Peek a boo!
This section covers the manufacture of ghillie suits. A ghillie suit is a form of camouflage that breaks up the human outline in a three dimensional manner. Ghillie suits were originally made by Scottish game keepers to help catch poachers. The suit was later adapted to military use for snipers. Each suit is individual and is limited only to the imagination. Suit construction takes anywhere from 30-50+ hours. Even considering the time involved a ghillie suit is relatively simple to construct.
Three piece ghillie (pants, coat, hat)
To construct a basic ghillie suit you need the following items:
BDU's, or overalls such as a flight suit.
Netting. I used 2" net but an old hammock works well.
Sewing Machine or Shoe Goo. To attach netting to clothing.
Burlap bags or jute twine.
Rit dye in the colors desired
lots of free time
To begin lay out the netting over the BDU's (or flight suit). Cut out the netting to cover the back side of the BDU's. Leave enough Netting for overhang and for movement in the arms and legs.
Next attach the netting with the sewing machine by tacking it in place every few inches. This can also be done with the shoe glue.
Canvas or Cordura can be sewed or glued to the front of the suit at this time to give extra padding and make the suit tougher for low crawling. A Camel Back or similar hydration system can be sewed into the back of the suit at this time also. This is a nice option to provide fluids with a minimum of motion.
Dye your burlap (or jute) to the desired shades. I used Burlap bags used to store wool so two bags were enough. After the burlap is dyed cut it into strips approximately 1"-2" wide by 12"-16" long.
Begin tying in the burlap to the netting using an overhand knot. Vary the colors into large patches to avoid the suit from looking like a solid color from a distance. Next you can remove the cross fibers from the burlap strips to give a grass like appearance. This depends on the area in which the ghillie will be used. In leafy areas for example the wide strips may be preferred.
Complete the same steps above on a Boonie Hat or similar, except leave a 12"-18" overhang on the back. Also veils can be sewn in to cover the face and the scope of the rifle.
A ghillie suit is individual and can be made to suit any need. Imagination is the only limit.
When using a ghillie, vegetation is stuffed into the holes in the netting and tied in. This makes a huge difference to how well you are camouflaged.
Ghillie with vegetation stuffed, note shoes and rifle.
Back of ghillie no vegetation added
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