Is there really any need for camoflage?

[320ccc]

my son lives down in missouri now and bought his son (16 months) a pair of camo bibs (overalls) so that he would fit in.

[impeed]

Used to do a bit of field airgun target shooting and most of the people wore camo gear, kinda crazy, I wore bright colours so I could be seen on the shooting lanes.
Could not see half the guys if they went down the lane to reset targets or anything... And they laughed at my bright clothes. Dunno ..if I was hunting maybe camo ....maybe just make a hide. Tho got no probs with anyone in camo ....just sometimes being seen can be important for safety reasons.

[Wayland]

Snip> but i consider dpm and those daft leather bahma hats fit for the bin.

I don't give a damn about who wears camo and I've worn my hat for nearly 30 years over well over a quarter of a million miles and it's still keeps the rain off my head.

Works for me...

[tenderfoot]

I think it may be more down to context than cdpm camo per se.
if i see a man in full issue gear in a garrison town it doesnt provoke the same reaction as seeing the same outfit in a copse of woodland in an urban park setting...
Also, although many would argue that it shouldnt matter how you dress. It is a fact that how others perceive you and react is influenced by what is worn and where you are seen wearing it.
In the countryside i am more reassured to see a man with a gun if he is wearing "shooting clothing" be that barbour or cammo or that unique style of dress that shouts.... farmer! If i saw someone with a rifle dressed urban stylee i might have concerns.
I have seen people look uncomfortable at my approach in a woodland setting possibly because i dress in muted colours/og/ occasionally an item of camo. They are then visibly releived to see my camera with long lens or binoculars, as i think they can make a story in their heads explaining why i am not a threat to them.Dogwalkers have their pooch as an obvious reference as to their presence, especially when you encounter said pooch a few seconds before the owner.
For the argument regarding utility and price of ex mil kit. if i go shopping for my teenage /twentyish lads in town there is a lot of fashion stuff in camo/og and with a military styling. Designers always mimic military kit (especially at times of war)
I wouldnt buy these copies as they are generally unfit for hard use whilst giving an impression of robust kit by virtue of their styling.And the prices...! £100-220 for mock parkas/m65 lookalikes when real unissued kit starts at £8 a throw from militarymart. if you rip it/leave it in the pub/burn a hole in it etc- buy another.
As an aside i was at a biking event recently (the thundersprint) and couldnt understand the ammount of bike wear being worn (and sold) that was camo pattern:- mainly urban camo patterns! What happened to "be seen be safe"? The last item i will wear on a motorcycle in any environment is something that reduces my visibility to other road users. What do you bikers on the forum think?

[rik_uk3]

Anyone with an axe / knife standing next to some shelter in the woods, maybe a dead rabbit hanging up will look worrying to mommy and children who maybe walking the dog, whether the person is wearing DPM, bushcraft cowboy hat/earth coloured clothes, or Levi's, Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap.

[santaman2000]

I don't give a damn about who wears camo and I've worn my hat for nearly 30 years over well over a quarter of a million miles and it's still keeps the rain off my head.

Works for me...

LOL. Wear this hat (and blue jeans) www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwCZt6jEnJg and see what looks you get from the populace; especially if they're old enough to remember the movie.

[It's my Ireland]

Almost all my clothes are military surplus, but as the popularity increases so does the price so if the rest of you would stop wearing it then it would save me loads, great hard wearing work/outdoors gear and I've never noticed many funny looks, but then I used to have a mo-hawk to, still lots of the locals wear it up here in Scotland and hey I paid £15 for a German issue gortex beat that in none camo. Anyway I love it and don't care what others think most people think I'm cracked for lots of other reasons, like camping with out a tent!

[Hammock Hamster]

Personally i think it's down to personal preference and know many people who would be more concerned by someone wearing a hoody an back to front baseball cap than camo gear.

Anyway following a present for my 30th recently can you really see anyone getti the wrong impression after seeing this?

[Adze]

Wicked! A camo gimp suit! Is it so no-one can see you coming?

[luke_s]

I was out in a local woodland today for some tracking practice.

The wood is heavily used by walkers, as part of it is on the Cotswold Way. Anyway, I decided to wear a dark gray hooded jacket (not with the hood up of course) and my black Craghoppers Winter Lined Trousers. I also had a black beanie and gloves on, to at least try and hide some skin in case I actually found some sort of quarry.

I was sat against a tree, halfway up a bank zoning in for a good half an hour, with pathways in front and behind me. Whils I was there two cyclists, three couples and a family all went straight past me within 60 or so metres, and not one of them noticed me at all, not even their dogs.

When I was walking around tho, no one gave me a suspicious look.

I was on a tracking course a few weeks ago, where some of the more advanced members were, in effect, tracking the trackers. We were in a public woodland, and there were plenty of people walking around. Anyway, the guy was standing behind a tree in full camo watching us, when a couple walked very close to him, so he froze to the spot, hoping they wouldn't see him for fear of giving them an absolute fright.

In essence tho, I think the media has given the general public reason to suspect anyone in camo is either a bit odd, or up to something they shouldn't be.

Luke

[santaman2000]

Just got back from Church with a stop at a restaurant for lunch on the way home. My Godson and I were still in our Church clothes (as were many of the customers) About another half dozen or so diners were in their camo (we're in the second week of the first gun season for deer) Nobody batted an eye.

[ol smokey]

I usually wear natural colours whatever I am doing. i was born and brought up in the countryside, and find it natural to fit in with the background when out doors. You seldom see real country folk dressed in vivid bright colours or primary colours ,Blues, Yellows or Scarlet. If you see someone with bright coloured primary colours and a natural coloured tweed Deerstalker hat,and green Hunter Wellies, (wellington boots) you can bet that they are townies, who have moved to the countryside, and hope to merge with the locals. I do remember being a bit uneasy when on holiday in Yorkshire or Derbyshire coming across a large lad kitted out totally in DPM on a disused railway line, especially as he had dashed into the bushes on seeing my wife and I, I did wonder for a minute or two what he was up to. I doubt if he had been in normal day clothes or even in olive green I doubt if I would have given him a second thought. I think that DPM all over tends to give the image of wouldbe Rambos This will no doubt provoke a bit of response !!! Just nice to be the Devil's advocate.

[andybysea]

To be fare to Rambo, i dont think i ever saw him in dpm,or the U.S equivalant, olive green or black seemed to be his preferance.

[santaman2000]

To be perfectly honest when I was still a cop on patrol those in camo never raised any suspicion. Anybody who was up to no good always tried to dress like the crowd.

[mark stotesbury]

you need to hide from those angry badgers !!!!