So even though the tiger is orange it's stripes break up its silhouette and it is extremely camouflaged to its prey. Also In Indochina there is tons of dry undergrowth and tall grass. The tigers orange coat also allows it to be extremely camouflaged even to animals with trichromatic vision in this environment. Since your a camouflage nerd 🤓 , I just thought I'd let you know that a tigers coat has developed over time to be literally the best camouflage possible for the prey it hunts and its environment.
I own a pair of ATACS FG combat pants, and that color seems to be legit for NC spring/summer coastal plains woodlands..that is, until the seasons change. Hunters understand that fall and winter in NC is a whole lot different than springtime. Anyone that wants to blend in to the woodland scenery will have to change and adapt accordingly. Good video.
I wear atacs as well but it's kinda hard to find places that sell it except for Russian websites like Soviet power, browning discontinued the fg unfortunately
@@missourimongoose7643 I hear that, goose. FG is discontinued to my knowledge, and finding that particular pattern is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Seems like the same argument that fishermen have with colors of baits. At the End of the day you have to put it in front of a fish in order to catch them. So yes, I agree. Knowing how to move or not to move is the key.
Awesome video! I've noticed that a lot of people have been wearing camouflage in NYC, and it's kinda of a fashionable casual everyday occurrence. People aren't totally camouflaged. Just partially. I'm glad that I watched your video.
This is great information and great information. I can't remember the exact program but the air force did a study about camouflaging jets. The program showed that just basic zig zag patterns painted in black was enough to throw off the attacking fighter. Also I got your sling today and will soon buy another. The attention to detail on the construction for your sling is second to none and is a great value for what I get. You can't find the quality where I can pick the colors anywhere else. I originally had a Vickers tactical padded sling and it's going into the garbage for many of the reason you state to not draw a hard line. I don't say this to everyone but thank you for your service. From what I can tell your a good American and a principled Christian.
I agree. The exact camo paterns don't matter that much. I've always liked M81 woodland. Most of my gear is M81 or USMC coyote tan because it's very cheap and affordable US made gear. Works great in the American midwest. Tan 5.11 pants from work with a BDU top do a good enough job. Woodland M65 rocks. And Ive got my leftover OCP from my Army days.
Camo is a lot like any tool- I wish people would worry more about buying stuff that is just before the rate of diminishing returns in cost- and spend the rest of their cash in testing, training, and sweat equity. But here we are. Most comments are "what camo is best" or "is my camo good" or "my camo works gud" 🤷♂️
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors It's easier to spend money and pose for pictures in your backyard than actually sweat and train. I think that gets a lot of "preppers". Then someone with no skill and expensive gear can feel like they have an edge on someone who actually knows what they are doing.
In the golden hills of California with spot scub oaks I use desert tiger stripe and the the multi color chest/web gear. In this country you can disappear. Even works well in big timber.
If there's a small bit of greenery present in my environment, I'm rocking Alpenflage ever single time. It's genuinely amazing how many environments it blends in with, and it looks stylish as fuck. It's also pretty comfortable, and if I get killed from my own idiocy or my opponent just being better than me, I want to look stylish when I die.
I'm a big fan of mix matching camos, obviously within reason, like I keep it to 2 different patterns, and I want to do light on light camos, and or have similar colors in each, or do light top dark bottom
I used to agree. "Break your silhouette in half". Watching Ukrainian combat footage has changed my mind. The two tone guys show up big time, especially when they move.
Any time I think of camo not blending with the environment. I think of Sean Connery's character in a bridge too far with his hedgegrove camo and leaves in a city.
Up here in Michigan; Marpat and Walnut -dyied desert works great in the woods, urban ops may require some adjustment as Camo is a common form of dress up here. I do agree toa point but some black is necessary in woodland ops to create shadow. USMC-retired, survival/evasion instructor.). Good info good work.
I love the look of Flecktarn, but in personal testing you can see it at every distance in the woods. It doesn't blend, it just became a dark spot in the woods.
Chocolate Chip is an outstanding camo for Fall/Winter in a Non-Evergreen Woodland Forest environment. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio etc. When I was in AFG in 2010-2011, we were sometimes attached to the 10th Mountain Division. In the Snowy, Rocky, Grey environment in the Mountains, the UCP did an outstanding job. Anywhere else I agree, it's a no-go. In my opinion, solid green/khaki pants with a camo shirt and Solid Green/FDE helmet or Camo Pants, Solid Green/Khaki shirt with Camo Helmet works well. You don't have to have a full matching camouflage. The disruption of a large portion of the body going from camo then to a solid color then back to camo (Or Vice Versa) is an outstanding option. Many people overlook solids for what they wear. Combining a Ranger green or Olive Drab uniform with FDE/Coyote accessories is a pretty good year-round choice.
We were replaced by 10th mtn in logar province in 10/11 and if that is where you were i most certainly disagree- at least any time there wasnt snow. The picture shown here was baraki barak (sp)
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Small world. Might have bumped into you somewhere in that Derelict Shithole. 1st CAV wore UCP 80% of my time there(Didn’t matter as much to me as I wasn’t a ground pounder but a CWO flying Doorless OH-58 Kiowa’s) a couple months before I left I started to see Multicam showing up. Id say the majority of my time was in and around Logar and Wardak. From where I sat, UCP was a bitch to spot in the light snow/grey of the Mountains. In my prior tours (All Iraq) the UCP really stood out. However my flight suits were 3 Color Desert with a M81 Woodland Harness/Chest Rig. Then when I cycled back and got ready for AFG is when I was issued UCP everything. Good to meet you. “Garry Owen”!
Very cool! And the difference between what we see from the ground and from the air could be a big one! Its hard to say, i didn't spend much time in the air, and when i did i was looking between my legs or at the back of my eyelids ;-)
I live on the east coast of Florida. In my area has a lot and I will say it again, a lot of empty housing lots. So what my brothers, friends and I do is buy BDU camo pants and shirts of different colors and patterns. There's a nice place in the dense part of these empty lots where there's a tree branch that allows us to hang the uniforms up, pants and top, with the right side of the uniform covered with the natural foliage in front of it, and the left hand side is open. Looking at it with the foliage in the background. What we found out is that ACU works really well then this environment as long as it is bright outside. Now there are colors that work extremely well regardless if it's bright or dark outside, coyote, multi-cam scorpion, woodland/tiger stripe. Olive drab somehow doesn't seem right for the area. Now Rothko did put out a new camo pattern, coyote camo. We have not yet tried this because they do not have a BDU style shirt yet. We all seem to agree that if our lives absolutely depended on it, coyote or multi-cam would be the choice to go to. When it's dark outside, subdued digital urban works great. It's not black but has other shades of gray in it so you don't look like a dark solid mass walking around.
I may be biased but the best unaltered camo I’ve seen used in multiple environments is woodland marpat. In the desert, I saw the guys in desert marpat before I saw the woodlands because a little bit of sand on the cammies lets them blend in with the little bit of brush in the background. The deserts and salty cammies stand out at eye level. Multicam as a base is just obvious from what I can tell. Most environments offer enough shade in the backdrop that the light colors just pop. Even in pictures I’ve seen you’re like “wow he looks badass” instead of “where is he?”.
You are looking at pictures of people wearing fresh multicam- Pictures that are edited to make the person wearing them because they are an influencer who is trying to sell things to you.
ACU-Advanced Combat Uniform isn't a Camouflage Pattern.UCP- Universal Camouflage Pattern, OEFP-Operation Enduring Freedom Pattern the original version of Multicam. OCP- Operational Camouflage Pattern the improved version of Multicam.
So I am watching this simply while on duty at my security post, and I agree with a lot of this. I remember one person managed to spot me while I was doing an airsoft game despite being in full camouflage and a mask, simply because I hadn't lowered myself down enough and my rifle I was using was pure black, standing out severely. I quickly noticed it, lowered myself to the ground, and just threw some leaves over both myself and my rifle, and I managed to last for a very long time before inevitably being pinned down due to the report of the airsoft rifle and being unable to quickly relocate due to location and also limitations to not be disqualified. But anyway, this video has helped me rethink my choice of getting new camouflage. I've simply not been correctly using my camouflage properly, and I'll need to rethink my strategies going forward. So, thank you very much for the video and your insights on it.
Faded M81 Woodland works great in south Florida and is my favorite, chocolate chip is cool looking but terrible, and believe it or not certain times of year our in cypress heads that black/white/grey "urban camo" will work perfectly up in a tree stand, but stand out like a sore thumb walking around though.
For the camo map… I can’t believe how wrong it is. I live in Northern California, and the color swings every season, in fall/winter it gets gray and tan with a lot of brown, but after it rains the bright greens pop right back up again. Do research on your AO and adjust your camouflage accordingly.
I usually like German flecktarn, and also Swiss aplenflage which does a great job blending in during the autumn season but outside of that I mostly just stick with flecktarn
Oh of the best cammos I’ve ever seen was a homemade jacket made from about 4-5 different jackets cut up at random angles and all stitched (Like not full sleeves stitched on per say) looked goofy at first but holy hell when they were out did it break up the human form
Sir I just found your channel today.You are a breath of fresh air man.Speaking truth on all sorts of stuff political and otherwise been binge watching.Love it brother .subscribed
The concept behind mat black is low light reflectivity... it doesn't shine so it's better than metal color or white or a neon color... also in low light conditions or at night it allows you to blend into shadows. If you're not going to need your camo in that kind of situation, than black is not the way to go. Shiny black defeats the purpose of black as camo. Black strips under the eyes reduces cheek glare and it would defeat the purpose to use shiny black paint/makeup ... you'll see shiny black makeup used in movies all the time once you know that... I'm not all about all black all the time (you know the type)... I recognize that it has a limited scope, I'm just saying it has it's place, that's all.
Black absorbs light- that is true especially under the eyes But reflectivity has more to do with the term "matte" than the color. All matte colors soak in light, and even in shadows, if you watch the series from including clips from Sniper School from a Ranger buddy, black creates a hard outline that makes you easier to see than if you had another earth tone matte color or camo- say, fde, coyote tan, od green, or any good camo, so long as it is, again, matte. Any camo that works well in the day works better at night, the idea that all the sudden at night you need to wear any black or black themed camo's is uneducated
I am a fan of Flecktarn too. Flecktarn is great for fall and winter, when the leaves fall down and the forest becomes dark. Also in the dark, with the naked eye, Flecktarn performs well. But spring and summer is not Flecktarn seasons. I wear MultiCam.
Plain green in the summer and tan in the winter. Its all you need really. If going full camo (in the UK) The old British DPM in the summer, MTP (like your muliticam) in the winter.
I am super glad that camouflage is being talked about on two fronts. Yes, innawoods, marpat is a great camo near me. But cargo shorts and a stained tanktop makes you look like a forgettable person. Mossy oak makes you look (to liberals) like a hillbilly deerhunter. And if shit hit the fan, I would rather be found as a dude wearing hillbilly civi clothes than anything else. Precisely why my entire kit is mossy oak. Yepp, I'm a vet. Yepp, I love marpat. But mossy oak looks like deer hunter, works here, and doesnt scream military.
Yeah, I'm late to the party I know. Living in the central Florida coastal (west side) area what I think suits well is ATACS FGX. That said my carrier is Ranger green, my hot weather base is 5.11 Geo7 Terrain or Kryptek Mandrake combat shirts, 0241 Tactical FGX pullover anorak for cold weather, Multicam Tropic, FGX, and FG pouches, Multicam gloves, 0241 FGX neck gaiter, UA Ridge Reaper Forest hat (or MARPAT woodland boonie with netting over it), First Tactical Coyote V2 pants, Multicam gunbelt, 1 pair each of Merrell Moab 2 Earth (brown) and Walnut (OD green) boots for seasonal use, and finally rattle can camoflauge on rifles and pistol holster. I think it all sufficently breaks up my human "pattern" but it also breaks up any potential camo pattern saturation. In reality it's all stuff Ive pieced together over a few years for work, for pleasure, and occasionally for shits & giggles. That said I am a veteran 0311, and civilian law enforcement veteran. I hope this helps anyone who is finding themselves frustrated because they can't "color coordinate" thier entire kit. Trust me when I say this: You don't need to. Forgot to mention...I bought a god awful Army UCP canteen pouch and did the old Rit Apple Green dye job to it, and to three white bandanas. That green color is decidedly to bright unless you're environment is full of young Palmetto plants and healthy dune grass. I've worn the bandanas at work (in Florida summer sun) and washed each one twice. They faded quickly to a bleached out kelly green color, and I did the dye process exactly as directed.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors If you try the Apple Green on it you'll see what I mean. The canteen pouch hasn't faded, but I believe it's because it lives in my back seat area and my windows are tinted to 5%. I'm lookin forward to your testing bro. 👍
You're right on track. I was enlisted USAF from 1979 to 1990, and USAF Civil Service from 1992 to 2023. Even as a civilian employee, I bought camo for my military Brothern with my GPC. Although I was USAF, camo was still important for some of my assignments. During my time, I saw many different uniforms come and go. My first assignment was in Germany, starring-down the Soviets and Warsaw Pact. Back then, both the Army and Air Force wore olive drab permanent-press fatigues, often stained from charcoal leached from our NBC constant shelter suits. Accidently reminiscent of the German WWII field gray uniforms. They were too light weight of construction too serve well in the field. Later, I wore woodland BDUs. They were better than the OD permanent-press fatigues. The camo worn by the services today are costly and mostly unnecessary. Only a few personnel at the pointy end of the spear really require camouflaged uniforms. In my opinion, BDUs are the best uniform, but should be issued in solid khaki or olive drab colors. I don't believe the vast majority of personnel from the services really require camo while stationed in garrison and performing their day-to-day duties. State-side cooks, electronics specialists and nurses don't need Multicam uniforms.
I live in Eastern Washington. In my area it can go from dry 'sage' and basically desert to woodland really fast. One camo pattern I found that works really well out here is Peruvian digital woodland
It Utah the terrain is diverse also. Desert to the west, and barren to sage areas. I found the desert Atacs to work great. Sage areas I would use the ACU, and in the mountain areas are a toss up. Overall there is no one type that works for everything.
I need to save up for night vision. I was an Air Assault Cavalry Scout and most of the time our camo was the night, preferably with terrible weather and no moon.
I loved the hot weather bdu's I was issued when i first enlisted back in 2003. Hated when we switched to the acu. Duty station was in Schweinfurt Germany, bought some flektarn trousers and turned them into a pair of shorts when I got out, along with a pair of dcu trousers, lol! Still wear both to this day. Black is horrible, there is no true black in nature, midnight blue is much better for shadows or in the dark. Id say best all around base color would be a nice worn/faded olive drab, can always add to that with the local environment as needed. Great video and solid info! 👍
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors No shit? I was on Ledward, Aco 1-26In. It is a small world! I heard a couple years after i got out they turned it all over to the Germans who ended up using it for "refugee" housing. I do miss my time over there, and many of the guys i served with. Just came across your channel this evening, needless to say, I enjoy the content and subscribed. God bless you brother, appreciate your humbleness and the information your sharing!
They already exist, all you have to do is look. The claims of "horrible camo's" are based specifically on the militaries empirical evaluations and rankings.
Clearly the best cammo for every terrain is a red or black addidas running suit, assuming you have the right length of gold chain.
Hahaha now I want to watch Owen Wilson run from sniper fire.
Nah bro you need to get the blue and white one with the Dragunov sniper rifle.😁
you mean old smelly clothes and a stolen shopping cart, no one sees a bum until they are right in front of them asking for a dollar.
Hahaha....I'm dead. Great comment
Made me lol
On a serious note, I explain to people the 7 S's of camouflage:
1.) Silhouette (think the outline of head and shoulders, or what an AR looks like)
2.) Shape (the actual pattern ON the material)
3.) Shadow (Trying to stay outside of direct sunlight when moving)
4.) Smell (Obvious. Don't wear smelly cologne, or deoderant)
5.) Shine (Dull everything down!)
6.) Sound (Keep things from rattling and clinking, and watch your steps!)
7.) Speed (Don't move fast. Be slow and deliberate.)
Its a good way to go!
I know black stands out on night vision like dead pixels on a monitor. we paint everything in camo colors and the final step is to throw a few pine needles, leaves, etc on it to break up the final layer and allowing the layers below to peek through. it works well. As far as shapes and outlines - that is why your boonie hat has that webbing to shove a few branches of local fauna into to break up that outline. also it is good to have camo printed bug net to pull over your face... don't forget your hands and other human shapes (pull a little yarn through camo gloves to break up that shape outline)
in those old army teaching materials, they often say "do the first 7 things and you can conceal yourself in a pink short"
@@Spider-Too-Too LOL. Seriously, what I need is a face paint class... I saw one on YT one time, but didn't mark it for future viewing. Application was quick, but I guess if you put it on every morning like shaving, it goes pretty fast... It was some kind of star burst on forehead and chin, and then just fill in shadows, blend, smear, etc.
Also, a good light weight, bug mesh gillie poncho would be nice... especially if it rolls into pocket size... good even for urban environment where you can step into an overgrown empty lot and just disappear. Sit down, pop out the ghillie and face net, and an MRE for a quick meal and siesta during the hottest time of day.
@@barking.dog.productions1777 those
Crye Compact Assault Ghillie "half poncho?" looks pretty high speed and there are some airsoft replicated out there for cheap
DCU was extremely effective in the desert environment, so much so that soldiers were getting run over and left behind. thats why we switched to ACU so we would be more visible to everyone, which also failed because soldiers were still getting run over...which is why we implemented reflective PT belts in combat environments. Which lowered the amount of soldiers killed by run overs but increased the amount killed by enemy fire. This offset led to the development of multicam, which is extremely effective in all environments, resulting in entire platoons of soldiers being run over and left behind.
Non-vet here….. what? They made you guys wear PT belts in combat areas? I thought it was just for being on base and stuff? That’s nuts
@@patrickmahan351 he's being funny. No PT belts in combat
@@IG10705 lol thanks. Obviously PT belts wouldn’t make sense in combat but then again it’s the government! I wouldn’t be surprised
Never laughed so hard 😂😂😂
😂that is fucking hilarious!
Wanna blend? Roll in some dust. That'll lighten any darks, flatten shine, blend colors to match the environment.
1)The superiority of lighter base colors over darker colors is really important. Most camo patterns are too dark, they just look like black outlines from a distance, you're better off with a dull tan, olive drab, grey or khaki. Dull light grey is actually very effective. As long as it isn't too bright and stands out like neon green or army digicam.
2)Obscure the shape of you head. The Israelis use a thing called a 'mitznefet' that's basically a big floppy bonnet that covers the helmet. Just something shapeless instead of your head or helmet, it applies in pretty much any environment.
Big fan of plain old OD green here in the deep south. Especially after dark. Old school woodland is awesome also.
Not a military camo, but bottomland is great base camo down in the south
Od green / Ranger green is awesome
I have Goodluck with classic woodland army camo
@@Covey7342od green is military
@@Military.FutureUrbanCamo I didn’t say it wasn’t military, I said bottomland isn’t a military camo
I chose coyote brown as a base, its lighter and goes with just about everything because damn near every environment is gonna have brown in it
As a fellow camo nerd, it’s interesting to note that the tiger is patterned with orange because their prey (deer, antelope, zebra) have eyes that cannot see the orange against native foliage background. Our eyes see it as orange due to different biology
If my enemies can't see me how will they know how cool I look?
😅
They will know once they see their kill cam
I was a sniper 91/95 your sniper buddy is right, your camo changes as you move through different terrain (ferns to dry grass etc) then you have to take into consideration time of year, I found British DPM was OK in the autumn but at a distance you would almost look black against the green of grass it was so dark, so tones are really important.
Thank you for your service!
OD green is my go-to for basic camo as I larperate thru the woods
What’s also funny I’ve also been saying the same things here for years, and I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve gotten flamed by lots of people online(including “former infantry”). It seems too many are married to camo patterns rather than the field craft that goes into effective camouflage
chocolate chip is actually quite effective in Nevada/Arizona and Utah in the Spring/Summer, especially when you use a bit of fabric dry to darken it a shade or two, creating a " light chocolate milk" type of brown, put it against the rocky brown desert backdrop at 200 yards, you literally vanish. Same goes for 3-color desert
If you have to say "this camo is actually affective in this spot, if this is done to it" it isnt affective.
There are actual, scientific ways to measure the affectiveness of camo's- and a skilled person can make almost anything affective, but chocolate chip, even if its my favorite, ranks VERY low on affectiveness is military trials ever for the exact area it was designed for.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors so all camo patterns suck because Snipers add things to them in order to make guillie suites? Lol. Okay.
@@noco7243 you ENTIRELY missed the point.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I have successfully taken deer turkey and rabbit in the Missouri woods during fall/winter. Blends really well with the dead oak maple and walnut leaves, in addition to dead grass. It combines enough micro and macro patterns that it is effective at relatively close range 25m and out. Now that said hunting turkey is extremely difficult because they have eyes approximately three times better than a human. Make of that as you wish because this is just my experience. Nothing more.
Wasn't Choco Chip Camo made for deserts in the USSR?
Remember camouflage is blending in. In the city don’t dress like a tree. Food for thought. Be safe. Be prepared. Be a free American. 🇺🇸
So wear a jean, hoodie and sneakers in the city.
Jeans, I meant.
@@mardiffv.8775 if you are in a business district dress a little better. Sometimes a suit blends in. Environment is the factor. Observe others, see who does not blend in.
@@mardiffv.8775and wear an urban camouflage hat
Dress like a McDonalds employee
in basic training our drill sarge had us walk through an area...he had us stop there and asked us to find the troop....we were all looking away from the middle of the tiny clearing and into the brush....then when we couldn't find the person he had the person move. fucker was leaning up against the tree with the rifle leaning as well. we didn't see shit because the soldier face was painted AND had small soft twigs through out the ilbe and rifle...helmet as well. not a lot...just enough to break up the outline and rifle color. i was so lucky to have two former light infantry guys for my drill sgts. they even taught us to use the bottom of our boots to drive in tent stakes for sound control. little shit like that just made me so happy i joined the army. 1987-2017 army then air guard. go USA!
btw we were wearing m81 woodland camo. it really was great stuff in a wooded leafy environment. not so much in the desert.
Woodland is legit! Acu not so much haha
Faded woodland is pretty good in the desert.
I’m pretty sure chocolate chip camo was specifically made for that part of the country; it sucked in the Middle East and was replaced with the coffee stain/3 desert camo.
I agree with all of what you said about adding natural materials etc just pointing out that choc chip got a bad rap for sucking in the Middle East, but could be a good base in western us desert.
It was designed for a specific region in Utah- it might be ok specifically there, but there are still better options.
Camo doesnt work how people think it works- a lot has been learned since choc chip.
Its still better than nothing, its still an acceptable base all things considered, but its not best for anything.
It IS however quite trendy now.
6 pattern desert “choco chip” was designed for the deserts of the south west back in the late 1970s it was brought to Saudi Arabia around that time as it was going to be tested for any potential Cold War conflict in the Middle East and it was found to be lacking in most environments except for that of the Sinai and Israel,Palestine, Lebanon area which is where the US was operating in its peacekeeping role in the 1980s so the patterned continued. Of course Gulf War breaks out and it’s the pattern issued in bulk to the forces however at that time the 3 color coffee stained pattern was being introduced for rear duty and police service like air police, despite what a lot of people think there really wasn’t enough desert camo of any pattern to go around and outfit the whole military, a lot of units stationed in Europe redeployed to the Middle East never even got a desert pattern helmet cover and spent the whole war in jungle cammies, during the Somali civil war was when DCU really took off and became the standard pattern of the US armed forces as 6 pattern or DBDU fell out of circulation only being seen used sparsely as some supply issues still needed ironed out
John Cena has the best camouflage for every location.
100% accurate
I think anything with a blurred pattern is a good start. I accidentally washed a pair of my Woodland BDUs with the old Bug Juice in a pocket which blurred the sharpness of the distinctive color patterns. It worked great as a base camo. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do as good a job here if not better than any other military or most civilian camo out there.
Thats legit!
What’s the old bug juice?
@@druiz127 the old insect repellent in the OD bottle. I can’t remember the real name of it.
@@ryanfirst9761 thx
I've found that earth tones work great for me. I live downtown in a large urban area surrounded by people with a radically different ideology. Having a camo pattern isn't ideal and would attract attention, profile me and make me a target. Ranger green, coyote brown and grey mixed together work great in an urban area as well a wooded area.
We all know Rhodesian brush stroke and the elusive desert brush stroke is the Chad of all camo patterns
The M44 Erbsenmuster is the greatest camouflage dawg. It’s the god father of all camos.
Maybe the Chads were the shorts along the way.
How is RBS a Chad camo???
Rhodesian camo is so good that you can't even see the country on the map
Rhodieboo cope
'Who I am I to talk to you about camouflage' ... 'I did recce in the military' - meh. 'I am also a camouflage nerd' - Ooooh! Expert!!!
Always listen to people who have a passion about something.
I think the point of those maps is to give people a starting point for their environment. This stuff isn't meant to be law, it's to give people a good idea of what could work for the area that they're working with.
The guys that made those maps are constantly updating it too, based on ongoing testing and stuff.
The original maker of the map reached out to me- it was made as a light hearted mao, like a joke
If its being updated its for clicks- there is 0 testing that goes behind it.
Navy vet 85-95 . I wore Woodland camo during my two years shore duty as an MP . I still have a set of Woodys and they work well here in South Carolina . Recently I bought a large canvas drop cloth used by painters and dyed it with one pack of green Rit dye and one pack of brown Rit dye . It turned out similar to WW2 German Feldgrau. Field testing showed pretty good results . I'm going to sew it into a combat smock and pair of pants and buy a boonie hat to match . I have another drop cloth that I plan to dye Butternut Brown . Similar to what alot of Confederate soldiers wore rather than official Confederate Gray .
Your dog has a cool camo pattern.
I agree!!!
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors
He's a handsome ACD!
GA resident here! Strichtarn camo is my go-to. Especially with how many pine trees we have. Alpenflage also works very well during the fall,winter, and spring time, while also blending with all the clay and woods
Best camo ive come up with is a brown that matches soil in your area. You can ad whatever foilage, litter, ect to it to blend it in so good that if you didnt move youd be practically invisible. And itll blend in in urban inviroments with the populance.
I live in CT and do a lot of stuff in the woods at night or dusk, mainly fishing. I spraypainted my kayak the dark brown camo color they sell at walmart. you cant see it on NV because its matte but even at dusk to the eye the boat vanishes. At night you just want dark but not black colors unless youre deep in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night new moon etc.
The hardest things to see at night are trees so any tree colors will be good. Red is also good for night time but not bright red. your eyes cant pick up red when its dark which is another reason dark brown works so well because its basically just orange but very dark.
as far as during the day goes id just say dont move too much but i dont really find myself out there during the day very often.
6-color Desert Chocolate Chip was actually formulated based off of the deserts of the Southwestern U.S. When we tried to use it in Middle Eastern theaters like Afghanistan, it failed because the sand there was more pink-hued due to high granite composition. That's why we switched to the 3-color Desert. Also, black is absolutely great in camoflauge. Suddenly, everyone's scoffing at it, citing that 'black doesn't appear in nature'. Yes, it does, in the form of shadows. Because clothing doesn't have protrusions everywhere that cast shadows like natural foliage does, black must be used to mimic shadows. People say it's more visible under NODs, but whatever. I've even heard Desert Storm-era reports that the tiny black 'chips' in 6-color Desert Chocolate Chip heated up faster and more intensely than the other colors on the uniform. Sounds pretty absurd. For me, I live in Southeast Texas, which is pretty much tropical most of the year. It seems developers are finally getting the message that dull, subdued colors may not be the best for that environment. Most of our foliage is a brilliant, almost neon green. That's why I like AOR 2. It has that verdent lime green which is just perfect, along with the deeply saturated black portions of the pattern. Multicam Tropic may be even better as far as the rich lime green colors, but I wish their black was less subdued and more deeply black like AOR 2.
What is your professional training in the use of camo?
I’m central east Texas
I love the history and science behind camo too. Bought a few different patterns in the last 10 years, all based on where I'm living and potentially travel to. In every day its tan pants and preferably light green shirt, doesn't stick out and can be easily added to with vegetation if needed. Somehow they got the two areas I've lived recently as well as several brothers in another state right on that camo map. The only place black blends in is if you're trying to pass through or blend with blm/antifa lol
Personally I like faded m81
woodland bdu and the erdl lowland for the southwest including the pine forests. The erdl lowland looks like it would work very well where you are...
This is correct information, filmed in a great location. Thank you for your service. Focus on not swatting at mosquitos, not turning your entire head to look at something, not touching your face several times a minute, not scratching, etc. Walk several paces and stop for several minutes before continuing. I can promise you, you will see more game/ birds/ etc and disturb the natural ambiance less. And cover up or paint your human face and hands. Our mind excels at detecting a face, and a silhouette of a human. A mesh cobra hood and some debris takes care of the silhouette flawlessly. Semper Fidelis
Don't wash your clothing, never let it be exposed to tobacco smoke or kitchen scents, move slow, smooth, and (as much as possible) stay off or to the sides of paths, roads, etc. A looser fit is always better.
I remember Real Tree was incredible popular for bow hunting back in High School. It was great camo as long as you had the tree truck directly behind you. Great information in this comment section and in your video.
Well hunting Camo does better than military camo because they’re generalized for one area that you’re in
RealTree doubles as urban camo in my State
Excellent thoughts. Now I see comments below asking if certain types are good. Makes feel as though they missed the message of your video....LOL.
I wear lots of different BDU camo camping and hunting. However, the reasons are:
1) Ease of moving in them.
2) They don't show dirt like solid colors, so I don't feel like I'm wearing dirty clothes.
3) The nice, big pockets are handy.
4) Quick drying.
Bro Im just gonna go full cave man camo. Naked af with a sidecar loincloth.
Very good points.
I think a hood that extends past your shoulders and to about mid back that be looped with local foliage would be a very good piece of kit for anyone and a balaclava to help break up the face.
Yes, check out the Soviet camouflage smock from world war 2 often called "amoeba", dead simple pattern but the huge, weird hood that extends to the shoulders like you suggested disrupts the silhouette so well that it's surprisingly effective, plus the awesome texture of simple cotton fabric is dull and doesn't reflect light.
Love the video, us civillians do sometimes go overboard with the camo debate. I saw a really cool one though, a British Camo with a red brick pattern supposedly for urban environments, but i never saw it anywhere else for sale or anything.
If you live with snow you should get overwhites. My suit came with a pack cover and long strips of fabric for a rifle as well, weighs less than a pound and packs down to the size of a tall boy 👌
y'know, the first time I found out about the chocolate chip pattern, my immediate thought was "why not just wear a khaki uniform?"
As soon as that map showed up, I almost clicked off the video lmao
Dude if you do camo reviews, start the video with you hidden somewhere in the frame, show us how you can stay hidden with every thing you review. I think it would be fun to try and spot you and it'll showcase what you meant in this video. Thanks again as always for the good tips the pull back the curtains on bullshit.
Will do
💪🏻
Uh oh someone never seen Brent0331
Waldo in camo, lol
Chocolate chip apparently designed for the Mojave desert, having driven through there a few times, I can definitely see the inspiration. Out of the camps we have, its probably the best for the area.
What looks the best from a direct match is not always best. The human eye doesnt work so simply
@@ThepreppersbunkeroutdoorsIn that case, what patterns would you recommend for the Mojave? More specifically the regions adjacent to the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests in California
@Jota-rc8yq you ask "for the Mojave" which seems to indicate that you missed the point of the video
you and Brent0331 would have a great time working together on camo.
Also, if you want to be on the west coast, rainbow color would fit right in.
The dog's wearing the best camo
👆🏻
Solid earth tone colors are easier to move in and blend better the dirtier they get. Camouflage patterns are better sitting still but both can blend you in well enough if you know how to use what you’ve got. Remember your mind is the greatest weapon you’ll ever have!
FDE, the Base-layer of earth. Multicam splotches of Black, Sand, and OD Green. Then add green camo netting overtop for sprung/summer.
At least that works for me, hunting in Missouri.
Deer are about 1/3 white and they are seen, more times than not, because they move or are standing in the open and their outline is seen first.
I don't currently own any camo, although I have owned nearly every major brand. I like solid earth colors better, I can wear it anywhere including work. I like foliage green and medium grey. My "camo" for western hunting this year is just solid grey lol.
My dad and I were scouting an area while backpack hunting. We had set up camp and it was the evening before opening day. We sat on a rock in our jeans and plaid flannels. Dad took a nap, and I woke him up when a 4x3 buck came and walked a semi-circle around the rock we were sitting on and meandered off. We satyed still. He never looked up. No wild predators of adult deer come from the sky...
👆🏻
Would love to hear you go in depth more on how exactly you would “add” stuff from your surroundings.
-a normie with no military exp
Can do
Find some dirt, dump water in it to make mud, roll in it, then stick sticks, leaves etc on yourself. Sounds stupid but that's the easy way that actually works. The other process is complicated but our man will explain it in a video in the future.
I would like to see that
Buy a camonet, wrap it around your torso and sticks and grass to it. Mind you, only for stationairy purposes, during walking it would snack too much branches.
In an urban area how can you attach cheap wine bottles, syringes, and Biden posters?
There's a LOT of camo in that chart that ISN'T there but is as effective ie, Kryptek Highlander, Nomad, and Mandrake plus ATACS AU, FG, and IX, plus AOR1/2 (NWU Type 2/3) Multiland, LBX Project Honor, Vegeta, Digital Flora, SRU and so on
This is good info. I'm in the northeast and usually prefer good old olive drab or woodland. Also there is a reason tigers are orange. Im going to nerd out so get ready. Most land animals have dichromatic vision. Their are some exceptions such as primates. They do not see color in the same spectrum as humans which are trichromatic. This makes it very hard for prey to differentiate the orange tiger from green foliage in a lush green forest. So even though the tiger is orange it's stripes break up its silhouette and it is extremely camouflaged to its prey. Also In Indochina there is tons of dry undergrowth and tall grass. The tigers orange coat also allows it to be extremely camouflaged even to animals with trichromatic vision in this environment. Since your a camouflage nerd 🤓 , I just thought I'd let you know that a tigers coat has developed over time to be literally the best camouflage possible for the prey it hunts and its environment.
I own a pair of ATACS FG combat pants, and that color seems to be legit for NC spring/summer coastal plains woodlands..that is, until the seasons change. Hunters understand that fall and winter in NC is a whole lot different than springtime. Anyone that wants to blend in to the woodland scenery will have to change and adapt accordingly. Good video.
I wear atacs as well but it's kinda hard to find places that sell it except for Russian websites like Soviet power, browning discontinued the fg unfortunately
@@missourimongoose7643 I hear that, goose. FG is discontinued to my knowledge, and finding that particular pattern is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Same, only from Michigan. It works perfectly in the forests and farm fields of Southern Michigan during late spring and summer.
Seems like the same argument that fishermen have with colors of baits. At the End of the day you have to put it in front of a fish in order to catch them. So yes, I agree. Knowing how to move or not to move is the key.
Awesome video! I've noticed that a lot of people have been wearing camouflage in NYC, and it's kinda of a fashionable casual everyday occurrence. People aren't totally camouflaged. Just partially. I'm glad that I watched your video.
This is great information and great information. I can't remember the exact program but the air force did a study about camouflaging jets. The program showed that just basic zig zag patterns painted in black was enough to throw off the attacking fighter.
Also I got your sling today and will soon buy another. The attention to detail on the construction for your sling is second to none and is a great value for what I get. You can't find the quality where I can pick the colors anywhere else. I originally had a Vickers tactical padded sling and it's going into the garbage for many of the reason you state to not draw a hard line.
I don't say this to everyone but thank you for your service. From what I can tell your a good American and a principled Christian.
Break the shape up so the viewer doesn't consciously register anything out of the ordinary.
I agree. The exact camo paterns don't matter that much.
I've always liked M81 woodland. Most of my gear is M81 or USMC coyote tan because it's very cheap and affordable US made gear. Works great in the American midwest. Tan 5.11 pants from work with a BDU top do a good enough job. Woodland M65 rocks. And Ive got my leftover OCP from my Army days.
Camo is a lot like any tool- I wish people would worry more about buying stuff that is just before the rate of diminishing returns in cost- and spend the rest of their cash in testing, training, and sweat equity.
But here we are.
Most comments are "what camo is best" or "is my camo good" or "my camo works gud"
🤷♂️
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors It's easier to spend money and pose for pictures in your backyard than actually sweat and train. I think that gets a lot of "preppers". Then someone with no skill and expensive gear can feel like they have an edge on someone who actually knows what they are doing.
Grey and black ..the dogs fur actually blended very well with the environment
It's kind of crazy huh!
In the golden hills of California with spot scub oaks I use desert tiger stripe and the the multi color chest/web gear.
In this country you can disappear.
Even works well in big timber.
I personally love Tiger Stripe for Florida. Especially the more wet areas of Florida.
That’s why I like multicam reg and arid it’s a light base that can always be made darker with vegetation and died jute
💪🏻
If there's a small bit of greenery present in my environment, I'm rocking Alpenflage ever single time. It's genuinely amazing how many environments it blends in with, and it looks stylish as fuck. It's also pretty comfortable, and if I get killed from my own idiocy or my opponent just being better than me, I want to look stylish when I die.
🤣🤣🤣
It's all about the looks!
I'm a big fan of mix matching camos, obviously within reason, like I keep it to 2 different patterns, and I want to do light on light camos, and or have similar colors in each, or do light top dark bottom
I used to agree. "Break your silhouette in half". Watching Ukrainian combat footage has changed my mind.
The two tone guys show up big time, especially when they move.
@letsdothis9063 yeah, two tone can be effective in still position
Any time I think of camo not blending with the environment. I think of Sean Connery's character in a bridge too far with his hedgegrove camo and leaves in a city.
It was even mentioned by Lt. Colonel Frost in the movie: ua-cam.com/video/w5wsMpKJlUA/v-deo.html
Up here in Michigan; Marpat and Walnut -dyied desert works great in the woods, urban ops may require some adjustment as Camo is a common form of dress up here. I do agree toa point but some black is necessary in woodland ops to create shadow. USMC-retired, survival/evasion instructor.). Good info good work.
Currently my favorite pattern is "King's Mountain Shadow" it works best for the mountain areas of Utah.
Old school woodland is God's camo.
I love the look of Flecktarn, but in personal testing you can see it at every distance in the woods. It doesn't blend, it just became a dark spot in the woods.
Chocolate Chip is an outstanding camo for Fall/Winter in a Non-Evergreen Woodland Forest environment. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio etc. When I was in AFG in 2010-2011, we were sometimes attached to the 10th Mountain Division. In the Snowy, Rocky, Grey environment in the Mountains, the UCP did an outstanding job. Anywhere else I agree, it's a no-go. In my opinion, solid green/khaki pants with a camo shirt and Solid Green/FDE helmet or Camo Pants, Solid Green/Khaki shirt with Camo Helmet works well. You don't have to have a full matching camouflage. The disruption of a large portion of the body going from camo then to a solid color then back to camo (Or Vice Versa) is an outstanding option. Many people overlook solids for what they wear. Combining a Ranger green or Olive Drab uniform with FDE/Coyote accessories is a pretty good year-round choice.
We were replaced by 10th mtn in logar province in 10/11 and if that is where you were i most certainly disagree- at least any time there wasnt snow. The picture shown here was baraki barak (sp)
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Small world. Might have bumped into you somewhere in that Derelict Shithole. 1st CAV wore UCP 80% of my time there(Didn’t matter as much to me as I wasn’t a ground pounder but a CWO flying Doorless OH-58 Kiowa’s) a couple months before I left I started to see Multicam showing up. Id say the majority of my time was in and around Logar and Wardak. From where I sat, UCP was a bitch to spot in the light snow/grey of the Mountains. In my prior tours (All Iraq) the UCP really stood out. However my flight suits were 3 Color Desert with a M81 Woodland Harness/Chest Rig. Then when I cycled back and got ready for AFG is when I was issued UCP everything.
Good to meet you.
“Garry Owen”!
Very cool!
And the difference between what we see from the ground and from the air could be a big one!
Its hard to say, i didn't spend much time in the air, and when i did i was looking between my legs or at the back of my eyelids ;-)
I live on the east coast of Florida. In my area has a lot and I will say it again, a lot of empty housing lots. So what my brothers, friends and I do is buy BDU camo pants and shirts of different colors and patterns. There's a nice place in the dense part of these empty lots where there's a tree branch that allows us to hang the uniforms up, pants and top, with the right side of the uniform covered with the natural foliage in front of it, and the left hand side is open. Looking at it with the foliage in the background. What we found out is that ACU works really well then this environment as long as it is bright outside. Now there are colors that work extremely well regardless if it's bright or dark outside, coyote, multi-cam scorpion, woodland/tiger stripe. Olive drab somehow doesn't seem right for the area. Now Rothko did put out a new camo pattern, coyote camo. We have not yet tried this because they do not have a BDU style shirt yet. We all seem to agree that if our lives absolutely depended on it, coyote or multi-cam would be the choice to go to. When it's dark outside, subdued digital urban works great. It's not black but has other shades of gray in it so you don't look like a dark solid mass walking around.
I looove ATACS-AU, such a cool looking print. This video taught me that I need to camo up my black equipment. TY
Yup! Luckily its easy! 💪🏻
I may be biased but the best unaltered camo I’ve seen used in multiple environments is woodland marpat. In the desert, I saw the guys in desert marpat before I saw the woodlands because a little bit of sand on the cammies lets them blend in with the little bit of brush in the background. The deserts and salty cammies stand out at eye level.
Multicam as a base is just obvious from what I can tell. Most environments offer enough shade in the backdrop that the light colors just pop. Even in pictures I’ve seen you’re like “wow he looks badass” instead of “where is he?”.
You are looking at pictures of people wearing fresh multicam-
Pictures that are edited to make the person wearing them because they are an influencer who is trying to sell things to you.
That map was made by posters on /k/ around 2014 based on what posters said they preferred for use in thier area
ACU-Advanced Combat Uniform isn't a Camouflage Pattern.UCP- Universal Camouflage Pattern, OEFP-Operation Enduring Freedom Pattern the original version of Multicam. OCP- Operational Camouflage Pattern the improved version of Multicam.
Yeah, but we call m81 bdu, and ucp Acu because those are the uniforms that represent the pattern.
Nobody cares.
OD green or woodland works well in NE OK. I prefer OD.
I think we can all agree Rhodesian brushstroke just makes you stand out as a wehraboo
“If you need to upgrade anything upgrade your mind and your training” loved that
i preffer nude with a smooth thin coating of mud & clay 🤣😆🤤
So I am watching this simply while on duty at my security post, and I agree with a lot of this. I remember one person managed to spot me while I was doing an airsoft game despite being in full camouflage and a mask, simply because I hadn't lowered myself down enough and my rifle I was using was pure black, standing out severely. I quickly noticed it, lowered myself to the ground, and just threw some leaves over both myself and my rifle, and I managed to last for a very long time before inevitably being pinned down due to the report of the airsoft rifle and being unable to quickly relocate due to location and also limitations to not be disqualified.
But anyway, this video has helped me rethink my choice of getting new camouflage. I've simply not been correctly using my camouflage properly, and I'll need to rethink my strategies going forward.
So, thank you very much for the video and your insights on it.
From my own experience, M81 Woodland works best wear I live.
And were do you live exactly?
Faded M81 Woodland works great in south Florida and is my favorite, chocolate chip is cool looking but terrible, and believe it or not certain times of year our in cypress heads that black/white/grey "urban camo" will work perfectly up in a tree stand, but stand out like a sore thumb walking around though.
This guy is good people. His buppy is having a great time in the woods lmao you can hear it the whole time.
Haha yeah the puppers love coming out with me :-)
The ASAT camo marketed towards hunters looks like an excellent base layer. A lot of tan.
For the camo map… I can’t believe how wrong it is. I live in Northern California, and the color swings every season, in fall/winter it gets gray and tan with a lot of brown, but after it rains the bright greens pop right back up again. Do research on your AO and adjust your camouflage accordingly.
I usually like German flecktarn, and also Swiss aplenflage which does a great job blending in during the autumn season but outside of that I mostly just stick with flecktarn
Oh of the best cammos I’ve ever seen was a homemade jacket made from about 4-5 different jackets cut up at random angles and all stitched (Like not full sleeves stitched on per say) looked goofy at first but holy hell when they were out did it break up the human form
Sir I just found your channel today.You are a breath of fresh air man.Speaking truth on all sorts of stuff political and otherwise been binge watching.Love it brother .subscribed
Thanks!!!
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors no, thank YOU brother.You are shining the light on the corporate bro vet enemies of the constitution.PREACH
The prepper:"Today im going to talk to you about camouflage"
Me: "How big was this marine?"
(if your curious its a reference to the song camouflage)
Wooooaahh camouflage .
Things are never quite they way they seem!
The concept behind mat black is low light reflectivity... it doesn't shine so it's better than metal color or white or a neon color... also in low light conditions or at night it allows you to blend into shadows. If you're not going to need your camo in that kind of situation, than black is not the way to go. Shiny black defeats the purpose of black as camo. Black strips under the eyes reduces cheek glare and it would defeat the purpose to use shiny black paint/makeup ... you'll see shiny black makeup used in movies all the time once you know that... I'm not all about all black all the time (you know the type)... I recognize that it has a limited scope, I'm just saying it has it's place, that's all.
Black absorbs light- that is true especially under the eyes
But reflectivity has more to do with the term "matte" than the color.
All matte colors soak in light, and even in shadows, if you watch the series from including clips from Sniper School from a Ranger buddy, black creates a hard outline that makes you easier to see than if you had another earth tone matte color or camo- say, fde, coyote tan, od green, or any good camo, so long as it is, again, matte.
Any camo that works well in the day works better at night, the idea that all the sudden at night you need to wear any black or black themed camo's is uneducated
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors once again, I was just saying black has it's place, that's all.
Flektarn is still an amazing camo nevertheless.
i wear it for the hippie look
I am a fan of Flecktarn too. Flecktarn is great for fall and winter, when the leaves fall down and the forest becomes dark. Also in the dark, with the naked eye, Flecktarn performs well. But spring and summer is not Flecktarn seasons. I wear MultiCam.
Plain green in the summer and tan in the winter. Its all you need really. If going full camo (in the UK) The old British DPM in the summer, MTP (like your muliticam) in the winter.
I am super glad that camouflage is being talked about on two fronts.
Yes, innawoods, marpat is a great camo near me. But cargo shorts and a stained tanktop makes you look like a forgettable person. Mossy oak makes you look (to liberals) like a hillbilly deerhunter.
And if shit hit the fan, I would rather be found as a dude wearing hillbilly civi clothes than anything else.
Precisely why my entire kit is mossy oak. Yepp, I'm a vet. Yepp, I love marpat. But mossy oak looks like deer hunter, works here, and doesnt scream military.
👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Yeah, I'm late to the party I know. Living in the central Florida coastal (west side) area what I think suits well is ATACS FGX. That said my carrier is Ranger green, my hot weather base is 5.11 Geo7 Terrain or Kryptek Mandrake combat shirts, 0241 Tactical FGX pullover anorak for cold weather, Multicam Tropic, FGX, and FG pouches, Multicam gloves, 0241 FGX neck gaiter, UA Ridge Reaper Forest hat (or MARPAT woodland boonie with netting over it), First Tactical Coyote V2 pants, Multicam gunbelt, 1 pair each of Merrell Moab 2 Earth (brown) and Walnut (OD green) boots for seasonal use, and finally rattle can camoflauge on rifles and pistol holster. I think it all sufficently breaks up my human "pattern" but it also breaks up any potential camo pattern saturation. In reality it's all stuff Ive pieced together over a few years for work, for pleasure, and occasionally for shits & giggles. That said I am a veteran 0311, and civilian law enforcement veteran.
I hope this helps anyone who is finding themselves frustrated because they can't "color coordinate" thier entire kit. Trust me when I say this: You don't need to.
Forgot to mention...I bought a god awful Army UCP canteen pouch and did the old Rit Apple Green dye job to it, and to three white bandanas. That green color is decidedly to bright unless you're environment is full of young Palmetto plants and healthy dune grass. I've worn the bandanas at work (in Florida summer sun) and washed each one twice. They faded quickly to a bleached out kelly green color, and I did the dye process exactly as directed.
I want to do some testing with dying acu
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors If you try the Apple Green on it you'll see what I mean. The canteen pouch hasn't faded, but I believe it's because it lives in my back seat area and my windows are tinted to 5%.
I'm lookin forward to your testing bro. 👍
I remember a rit dye recipe for a nice od that i think involved mixing apple green with forest green and a brown...
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I don't know anything about that. I saw the Apple Green to fix UCP here on UA-cam.
You're right on track. I was enlisted USAF from 1979 to 1990, and USAF Civil Service from 1992 to 2023. Even as a civilian employee, I bought camo for my military Brothern with my GPC. Although I was USAF, camo was still important for some of my assignments. During my time, I saw many different uniforms come and go. My first assignment was in Germany, starring-down the Soviets and Warsaw Pact. Back then, both the Army and Air Force wore olive drab permanent-press fatigues, often stained from charcoal leached from our NBC constant shelter suits. Accidently reminiscent of the German WWII field gray uniforms. They were too light weight of construction too serve well in the field. Later, I wore woodland BDUs. They were better than the OD permanent-press fatigues. The camo worn by the services today are costly and mostly unnecessary. Only a few personnel at the pointy end of the spear really require camouflaged uniforms. In my opinion, BDUs are the best uniform, but should be issued in solid khaki or olive drab colors. I don't believe the vast majority of personnel from the services really require camo while stationed in garrison and performing their day-to-day duties. State-side cooks, electronics specialists and nurses don't need Multicam uniforms.
I live in Eastern Washington. In my area it can go from dry 'sage' and basically desert to woodland really fast. One camo pattern I found that works really well out here is Peruvian digital woodland
That sounds like a cool camo! I got lost hunting in E Wa when i was about 14... on... Edward Mtn? Haha beautiful country up there.
It Utah the terrain is diverse also. Desert to the west, and barren to sage areas. I found the desert Atacs to work great. Sage areas I would use the ACU, and in the mountain areas are a toss up. Overall there is no one type that works for everything.
Where I live, the South African Hunter group camo is pretty legit. I got a hoodie in that camouflage and use it for coyote hunting. Works 👍
Better tools almost never make up for lack of practice.
I need to save up for night vision. I was an Air Assault Cavalry Scout and most of the time our camo was the night, preferably with terrible weather and no moon.
I really like tiger-stripe but its so dark that it always sticks out. 🙁
I loved the hot weather bdu's I was issued when i first enlisted back in 2003. Hated when we switched to the acu. Duty station was in Schweinfurt Germany, bought some flektarn trousers and turned them into a pair of shorts when I got out, along with a pair of dcu trousers, lol! Still wear both to this day. Black is horrible, there is no true black in nature, midnight blue is much better for shadows or in the dark. Id say best all around base color would be a nice worn/faded olive drab, can always add to that with the local environment as needed. Great video and solid info! 👍
I was stationed at Schweinfurt on Conn Barracks!
Small world.
Now im wondering where my flecktarn shorts are...
Lol!
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors No shit? I was on Ledward, Aco 1-26In. It is a small world! I heard a couple years after i got out they turned it all over to the Germans who ended up using it for "refugee" housing. I do miss my time over there, and many of the guys i served with. Just came across your channel this evening, needless to say, I enjoy the content and subscribed. God bless you brother, appreciate your humbleness and the information your sharing!
Yeah it was soon after i left in 2011 that they did that.
Im sure they are literal ghettos now.
Glad to have ya!
A video about the empirical evaluation of camo would be pretty cool. It'll put some weight behind claims of "horrible camos"
They already exist, all you have to do is look. The claims of "horrible camo's" are based specifically on the militaries empirical evaluations and rankings.