How to test visibility? & Practices to develop IRL stealth meter

Exchange the techniques and skills needed to walk the shadows. Post your guides and how-tos here.
Post Reply
rvn
Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:15 am
Contact:

How to test visibility? & Practices to develop IRL stealth meter

Post by rvn » Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:02 am

One of the most disconcerting parts of ops is uncertainty about concealment and what is known of one's own presence. Have I been spotted? How visible am I? Wondering with only moments to consider: is this position more concealed, or is this position more concealed?

At a most basic level this question is about how to check the visibility of clothes you're wearing. Of course it will differ depending on lighting, settings, and more. It's also complex, where some visibly stealthy appearance may be noisy or incriminating in different ways. So let's say I want to be low visibility to cars and pedestrians at X distance, viewing from X position? If their perspective is not easy to replicate, what can I do at home to better calibrate my situational awareness about this?

Looking for general practices or how to gauge a particular outfit or position, either in advance or in the moment it matters most. I imagine cameras and mirrors can be a big part of training this, but rather than guess more I'm reaching out to your expertise.
it's a bird, it's a --...no wait it's nothing
(and yet it's something)

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: How to test visibility? & Practices to develop IRL stealth meter

Post by Xanatos » Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:55 am

Generally speaking, you're better hidden than you think. Up close I often look at the camouflage pattern I'm wearing and think I stand out like a Christmas tree, but from a distance I can't distinguish even the bright white litter in the very same spot I was hiding in. Your eyes naturally pick up colours & patterns much easier up close. Best way to see how well your gear looks is to put it on the other side of your backyard at night and see how well you can distinguish details from it.
Remember: camouflage isn't always about matching the darkness of your environment, but on breaking up any distinguishable outline or surface. Most camouflage patterns mimic the illusion of depth rather than the strict colour of the terrain. Amidst a swirling mass of light & dark shapes, how do you discern between a flat object and your natural depth perception?

Several times as well I'll be lying down in a shadow by the side of the road, wearing all black, and feeling I stand out like dog balls against the bright green, freshly cut grass. But I look at my position again from the perspective of passers-by with the streetlight in their face and all I can see is black. Heck, someone could be lying there in a pink suit and I wouldn't be able to see them if I was trying. People generally aren't on the lookout for other people who may be hiding nearby, and they'll have even less of an idea where to look. Hiding yourself is easier than you think.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

Post Reply