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
Camouflaging field equipment – Gear
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.
Camouflaging field equipment – Optics
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.
Related article: Tips To Good Optics Use When Hunting or Tracking
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.
Camouflaging field equipment – Weapons
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.
Recommended reading: Mastering The Skill Of Stalking When Hunting For Survival
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.
Conclusion
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.
Useful resources to check out:
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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.