A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

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Xanatos
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A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Xanatos » Sat Feb 15, 2014 9:39 am

The topic of camo vs. solids is no stranger to this site, but another topic of concealment that doesn't get enough attention is the subject of military camouflage patterns vs. hunting ones. Below are two examples of some well known camo patterns of their respective fields:
multicam.jpg
Multicam, tried and true.
mossyoak.jpg
Mossy Oak, a popular hunting camo pattern.
As you can see, each pattern conceals the wearer adequately in their respective environments. In regards to their use in Night Ops, many people will claim that military patterns are superior because they're designed to hide you from other humans, not colourblind animals. But as we can plainly see this isn't true. In the bottom image, the hunting camo clearly has the advantage in the leafy, twiggy terrain. The pattern is more broken up and the colour scheme matches the environment perfectly. Why then, you may ask, doesn't the military employ such a pattern? Think of the context each type of pattern is used in; hunters typically operate in a specific area at specific times of the year, so they can afford to have a pattern that best suits their particular area of operations. Soldiers on the other hand can be deployed into any environment at any time and the military can't be expected to print out new uniforms for every single deployment. As such, military patterns are designed to be as versatile as possible and most armed forces may only issue a certain range of patterns; one for jungle warfare, one for desert, etc. The hunter in the bottom pic is practically invisible in that forest, but if he were to move into a more grassy area or simply hunt in the same forest at a different time of year, he would stand out. His camouflage is really for a niche environment. The Multicam on the other hand is a lot more versatile and can conceal a person adequately in virtually any environment.

When gearing up for an op, don't pick your outfit based on which pattern is superior, instead choose which pattern is best suited to the area you're operating in. I have several sets of camo for operating in different environments; as much as Multicam is to be praised, there are some environments where my A-TACs or custom pattern just simply blends in better. I'll be wearing my A-TACs tonight in fact for that construction site simply because it blends in better among the rubble & concrete, and there aren't enough shadows to hide in for black to be appropriate.

So in short: dress for the environment. If you've got some hunting camo that blends well into your AO, wear it.
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Woden
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Re: A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Woden » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:24 pm

Well said.

Just the other day I dug out my old clothes and found out they are no longer a good fit nor are they great for the local environment. I have been looking into alternatives and have come across US4CES Woodland and Transitional design. Unfortunately they are not yet commercially available.

Image

ImageImage
Source: http://www.adsinc.com/company/solutions ... ons/us4ces

Colorations: Predominant environmental colors make up the majority of the US4CES™ pattern – Woodland features a high percentage of Olive Drab and Light Brown. Arid uses Khaki and Coyote as the main colors while Transitional features Olive and Golden Tan. The predominant colors are then contrasted with a darker color of the region to allow the pattern to break up. A smaller percentage of the color spectrum is used for a lighter shade which is perceived as natural reflections or gaps in the pattern and the darkest shade which is perceived as shadows or holes in the pattern.

Both the lightest areas and darkest areas use an extremely effective large pixel (square) macro-pattern format. This macro-pattern also has a smaller fractal micro-pattern of its own with smaller square pixels which are present around the borders of the large squares.

3-Dimensional Layering: Proprietary algorithms were used to create a boundary luminance gradient between colors, creating an illusion of 3-dimensional layering, while limiting the design to four colors. This added feature creates the illusion of depth, which the brain interprets not as a solid flat surface but rather as a textured multi-layer surface, tricking the brain into regarding the material as part of the natural environment.

Disrupting Shape & Masking Movement:
The macro-pattern is designed to disrupt the human shape as well as to mask movement. Key points within the pattern disrupt the pivot points of the limbs and torso making detection and identification very difficult.

Fractal Algorithms: Intrinsic to the technology behind US4CES™ is our proprietary fractal algorithm. Fractal algorithms duplicate natural fractals (geometric shapes found in nature). Developing camouflage without fractals leaves a critical component out of the design process. The brain interprets fractals as background noise and typically ignores the pattern as common to the environment (not worth further scrutiny), allowing a soldier wearing the camouflage a few extra precious seconds of time in concealment or to react to an adversary.
More in depth information on this design here:

Code: Select all

http://www.hyperstealth.com/US4CES-ALPHA/
I personally think this is one to look out for. At least I believe it is a great improvement. Test comparisons between the US4CES Family and Multicam seem to show US4CES as the better overall. I can see the US4CES Family replacing multicam in the near future.

Very disappointed that I can not get my hands on any US4CES though, it really does seem good.

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Re: A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Woden » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:25 pm

EDIT: Sorry if I went a bit off subject there.

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Re: A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Xanatos » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:40 pm

US4CES seems to be based off a similar principle to most other competing camo patterns, including Multicam, A-TACs and the recent Kryptek. However, while the other patterns merge the gentle blending of earthy/vegetative colours as a backdrop with sharp contrasting splotches to break up the pattern and resemble debris, the US4CES looks a bit too 'artificial' up close for my taste. However, as is the point of this post, perhaps there are environments where it would work better than other patterns and isn't ineffective by any stretch.
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Re: A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Æternaeon » Sat Feb 15, 2014 11:09 pm

I have loads of various patterns mostly based on a "gotta have it" buying spree more than anything, and honestly the difference in a lot of them is incredibly marginal as far as effectiveness goes. Old MARPAT patterns are still incredibly effective and even some of the older patterns still work great in the right areas. The old 6-color desert pattern works great in the steppes here and the woodland is just fine in the evergreen forests. The important thing, as said, is to just dress for the occasion.
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Re: A Point on Hunting vs. Military Camo

Post by Teutoni » Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:15 pm

I think it would be very interesting to discuss "offensive" versus "defensive" camouflage. I personally would rather have offensive camouflage as I find the versatility to be rather appealing however there is certainly nothing wrong with defensive camouflage provided it works within the area of where you hope to op.

On the topic of HyperStealth and their patterns, it seems that Cramer has modeled himself after H&K. Which is to say that while he produces a good pattern there is a great deal of competition that makes arguably better products for a better price and with an eye towards the civilian market.
Keep 'em chained, boys!

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