A ghillie suit, originally designed for hunting and now also used for military operations, is arguably the best type of wearable camouflage. Specifically, the suit is a full body piece of clothing that is designed to break up your body's outline and add texture. You can also spend some time to make it better by attaching items such as foliage, branches, and leaves to it. It is much better than standard camouflage wear because it not only attempts to blend into your habitat, it can actually use parts of your setting.
Step 1
Select a usable suit to start your ghillie suit with. Some basic suits can be bought easily.
- Expensive suits can be bought which already have a good deal of camouflage built in. It will likely look like a basic camo with flap on it.
- Cheaper suits can also be bought which only break up your outline (no camo; only a solid color), but with a few branches and such from your surrounding attached, can blend in quite nicely.
- Military flight suits and BDU's work very well, also you can use a mechanic's suit.
Step 2
Sew knots of netting to the fabric with transparent thread like fishing line. (Dental floss though white works very well and will not fray.) Apply a drop of glue for extra strength.(Shoe gloo works the best.)
Step 3
Tie 2 groups of 4 to 6 strands of jute, about 30 inches in length to the netting with simple knots. Stick to 3 or 4 colors that are prevalent in the environment you'll be using your ghillie suit in.
Step 4
Season the webbing by dragging it behind a vehicle, soaking it in mud, or applying manure. This will help eliminate human scent, especially if the ghillie suit will be used for hunting purposes.
Step 5
Select items from your setting to keep the best profile. If you are in a wooded area, for example, attach small branches and leaves to the upper half of the suit and feather it to the bottom with items such as grass or twigs.
Step 6
Attach more items to the back of the suit. Sneaking in a ghillie suit usually involves crawling. Items on your stomach or chest as you belly-crawl will likely get damaged or make noise.
Step 7
Attach wider items around your head and neck. The human head is the most commonly identified part of the body. The shoulders and neck exaggerate the head. When standing still, your outline must be broken to prevent easy identification.
Step 8
Be aware of your setting as it changes. If it is possible to stay in your setting as you get from point A to point B, do so. Otherwise, you'll have to incorporate the materials of the new setting you're moving into as you go along.
Tips
- Often basic ghillie suits can be bought which are a net poncho with flaps attached to it. This is a great start as it breaks up your outline and gives you many locations to attach items to it.
- Burlap is an okay material to use, but it eventually breaks apart and leaves you with nothing. So go with jute twine, not burlap.
- The most important aspect of a ghillie suit is to break up your outline, as you may be much more easily spotted if you keep a human-shaped silhouette.
- Use burlap and camo netting to cover your gun, face, and boots! It's a shame to see ghillie suits given away by black boots sticking out of the back.
- Test the suit by giving a friend a pair of binoculars and seeing if he can spot you in a forested area.
- After a couple of days, new attachments will be required as green plants will turn color and dry up.
- You can make a Korean ghillie suit by getting a big piece of camoflauge fabric then cutting a hole into the center and sewing rubber inner tube pieces to the edge so what your are making is a camouflage poncho with rubber strips on the side for inserting branches into.
Warnings
- Do not think you are invisible while wearing a ghillie suit. Often your location is just as important as your camouflage.
- Be aware of lighting and gleaming objects around that may give away your position.
- The human eyes (and most other mammals' eyes) are very perceptive to movement. A good deal of being sneaky (even with a ghillie suit) is slow, steady, and calculated movement.
- Ghillie suits tend to be heavy and hot. The temperature inside a ghillie suit can reach over 120 °F (50 °C) in moderate climates.
- The materials from which ghillie suits are made (jute, burlap, etc.) are quite flammable. If using a ghillie suit in a military setting where smoke grenades, white phosphorus, and fires are a possibility, consider treating the suit with a fire-retardant product.
- Avoid using poison ivy or other poisonous vegetation that may cause an allergic reaction.
- If you are hoping to use the suit for hunting, be aware of laws and other hunters. You don't want to face a hefty fine or, worse, a bullet because of your camouflage.
- Always be aware of the foliage you are trying to hide in. In a brushy desert environment, a heavy green woodland suit stands out almost as bad as a city dressed person.
- While wearing a Ghillie suit never make any sudden movement, as this will give away your position and especially while hunting, as the person could think that you're a deer and shoot at you.
- ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS apply a fire retardant when making your own ghillie suit, if you cannot find a place to purchase flame-retardant go to your local fire department and they will give you the proper materials, and instructions as how to mix it.
