Rep Your Colours - Camo Edition

Posted by Memphis on 27th Mar 2019

After another long and arduous Winter, Spring is finally upon us! While many of us have been scratching the Airsoft itch by playing indoors, we're all counting the days until the opening of our favourite fields.

While we tweak our war belt loadouts and mod our AEGs in anticipation, I think it's time for a discussion about camouflage. We all know that no matter what pattern you where, things like excessive movement and not thinking about lighting and background will make even the best camo pattern useless when worn by the skittish airsofter or hunter. That being said, it's worth mentioning the most popular patterns and those most widely accepted as being effective.

Top of the list has to be MultiCam. Developed by Crye Precision in 2002, this pattern is the top ranked Military Camouflage pattern by online vote. It was designed for use in both Arid and wooded terrains and it is definitely one of the most sought after Camos for it's effectiveness in breaking up the human outline, Specific variants for Tropic and Arid environments were released in 2013, as well as a Black tactical variant for use by Law enforcement personnel.

When playing in heavily wooded areas opinions are as numerous as trees as to which pattern is the most effective. We have to mention our native CADPAT here, and it's been proven as one of the greatest concealers when playing in dense, coniferous vegetation...but the German Flecktarn, and American MARPAT also deserve a mention, especially when playing in deciduous forests.

Despite the rage of these modern, pixelated camouflage patterns, Many still swear by and employ the old favourites like the Classic M81 Woodland pattern and the many variations of the Tiger Stripe pattern which was developed for close combat in heavy vegetation, just like the stripes of a real tiger.Speaking of animal inspired patterns, Kryptek has developed a range of patterns inspired by the scales of a snake which has shown itself to be incredibly effective in concealing the human shape in a variety of environments and light levels. While aimed at civilian Hunters and Outdoorsmen it has also seen effective use by Private Military Contractors the world over.

Finally, we'd be wrong if we didn't take a look at some of the camouflage made with hunters specifically in mind. Reeltree and Mossy Oak have a few lines that draw directly from North American Flora to offer concealment in the colours and textures like tree bark, oak, maple and birch leaves, and many more. These patterns effectively hide a shape behind realistic images of vegetation that take full advantage of modern textile technology. A very low-tech idea with a High-tech method.

Unfortunately, we're not able to tell you which pattern is universally better than the rest, because that pattern doesn't exist. But If you plan a little bit ahead and pick the right colours and shades for your environment you'll have a leg up. And if you sit still and keep quiet, you'll be much less likely to be seen by your enemies, and much more likely to ambush them.

##airsoft #camo #herooutdoors