Camouflaging field equipment – Gear
We have the will to outlast everything!
If one day, you will have to bug out into the woods, staying
away from other human beings will become a major and complicated on-going task.
Remaining undetected requires for you to also know a few camouflaging field
equipment techniques. It’s more than just making sure you’re not leaving tracks
and trash behind.
Proper personal camouflage can be completely negated if
attention to detail doesn’t extend to field and web gear as well. Even gear
that is brand new isn’t ready as it comes from the package.
Ever notice how older web gear isn’t stiff and shiny with
the sizing used to manufacture it? Simply washing it with the laundry removes
the “new” patina, softens the outer material and reduces shine. A
well-worn LC-1 harness is likely to be somewhat faded, scuffed in spots, and
probably dirty as well. Lay it down in a weed patch, and it becomes rather
difficult to find again. It’s still serviceable and has acquired its own
camouflage with age. The same holds true with most web gear, load-bearing
harnesses like the LC-1 civilian web type belts and popular nylon holsters and
clip pouches
The techniques for muting both the color and noise of most
web gear and harnessed are very simple. Once trouble spots are recognized.
Brass hardware wears shiny with time and use, as do eyelets and suspender
snaps. If not worn shiny, theca fittings corrode and may rasp and squeak loudly
when body motion causes the harness and load to shift.
Flat black or brown spray paint can be applied to metal
fittings of any type of web gear. It serves a two-fold purpose by both covering
the fittings and mottling its appearance. More than one color can be used if
desired.
The harness snaps on military web gear are sore points, with
anyone who has ever had to wear it. The LC-1 harness, worn under the ALICE
pack, gouges both kidneys and ribs. One way to avoid this is to wrap the
offending snaps with dark-colored duct tape. Another quiet, and more permanent,
the solution is to replace the snaps with a short length of black or green
paracord. Not only will you eliminate a source of pain, glare and revealing
noise, but you will reduce the overall weight of the basic combat harness as
well.
This same technique can also be used to attach any other
gear to the harness such as clip pouches, canteens, military style pistol
holsters, and first aid dressing pouches to name just a few.
Most civilian web gear, holsters, and load-bearing harnesses
incorporate structural nylon buckles. Easy to attach, quiet, and lightweight,
these buckles come ready-made with a dull matte finish. They are ideal as
replacement parts to gear already equipped with noisy or shiny metal buckles.
Most sizes can be purchased inexpensively at local camping or mountain
equipment stores.
One way to gain an edge in a man vs. man, or man vs. animal
situation, is to be able to observe without being seen yourself. Usually, the
edge goes to whoever spots his adversary first. The best way to accomplish this
is to utilize high-quality optics available on the commercial market. These
optics range from compact monocular& spotting scoots, and telephoto lenses,
to range compensating rifle scope.
One problem most of them have in common is glare. Sunlight,
bouncing off lenses front low morning or afternoon sun, is highly visible.
Nothing in nature produces anything similar. Ask any rescue pilot how far
sunlight bouncing off a signal mirror can be seen. The answer is miles.
Considerable glare also reflects from the polished surfaces of blued rifle
barrels, camera lens bodies, and spotting scope housings.
Camera and lens bodies, as well as rifle scopes, can either
be painted a dull color or wrapped in a non-reflective material. Care must be
taken not to restrict movement of critical parts such as ranging or trajectory
adjustment knobs, camera lens aperture rings, or image focusing barrels. These
parts can be masked with tape prior to painting. Cloth electrician’s tape, not
the shiny plastic variety, is still available in hardware stores and can be
applied to non-moving optical parts. It does leave a sticky residue when removed,
but this comes off easily with a paper towel or Q-Tip and household rubbing
alcohol.
Commercial “camouflage” patterned tape is popular
and leaves no residue when remised. I find it rather shiny when placed in
strong sunlight. But I’m obviously a minority, sporting goods stores sell quite
a lot of it. Some manufacturers, aware of their customers’ needs, have
developed rubber coatings for some models of optical equipment. Originally
designed to protect against hard knocks, and succeeding at that nicely, these
coatings also reduce most of the visible glare from an optical housing,
Depending on the manufacturer, colors available range from black, to OD green,
to camouflage patterns like those found on military fatigues.
Most brand name optical companies now field at least one
armored version of either rifle scopes, binoculars, or spotting scopes. One
other advantage I found when using the rubber coated optics. When my binoculars
fall out of my jacket, awing on the neck strap and bang into the stock of my
hunting rifle, the range at which deer are spooked is somewhat extended. When
in strong sunlight, use optics from a shaded area.
Taught by the military to snipers and forward observer, this
eliminates the sun glare so readily seen by hostile personnel or a
photographer’s quarry. As an added benefit, it is also much easier to see into
another shaded from a shaded area. Much more so than from a patch of strong
sunlight. Game animals know this instinctively and usually, bed down in the
shade of rocks or heavy timber. The mottled appearance of light and shadow on
an animal’s body or concealed observer is one of the best natural camouflage
patterns there is.
The last problem area of field gear is weapons. Assault
rifles, battle rifles, hunting or sniping rifles, and hunting bows can all
benefit from properly applied camouflage. Most hunting rifles, as well as some
assault rifles — for whatever reason — have scopes mounted on them. Optics have
been discussed already, but some of the methods used can be applied to the weapons
themselves. Cloth electrician’s tape can be applied to rifle barrels to cut
glare from highly polished blued steel.
On rifles, strips of burlap can be loosely wound or tied to
any area of the weapon us long us they don’t interfere with moving parts. The
most critical areas being bolts, the operating rods of some semiautomatic
rifles, trigger housings, safeties, or magazine wells. Strips of white cloth or
tape can be used in lieu of burlap in snow country. This method is also taught
by the military.
Flat brown, light or dark green, grey or white spray paint can be applied directly to rifles or hunting bows. Color naturally depends on background foliage in the area it will be used in. The same caution applies to paint as it does to burlap strips. Beware of moving parts.
Fiberglass and Kevlar stocks are available as standard
equipment from some manufacturers or as after-market accessories for many
modern rifles. Not only are these stocks lighter, stronger, and weather
resistant than their wood counterparts, they are easier to paint and thus
camouflage. Either flat colored paints or the specially designed “wrinkle”
paints now on the market can be used. Colors available are black, brown, green,
and grey.
In addition to reducing glare, this finish provides a secure
grip in a wet or cold climate. One last tip on rifles gained as experience in
wartime as well as on the hunting grounds. Rifle sling swivels should be kept
tightened and well-oiled to avoid loud, game spooking squeaks and rattles, or
removed altogether.
Hunting bows can he subdued with either flat paints or soft
cotton damn patterned sleeves fitted over the limbs. Attention should also be
paid to bow mounted accessories like arrow rests, sight pins and brackets,
quivers, and stabilizers. I think more has been written on camouflage for bow hunters
and their equipment than any other group outside the military.
The need for camouflaging field equipment may not seem like a priority now. However, having this type of knowledge can be useful when SHTF and people are competing for resources. You may be forced to stay hidden to avoid dangerous encounters, or you will need all the advantage you can get to bag a meal. Whatever the reasons may be, learning a thing or two about camouflaging field equipment is smart preparedness.
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The military did an extensive study of camouflage. The conclusion was the best results were to divide an object into 7 sections. Less than 7 the object was recognizable. More than 7 and it just looked muddy brown. If you want to camouflage a hat divide it into 7 segments. But if you put that hat on a person, the hat should be 1 segment of the whole.
Well done.
A good follow-up article would be camouflaging a camp sight or observation post.
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Camouflaging field equipment – Gear
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