best all purpose camo

simon1979

Well-Known Member
hi, im woundering whats the best type/pattern/colour of camo, i would like one which can be used for most things, i do a mix of stalking, lamping, pigeon, and some rough. I know its a hard question, i use the mossy oak at the moment.
i do like the harkila but thats most green and costly to.
just woundering what your throughts are
many thanks
simon
 
Although far from "stylish", I've always regarded DPM very highly. It's a very good pattern for woodland.
 
As above DPM is much underrated yet for woodland stalking in all but the depths of winter it remains my camo of choice.

If you wish to see how good it is in this context find a copy of the James Douglas roe stalking vid.

It may not be 'cool' within the hunting community right now but as with High Street fashion things have a habit of turning full circle.;)

K
 
Just plain dark green for me, the deer and pigeons don't notice a difference. I find camo to be a bit pikey nowadays, you always look more professional turning up in the farm yard wearing green than full camo!

Just my opinion though!

Tom
 
I did a test where I photographed various cammo patterns on a range of backgrounds ranging from woodland to open moor, basically just about everything a stalker would encounter. The posts might still be on here somewhere but I moved the pictures in photobucket and so they might not display as there were a LOT of them, too many to go back and fix the posts now as I'd never work out which photo was which. After some discussion the photos were manipulated in an attempt to reflect what is known about deer vision.

In the end the modern "real tree type" cammo patterns didn't come out too well, I suspect they will only work well in one very narrowly defined situation which is little use to the stalker, with solid colours such as green and brown no better as there was nothing to break up the outline. The old DPM did well in many places, though was a bit dark for some, with the newer MTP pattern also doing well, its failing was it was a bit light for some backgrounds. The one that amazed everyone was the oldest, the German Flecktarn pattern, which also did really very well in many woodland environments though on average I'd say it was about equal to the DPM and MTP.

If you want to look through them the photos (about 140 of them) are here:

cammo tests pictures by caorach - Photobucket

There are usually 3 photos of the same thing - one natural colour, one B&W and one that looks a bit green which was manipulated in an attempt to represent deer vision.
 
As mentioned above,


My own feelings for camo are the same, looks fake/Unnatural to the UK land scape. in this country and you stick out like a sore thumb, seen close up it looks cheap and nasty,( and when have a nice pair of boots made in 1/2 leather and half real tree :drool: you may as well have a pair of pink wellies on in my mind) camo is disliked down here as we have lots of service men and women about, so much so i have 2 shoots that will not allow you on the ground in any kind of camo what so ever,

Reel tree looks more Fake tree to me.

DPM/combat 90, is old hat and not that warm ( i wore it long enough when in the forces) so would not be seen dead in it now.

MTP, the new multi terrain pattern again sticks out like a sore thumb in the UK.(unless you stalk the streets of balamory)

German flecktarn looks ok, is better made and the pattern is rather better than the above kit, but again not keen on it,

I was in a Que in a petrol station in Andover a few years back and a guy in the front had DPM gear on, and a couple in the same Que in front of me where heard saying something along the lines of, why do non soldiers have camo gear on, if he wants to wear it he should have joined the army, I was stood a bit further back in the Que with my deer stalker Green jacket and trousers on, and never even had a second glance at me at all.


so its green for me.

PS: the pictures mentioned above have to be one of the best threads i have read on this forum, after all smoooooovement is what you need to be good at when stalking,


bob.
 
Camo is a bit like fishing flies, catches more humans out!

as said movement, scent noise sound are the main things and no camo will save you if you get the main things wrong!

i have a few different bits of camo, try to avoid being clad from head to toe!
 
Soldier 95 DPM, ripstop is excellent matched to German Flecktarn trousers. However if v wet lovat coloured lined waterproof trousers.
At harvest time Ripstop dessert cammo.

D
 
I wear green. I don't use camo now, apart from a very pale wildfowling coat that I bought specifically for the job. I have one golf course and two farms that asked me specifically not to wear camo gear while stalking, which says it all really.

Simon
 
I just wear green and brake it up with a bit of brown, but as far as cammos go, the Optifade stuff that Harkila do isn't too offensive.

I find I get a much more civilised reception wearing more traditional greens or tweed. For some reason many walkers seem to assume you're poaching / a 'traveller' if you're in cammo!
 
well im thinking its worth buying just green, theres so many camo patterns out there and by the time ive brought them all id need a new wardobe and the money they all cost, i might as well save and buy some green harkila.
plus is intresting your all saying that you look more professional, which in todays world to help alot aspecially when asking for shooting ground/rights
 
just green for me also ,although blaze orange camo in france this weekend had boar and deer between 10- 30 yrds no bother it was movement that made them move atb wayne
 
DPM trousers for me, normally S95 or S2000. they are hard wearing and cheap if I rip them to bits on anything, unlike mnost of the trousers made for deer/game shooting.

Top is normally a brown craghoppers fleece or a Deerstalker 'anorak' thing in brown or green (depedning upon where I'm going).

Add a green tilly hat and a pair of shooting gloves to get rid of the glarey white hands and it seems to work quite well.

If you have lots of cash there's always PRI-UK

Clothing systems :: Chameleon Observation Suit - Police Resources International -the UK Distributor for Karrimor SF

comes in different colours but the snow one looks like it would work.
 
I either wear the latest MTP, or Deerhunter RAM if the weather is really soggy & cold

MTP isn't warm on it's own, but wear thermals to keep the chill out

Cheers
i.
 
camo doesn't help a guy that stalks like shrek, he's just going to look cool. I think in honesty that I spook more deer with noise than visual detection. I also bet I could wear a pink fairy suit but and so long as I have my lucky hat on and my lucky oscar the grouch t-shirt underneath I'd be just about as successful, until the ARV lads cart me off to the nut house.
 
camo doesn't help a guy that stalks like shrek, he's just going to look cool. I think in honesty that I spook more deer with noise than visual detection. I also bet I could wear a pink fairy suit but and so long as I have my lucky hat on and my lucky oscar the grouch t-shirt underneath I'd be just about as successful, until the ARV lads cart me off to the nut house.

you have a lucky hat too ?

i have a old leather baseball cap from Barbour and its ruff and ready,

every time i use it i get what i want (doe's not work on the wife or bank manager ?)

other than that i have a fav pair of gloves too.

bob.
 
Camo is a bit like fishing flies, catches more humans out!as said movement, scent noise sound are the main things and no camo will save you if you get the main things wrong!i have a few different bits of camo, try to avoid being clad from head to toe!
Superb very well said bambislayer.
 
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