Fake vegetation

[kyo]

A lot of the literature about stealth and camouflage that I have read has suggested attaching foliage and natural debris to your equipment. However I have never seen anyone in person (and very few on the internet) do this in the paintball realm. Initially I thought it did not really matter in the distances that were involved in paintball. But then I tried attacking some fake leaves to some of my gear and I believe it was helpful.

This lead me to think that there were other issues that stopped people from attaching natural vegetation (hereby addressed as NV) to their gear, and I think that fake vegetation (hereby addressed as FV) addresses some of these issues as well as adds some improvements.
The biggest issue that I think impedes people from attaching natural vegetation (NV) to their equipment is the time it would take to add new vegetation each week that they play. Fake vegetation (FV) however addresses this issue, as the FV is more durable in terms of ripping and decay. It appears that once you add FV to ones equipment, that it requires less replacement that NV in terms of durability. For example, I can look out my bedroom window and guess the conditions of my local field (and thusly attach FV to my camouflage one time), as oppose to going to my field and spending valuable playing time to improve my camouflage.
In terms of durability, the only factors that I can think of that would have a direct effect on FV would be shots from a paintball and ambient moisture. But from my experience with FV and NV I would imagine that FV would be superior in terms of being shot with paintballs.
Another issue may be that the literature suggests you must constantly change your NV on your camo, depending on your immediate surroundings. I would argue that majority of the people that you would play against would have difficulty in identifying vegetation (especially in terms of what leaves belong where; to an extent). Some people may see any “leaves” as “leaves”, where as few others may recognize the differences between different leaves. Even still, I would argue that the advantages of adding common FV to ones equipment would outweigh the use of no vegetation in one camouflage.

For all of those people who would type “TLDR” I would suggest to read the following
advantages of Fake vegetation:
More durable
Looks realistic (offers natural shadows)
fairly cheap
light weight (for the space that it covers)

on a side note it can be easier to attach. I attached to the plants to my mask with jute string. If I had to do it again I would use plastic zip ties. The fake vegetation seemed to allow better breathing through my mask as opposed to fully camouflaging my mask with ghillie .

[Wolfen]

I've used home made webbing- suits where you add natural (or fake) vegetation. In general as you say fake vegetation is easier to apply, but it does not blend in as well in your surroundings. Also the main point with adding vegetation to your camo is that it's perfectly matched to the vegetation around you, that type of vegetation can completely change by simply moving 10 meters (30 ft for all you people that still haven't learned a more practical measuring system) and then you need to change the vegetation on your camo to blend in again. Same applies to both natural and fake vegetation, natural is just easier to change "as you move" so to speak.

If you lay still adding vegetation (fake or natural) to your camo that match your surrounding is probably the best thing out there to help you stay hidden, but i do have to say that it's a pain to have to change it as you move around on the field. If your don't change you will mismatch with your surroundings and you'll actually stand out rather then stay hidden.

[majorghost]

Do you have pictures? Always great to show other snipers how you attach veg to your mask/body/ghillie.

The pic at the bottom is a prime example of how using natural veg works so well. It took me a very long time to cut the grass and weave it into the ghillie tog. However, when you are in your hide you are one with your backdrop. Also, no matter where you hide, you are still wearing living material so the OP For can mistaken you as just part of the bush.

Jute or synthetic string is the best choice .... for the price. Or you can go with some of these: www.tacticalconcealment.com/cat-ghillie-garnish-fiber.cfm

[Allu]

As far as my limited experience goes, i think that there is a optimal middle road that one needs to find.

The trick in my opinion is a good base of fake vegetation that has a overall suitability to your general environment, to this you then add natural vegetation or more specialized one depending on your needs.

Another thing when considering camouflage is the usability of the gear, if its cumbersome and hinders you, you are likely to not utilize its full potential, what I try to say is that your style of play has a great effect on the choices one should make.

And as a side note (this cant be repeated to many times) remember HOW you use the cammo, its not a Harry Potter invisibility cloak, staying unseen takes practice and effort (tho it usually involves doing nothing, but it's doing nothing the right way).

Majors pic shows a great compromise in my opinion, it disrupts the form and has the melt into the environment effect, but still it seems to not hinder movement and has easy access to gear (i.e. nothing on chest and legs)

When creating camouflage I use the approach where I (with help of pics and friends) try to hide features starting from the most obvious (i.e. the ones that stick out the most)

P.S. I'll try to get around to upload some pics of different camo setups I'v used and played against, once i get the proverbial thumb out my a*s and start doing something for my hobbies

So if I would try to improve the cammo in Majors pic, I'll close my eyes and open them and see what makes me "see" the paintball player. For me I find the "signs" in the following order:

Scope (black ring)

Combo of scope/ raiser/ hand guard/ camo tape (Large area that doesn't melt in)

Legs (form, also it is distinct since its a area of same color scheme other than the surrounding)

Then it's the gray area in the middle (lower torso, gut, tummy, don't know what to call it, where there is a lot of gray in same area)

By no means is this in any way intended as negative critique, I just used it as an example to try to explain a method, and the pic was there in front of me.. (I know I'm lazy) further more the pic illustrates many features of utilizing cammo in a way that if it would be more widespread on the field, the term sneaky player or sniper, would be less questioned as a phenomena.

[Allu]

Curtesy of Wolfen, I can now contribute with a analysis on my own cammo (felt a bit bad about using Majors pic)



There's the baseline



And here the problems as i see them.

1. Form of head and also body
2. that shadow just adds to the unnatural part of it
3. The blue shadow seems to fall more naturally over me as opposed to the yellow one that accentuates head form
4. The shoe/ foot is also seen

On a side note, this is as you probably have guessed, a posed pic. I wanted to see how the ghillie looked and Wolfen gave me a hand.

Other lessons learned, this ghillie needs loops for vegetation, I'm thinking about stripping off some stuff on the front and i need to work on how to hide my head.

Also sry for terrible handwriting

[majorghost]

Using the best camo in the best location is the key. A pile of leaves or grass in the middle of an open field is a dead give away. The above photo could be improved on simply by hiding near other objects. Therefore the form of the person you still see would break up behind the object (try downed trees, raised grass or bushes). Remember never to use isolated cover as that's another give away.


Here's me standing up and as you can see the grass is only on the back, neck and head of the ghillie tog. I have to lay down to blend in. Its more of an assaulter's style of ghillie.



You can never make the perfect ghillie. Instead look to make the other players look twice. That give you the extra time to take the shot, should you be discovered.

[Wolfen]

While i agree with The comments Allu made on his own camo, i would still have to say that 9 out 10 paintball players would've walked right past you without ever noticing you. Also i actually think the shadows IS what makes you blend in so well on those pictures. If you look how the shadows look around the real fallen tree, and Allu... due to the direction of the sunlight it actually makes him look more natural then he would if the light came from another direction.

[Allu]

I agree with you Major, the concept of "assult ghilie" appeals to me, since in the majority of the time on field, a normal ghillie is a bit of a overkill, and if your not using it, then why carry it... then again, those times that one really gets to setup that perfect ambush, man, i love that stuff

[majorghost]

Yes, full ghillie suits with coverage front and back from head to toe is not recommended. You will snag on everything. Plus players will be looking for a human form and to use that type of ghillie you are supposed to stand. Even though you will blend in, there is a chance they will see the form. Close to 9 times out of 10 players will not look at the ground and that's where we need to be. Less form and less profile. That brings us to the assaulter's ghillie. Its only for your head and shoulders (not the shampoo, lol).




Or for more coverage of you back and legs:

[wingbatwu]

I found this online for about 20$ incl. shipping, so I ordered two (one in black and one in tan).

[casper]

Put up links please!

[wingbatwu]

I found it on www.aliexpress.com search for "TMC Tactical Head Ghillie"

[Allu]

www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=TMC+Tactical+Head+Ghillie&catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20130325094456

[dorsai]

While I've been out of the hiding game for some time I always
found that players tend to focus their search for me when I hid
looked for me standing. Simply laying down foils detection to
some degree, but if I really wanted to hide I'd try and locate
an area where there was a lot of tree leaf clutter, or if there's
a few pine trees, then areas where the needles have piled up.
Simply scrape away some of the leaves/needles and give the
exposed area a few minutes to dry out, or scatter a few dry
leaves or needles down. I should note, it helps having a
friend who can then drop handfuls or leaves or needles that
you've collected from the general area over top of you. If
done correctly you end up appearing like just another bump
in the ground. Another trick that also worked as to bring'
along a piece of camo bug netting, typically found in most
military surplus stores. A piece 6' X 6' easily folds small
enough to fit in your BDU cargo pocket. When you find
a spot, just open the material and drape it over yourself.
You'll be able to look through it, but someone looking is
going to have a hard time spotting you because the net
creates a shadow.

Love to hear how either of these techniques work for
anyone who tries them.

Sincerely,

Andy aka 'Dorsai'

[Allu]

Another thing to consider is that the obvious spots, even tho providing good cammo, might not bee a good hide. To take it to the extremes, a lone spruce on a field might not be the best hiding place

[casper]

Making those assult type suits are cheap and easy too!!

[wingbatwu]

I got my hoods in the mail today. The tan one is more on the OD side of the color spectrum, so I decided to put it on my BT mercenary vest.

The loops at the bottom edge are velcro'd, and I was able to attach all but two loops to my vest, eg 3 loops in the centre of the back, and three loops on each shoulder strap. The one loop on each side that remains doesnt align with any molle strap, but it doesnt look like it would matter anyway if it was attached or not.

Here are pix of my noggin under the hood, with my 3 different goggles to give you guys an idea of the mask clearance and appearance. (also note that I did not tighten the cord to adjust the hood tight around my head, but it looks like it could be useful in some situations.

[deathwatch789]

Major ghost where do you get one of those assaulter ghillies?

[archorn]

think you can get some here www.tacticalconcealment.com/