Camouflage and its various manifestations a short primer

Camouflage and its various manifestations a short primer

 

 

 

     I love camouflage. No really, since I was a small child I have adored the musty smell of damp canvas and all things green. There is a photo of me as a small three-year-old child attempting to wear my dad’s olive drab M-65 Field Jacket. So as usual for many of our addictions and hang-ups we can blame our parents. My affection for camouflage and the art of concealment stem directly from father-son time spent at the local National Guard Armory. Good times, they were. For many years now I’ve been an ardent, passionate collector of all things camouflage. I’m a veritable “Camo-Fashionista” so much so that I often forget the purpose. Namely, to hide yourself so you don’t get shot or blown up by the bad guys.

I’m a fan of military camouflage all era’s, all geographies, and countries. No pattern has escaped the watchful eye of Garry W. Shores. However, I will not bore you with the details of various British DPM (disruptive pattern material) patterns as it evolves from light to dark over the decades. Nor will I discuss WWII German SS Camouflage at all. I purposely know very little about it because its permutations and vagaries are just too much for this feeble mind to fully grasp. Vietnam era Tiger Stripe is difficulty enough. This essay will discuss camouflage as it relates to a question posed to me by an old friend, Ron Ramsey. He asks, “What is the best camouflage pattern for the Southeast, especially the Western North Carolina Region?” I will attempt an uncomplicated yet biased answer.

For starters concealment is a difficult thing. The modern world we live in is urban. It’s increasingly developed, with true wilderness being continually subjugated to the machinations of development. Consequently, in today’s urban/MOUT (military operation urban terrain) environment it is essential to blend in. In the urban setting, camouflage usually stands out. It signals a socio-economic status (low) and an educational level (low). If you need to blend in, and look like a redneck go to Wal-Mart, grab some Real-Tree Camo and thermal underwear. You’ll be fine I swear. Also, the poorer and dirtier you look the more people will overlook you. After all, the homeless are the great unseen. So if you need to blend in fast, swing by the local Thrift-Store and grab some clothes. The baggier, the better. The only people who tend to give homeless people a second glance are the police, so watch what you’re doing. The opposite could also be true, well dressed folks are scarcely hassled, and you could have your favorite camo stored in the trunk of your car for quick access. The point here is to consciously avoid the tacti-cool look. Stay away from 511 Gear, Operator Packs, especially the ball-cap with the American Flag velcroed to the front (dead giveaway). Throw your guns and knives in a regular book bag or messenger bag. I’m the worst at this I love camo-jackets and pants. I wear this stuff all the time, but I live in a small rural town where this is the norm.  Look at what’s normal for your area, and use that as your go-by.

      Diving right into the camo debate my favorite stand-by is OG-107 (Olive Green Shade 107). It is my favorite color on the face of the earth. As a child I wore OG-107 Sateen pants, and now J. Crew has a version. Of course theirs are slimmer and the material is not the same, but I doubt the J. Crew version will wear for 20+ years and still hold together, buttons and all. Green, plain and simple olive drab is hands down one of the best all-purpose camouflages on the market. It is versatile in urban or jungle environments and is easily obtainable. “Jungle Greens” as their called, were worn by US forces from the early 60’s all the way into the invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 80’s. Lightweight, breathable cotton is perfect for hot summer environments. They also make stronger more modern versions of this timeless camouflage classic, but me I stick with the cotton. I’ve not frozen to death in July yet. The Vietnam era Jungle Fatigue pants were notorious for ripping out the crotch, backside, and knees. The newer versions have those areas reinforced appropriately.

One of my favorite camouflage patterns is the British DPM pattern. Developed in the 60’s by the British Army this pattern is well suited to the Southeast. They make a summer/jungle variant and also a desert version. The desert version is especially handy during the fall and winter months. You can mix/match tops and bottoms. For example, if your standing in a tree line. Desert bottoms would mimic the ground and brush cover while the darker top would be your low hanging foliage. I learned this technique from an instructor at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in California. I like the British DPM because it is readily available, cheap, and it works. Cheap is good because prices for new camouflage uniforms can run $80 and up brand new, and used means the inventory may be limited to smaller sizes. Also, many of the “cooler” patterns have been discontinued making them hard to find and expensive. British camouflage is also tough, hard wearing, and long lasting. Other patterns that are good for “our neck of the woods include: Duck Hunter, Woodland, ERDL, and Rhodesian Camo.

I’ll discuss each pattern in turn, Duck Hunter is a classic splotch/leopard style print that has been around in various degrees since WWII. The Marines referred to it as “Frogskins”. The US Army briefly dabbled with this pattern until they kept getting mistaken for Waffen SS Soldiers. So they went back to their good old OD Green. Duck Hunter pattern was really popular in the good old days. It was the go-to camo for hunting. When the CIA decided to launch the Bay of Pigs Invasion what camo were the Cuban Anti-Communists wearing. Why yes it was Duck Hunter. When the CIA & JFK started sending advisors and Green Berets into Vietnam can you guess what camo they chose? Right again, the early advisors wore Duck Hunter Camo. If it’s good enough for CIA it’s good enough for you dear reader. The only drawback is, it usually doesn’t hold up to continued use and it’s made of cotton, which could be a potential liability. It really blends in good during the fall, and depending what style/color you find it will work very well in lusher environments as well.

Woodland Camo, is old school now. It’s good all around camo and can be had very cheaply. It’s solidly constructed too. And works in most wooded environments. I like this camo, I grew up with it. The only negative side to Woodland is the black. Black doesn’t occur in nature. You’ll notice the new Multi-cam omits this color. But I wouldn’t get hung up on that. When I was working down in Mindanao, Philippines all the Army SF guys were wearing it. One guy who was just reporting in was still clad in his ACU’s (gray atrocity) he stuck out. HE STUCK OUT like a turd in a pool. Woodland Camo is super awesome. You can get the jackets and take off the bottom pockets, resew them on your sleeves and all of sudden you’re an instant hi-speed operator type (really not a bad idea, then you can tuck the shirt in so when your crawling around you shirt doesn’t ride up).

ERDL Camo, this stuff was developed by the Engineering Research Development Laboratories in the 1950’s. And it is truly rad. I love this stuff. It comes in two flavors, Green Dominant and Brown Dominant. The Green works superbly in the lush kudzu laden South Knoxville environs that are so near and dear to my heart. It’s really effective summer camouflage. The problem is, it’s been out of production since the early 70’s. Finding it in any size other than small is an expensive chore. Reproductions are easily available but the cost is not economical. The jackets aren’t that difficult to find, and you could just sport that with some OD Green pants and be good to go. Pants are what wear out most quickly. They take the brunt of day to day wear. So if you find a pattern you like stock up on pants.

One of my all-time favorite camouflage pattern of all time is Rhodesian Brush-Stroke. Good luck finding this rare bird. Back in the 80’s you could buy it all day long out of the back of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. Brother that ship has sailed! Now you’re lucky to find a hat for less than $200 USD. Combat Jackets run in the $200-$400USD range, and it just gets crazier from there. My collection of Rhodesian Camo consists of 3 Flap Hats, 1 Boonie Hat, 2 Combat Jackets, 1 Long Sleeve Shirt, and 1 Short Sleeve Shirt. That’s just the original stuff I have, not including the reproduction flight suit or my collection of web gear. Does it work? I think so, I’ve never legitimately worn it while trying to hide or evade anything of substance. It’s more of a fashion thing with me. But that may soon change. The colors are right lots of green and browns. Also, rumor has it that the Marine Corps tested this pattern in the 90’s and it was one of their top picks. Furthermore, the Rhodesian Light Infantry was the premier counterinsurgency force during its bloody conflict with communist ZIPRA and ZANLA rebels. If it was good enough for them it’s good enough for me.

The bottom line. A lot of this boils down to personal style. There are tons of new and very effective camo on the market. I find them too expensive and not offering anything more than what I can get from other more readily available patterns. One of the more promising patterns is called A-TACS and it resembles the Rebel Commando Camouflage from Return of the Jedi. They have a summer version that has really nice greens/browns, and winter/fall version. It’s solidly built and pretty basic, it looks rugged as hell.