Choosing The Right Ghillie Suit
By Roberto Bell
So you want to buy a ghillie suit? Your friend has one, and you've heard that ghillie suits are the ultimate in camouflage apparel. Still, you would like to learn more about these cloaks of invisibility before you jump in and buy one. If so, you have come to the right place.

In this day and age, the most common civilian uses of ghillie suits are hunting and paint-balling. The ghillie suit is ideal for both activities, but you must be careful about choosing the right suit for the job.

Hunters differ from paintballers in many respects. Hunters will sit perfectly still for hours, waiting for their game to appear within a few hundred yards of their location. For this purpose, ghillie suits do not need to offer a vast amount of mobility, and should be fairly warm and waterproof. Full, body-length ghillie suits are ideal for the patient hunter.

On the other side of the spectrum, the thrill-seeking paintballer wants anything but a long, heavy ghillie suit. While some paintballers are patient enough to sit and wait for long periods, there is always the crazy man on campus. This impatient fellow prefers to dash madly about, chasing his more lethargic counterparts out of their holes. In this case, a heavy, body-length ghillie suit can become a real burden. Paintballers may wish to go with something lighter and less restricting, possibly a simple mesh cover that can be customized with local flora and fauna to fit the environment.

For an example of how others use ghillie suits, you need only look as far as our own military. In the military, much like in the civilian world, there are many different uses for ghillie suits. Two contrasting uses are outlined here.

Snipers, like an exaggerated version of hunters, are exceedingly patient, often holding their position for days, meticulously scanning the surrounding terrain for their most feared opponent - other snipers. If such dangerous foes happen to be around, the sniper does not wish to be spotted by them first. The answer to this problem is the ever-useful ghillie suit. A sniper?s ghillie suit is often a complex version of a large blanket, built to cover his entire body as well as his long rifle, while still allowing him to see and shoot. It can be customized with surrounding vegetation, and is built so that an experienced sniper can be invisible from even a few feet away.

The more action-bent infantrymen, like paintballers, may prefer something much lighter and less restricting. Unlike paintballers, however, these commandoes may want a one-size-fits-all type of ghillie suit, since they are in constant motion, and customizing their ghillie suits with local vegetation might not be such a

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good idea.

In the end, ghillie suits come down to three simple attributes: size, weight, and material. While this article outlined the basics of choosing the right ghillie suit for the job, only you can ultimately decide what suits you best. For this reason, the remainder of the article will be devoted to analyzing the three different attributes.

Size is something that should always be considered. The larger the ghillie suit, the better the concealment. However, size is also the number one factor in restricting movement, so the larger the ghillie suit, the slower you are able to react. The hunter and sniper, or even a paintballer with an aversion to too much running around, would most likely opt for a larger suit. Impatient hunters, close-action commandoes, and more active paintballers would certainly prefer smaller suits.

Weight largely depends on the stamina and endurance of the individual, as well as the conditions of use. For example, hunting season opens during the fall, when the mercury is starting to drop along with the rain and snow. A hunter who plans to sit in a stand for the better part of a day may want something heavy, warm, and waterproof. A summertime paintballer will choose his ghillie suit based largely on his resistance to heat. The thicker and heavier the suit, the hotter, but it also absorbs the paintballs much better than a lighter ghillie suit.

Finally, there is the material. The firm, waterproof material will keep you warm and dry, good for any hunter or sniper, but it is also noisy during movement and less breathable in the heat, bad for any paintballer or close-action infantryman. Mesh allows the stationary hunter or sniper to blend perfectly with the surrounding vegetation, by tangling bits and pieces in the material. In addition, it is very light and allows freedom of movement. However, it offers little protection against the elements or paintballs, and can become entangled with vegetation that is still rooted firmly in the ground. This is not good for those attempting a high-speed escape.

Whether hunter, paintballer, or Special Forces operative, the ghillie suit is perfect for your needs. No one but you can decide exactly what sort of ghillie suit you need, but hopefully this article has helped you find the perfect ghillie suit.

Tyler Farrens is a manager at Ghillie-Suit.net. The company features a wide selection of ghillie suits and ghillie kits for hunting, paintball, and the military.