Military Ghillie Suits - This hybrid ghillie is unique because it combines the jute and garnish of a traditional ghillie with the 3D cut fabric of a leafy suit. This results in a product that exhibits an excellent mix of texture and outline breakup.
The suit is lightweight at three to five pounds (depending on the size selected). It offers good breathability and is easy to put on in the field. This ghillie comes with a carry bag for storage and ease of transport.
Military Ghillie Suits
This ghillie is well-constructed and provides an uninhibited range of movement for the ground hunter, notably the bowhunter. Choosing the best overall ghillie proved easier than I anticipated. Tactical Concealment has an array of great ghillie products, but the one that stood apart was the Original Cobra.
Our Verdict On Ghillie Suits
It proved to be superior in construction, durability, and range of movement, and gives the user a light foundational color base to work with. This is a two-piece kit but was field-tested with just the jacket.
The jacket is lightweight and made of a quiet four-way stretch material with a jagged leafy texture. Nomad advertises it as moisture-wicking, and both mornings in the field proved this jacket to be breathable and quick-drying.
The hood is adjustable, and the zippered dump pouch is a nice touch for calls, a phone, and tags. The leafy pants are made from the same material and easily layer over other pants. The ghillie suit is one of the most iconic pieces of individual kit you will find in the military.
For snipers, it is a vital piece of gear that has remained conceptually unchanged since it was first employed by Scottish gamekeepers in the late nineteenth century. The word ghillie (gille) is of Scottish origin, but while its origins may appear modest, its impact on the battlefield is significant.
Ghillie Suit Pricing
Camouflage and concealment are essential hallmarks of fieldcraft for snipers in their traditional tactical roles. A lightweight tactical ghillie is an attractive option. It offers most of the concealment benefits at a fraction of the weight.
Increased breathability and packability are added bonuses. In today's modern battlefield, these lightweight ghillies can easily be worn over issued body armor or plate carriers. They often have hoods that accommodate current ballistic helmets as well.
Tactical Concealment gives you the purchase options of adding an adjustable hood with different-sized grid patterns for jute application. As with any Tactical Concealment product, you can be confident the stitching is premium. Perhaps the greatest attribute of this product is the flexibility it gives the sniper.
It's lightweight compared to a traditional ghillie which also lends it to be more packable, saving precious space in what is probably an already tightly filled ruck. When you buy from Tactical Concealment, you can have the utmost confidence that you're getting the best product on the market.
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For those in the tactical space, quality comes at a cost, but in this line of work, it's a cost that's an investment. The MCM Viper is not field-ready. Tactical Concealment recommends a break-in period to soften the mesh and the end-user will need to tie in jute and other garnishes for field use.
Ghillies designed for recreational purposes will inherently lack the durability of those designed for tactical applications. They are generally lighter weight in construction and lack the quality of materials and stitching used in the aforementioned category.
Due to their lighter weight, they are easier to transport, offer a good range of motion, and are breathable. A good recreational ghillie will adequately break up the human form. It should also be cost-effective for the role it's intended for.
Wearing a full-on ghillie for hunting may be a bridge too far for most hunters. For archery, concerns about weight and range of motion are valid, but a viable alternative exists — one that is very lightweight, breathable, packable, and just as effective.
Q Do Snipers Wear Ghillie Suits?
First Lite's Phantom Leafy Suit gives the ground hunter all the advantages a ghillie suit provides at a fraction of the weight. With a combined weight of under 11 ounces, this piece of kit is easily compressible and can fit in a cargo pocket or a decoy bag.
The 3D leaf material disrupts the signature eye-catching aspect of the human outline, especially that of the head and shoulders. While it's vital that a traditional ghillie addresses this in the tactical environment, the game animals we chase in the field have an uncanny ability to pick this contour out as well.
One of the concepts that seems like common sense to us today has a relatively short history. Camouflage in warfare was not a widespread strategy until 1914 in France. The idea came together thanks to artists such as Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévolad.
But what predated the wide acceptance of camo in France, and then the rest of the world, was the ghillie suit. The first ghillie suits ever worn in combat were donned by British soldiers during the Second Boer War.
The History Of The Ghillie Suit
The market isn't short on ghillie products. There are some great companies producing quality ghillie suits and components. There are also some that I wouldn't wear on Halloween. As the consumer, you have specific requirements, and when purchasing a ghillie, you should approach this as an investment rather than a casual purchase.
That said, after careful research and field testing, Tactical Concealment's Original Cobra Hood earned the award for Best Overall. Its superior combination of durability, functionality, and lightweight construction sets it apart from competing products. For those looking for the Best Value, look no further than Miles Tactical's BDU Ultra Light Sniper Jacket and Pant Ghillie.
This ghillie is field-ready, fit, and finished out of the box. First Lite's Phantom Leafy Suit and Phantom Balaclava combo earned the Editor's Choice award for best 3D suit design more specific to hunting. Finding the right ghillie for your intended purposes is a deliberate process.
Ghillies designed for the tactical environment are going to be engineered to withstand the demands of the operational environment in which they will be employed. From urban to mountain operations, ghillie suits need to be constructed in such a way that they give the sniper the structure to integrate local vegetation to assist in concealment.
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These garments are created to be resilient against intense use that will compromise a lower-quality product. Generally, due to their weight, venting is required for increased breathability. The packability of a ghillie is worth considering since most snipers will be self-supported and this requires additional water, batteries, and optics that will fill much of a sniper's ruck.
The accompanying price tag for this product may be steep for some, and for those in units with budgeting for this kind of gear, it has an NSN number. That said, it's not field-ready, and that's the only downside.
It still requires the user to tie in jute or other garnishes. Despite this, the Cobra Hood is unquestionably the best overall. There are some budget-oriented ghillie products out there, but you won't find that cheap option in this guide.
You can construct your ghillie very economically with a pair of old BDUs using your grandmother's sewing machine, mesh, and webbing. It requires patience and time. If that doesn't sound enticing, then this guide will provide you with quality options for your needs.
Camping Equipment Outdoor Gear And Genuine Army Disposals
Some ghillies incorporate a hood, but the boonie is standard. It's modified with venting on the top and webbing is bar tacked as an overlay for jute and garnish application. Ideally, a boonie will have more webbing/mesh in the back that can serve as a veil.
The sniper can use this veil to drape over optics, concealing them from being observed and mitigating the reflectiveness of the objective lens. If you have an inquiry about a product, would like to provide us with feedback or want to contact us with any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
We will do whatever we can to help and can provide you with any additional information you need. Joseph Bennett served as an Army infantryman and as an aviator flying the Apache helicopter during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
He is currently a graduate student at American University studying International Relations. An avid outdoorsman, he's passionate about archery and backpacking. Tactical Concealment's MCM Viper Ghillie gives the sniper or any other tactical team member the flexibility of an extremely lightweight ghillie geared for specific mission requirements.
Quality Construction
Due to its size, it fits in almost any assault bag or ruck. While lightweight, its construction is designed for rigorous use. As with anything constructed that is lightweight, durability can become a concern through wear and tear or harsh field use.
The 3D leaf design could be more dramatic to improve on obscuring the head and shoulder outline. The current 3D fabric is cut tight to the garment, but that did not appear to diminish its effectiveness in the field.
The MCM Viper is constructed with a heavy-duty nylon mesh and the webbing is bar-tacked for extra durability. Bar tacking is a sewing technique that Tactical Concealment uses on its garments to ensure product confidence in the field.
It's a feature that makes these ghillies bombproof. The nature of the textiles used naturally makes the design breathable. The overall design accommodates customization for fit due to its multiple tension cords and adjustable chest strap.
Q Are Ghillie Suits Legal?
A: Yes, but it's very mission-specific. Not all situations will require them, and it's a piece of kit that most won't carry unless it's necessary due to its bulk. That said, they do make great blankets in the field on those cold nights/mornings along the Euphrates River.
The name comes from the Scots Gaelic word gille meaning outdoor servant. This makes a ton of sense seeing as Scottish gamekeepers were the first to ever use them. It was invented as an idea for a portable hunting blind.
Hunting in the timber on those spring mornings chasing turkeys is some of the best times to be in the field. Watching and listening to the forest come to life, to the increasing glow of the rising sun over the horizon, is one of the great privileges we as hunters have.
Blending into these situations in either dappled sunlight or full shade is where Nomad's 3D leafy suit excels. It's available in the classic Mossy Oak Bottomland or Mossy Oak Shadow Leaf. Over the years, we've been with Aussies everywhere from their very own backyard to the most remote wilderness.
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We stock the finest military surplus outdoor products at competitive prices both online and in our outlet stores located all over the country. On top of that, we are 100% Australian owned! Whether it's heading out to the bush for the annual family camping trip, casting a line in one of Australia's many rivers or hiking up a rugged peak, there is nothing quite like experiencing the great outdoors.
With a huge range of outdoor gear and genuine military surplus, Aussie Disposals can equip you for any adventure. From hunting to recreational activities such as airsoft, ghillie suits continue to pop up for enthusiasts. Using your environment as a tool to defeat your opponent is a key principle for any battle.
Ghillie suits help you take things to the next level and can be a fun project for anyone to undertake. Without question, ghillie construction is the most important consideration. The textiles and stitching used will determine a ghillie's durability in the field.
Webbing requires bar tacking and the webbing should provide flexibility for movement but also hold tight to the host fabric. Venting should not be overlooked; mesh panels sewn into the backs of jackets and hoods help to dump heat (thermoregulate).
Q How Effective Are Ghillie Suits For Hunting?
I don't want this category to deceive anyone. There are plenty of value-oriented ghillies out there. I'm assuming if you're here, it's not because you're dressing up as Bob Lee Swagger for Halloween. Ghillie suit construction is a rite of passage in itself.
If you want to skip the hours necessary in constructing your own, then the BDU Ultra-Light Sniper Jacket and Pant Ghillie by Miles Tactical is worth considering. A: Yes, there is nothing illegal about them. I know an insurance fraud investigator who used one to capture footage of a claimant in violation of his worker's compensation claim.
However, the main conflict is the hunting field where you may be required by local or state law to wear orange. Ghillie suits are designed to break up the human form that is easily distinguished from the natural environment either due to shape, color contrast, or reflectivity of light from our skin or inorganic surfaces (metal or glass).
A common misconception is that the ghillie is designed to make you appear as a shrub or some other natural feature, but the objective of the ghillie is to conceal you and fully integrate you into the environment.
What Is A Ghillie Suit?
Your goal is not to exist. Due to its ultra-lightweight construction, durability may become an issue in the field through hard use. Unfortunately, that is generally the tradeoff when using ultralight products. That said, after multiple days in the field, I saw no evidence of wear and tear.
From camping furniture and cooking supplies to snow gear and fishing supplies, we have everything you need for your next adventure. Browse through our collection of top brands and rest easy knowing we supply nothing but the highest quality products, along with a broad selection of clothing designed with comfort, style, and functionality in mind.
For the modern hunter, the ghillie in its 3D leaf suit variation has come full circle. Yes, you can use a traditional ghillie for pursuing game in the field, but the 3D suit offers the same concealment and outline breakup benefits without the weight penalty.
The 3D leaf suits are lightweight and breathable. Generally, they are designed to be worn over your layering system, giving them a wide range of conditions in which they can be utilized. The internet is full of forums and articles on ghillies.
Color Palette
There's no doubt there exists some great information out there, as well as not-so-great. My experience is diverse, but I don't know everything. For additional reference, I also reached out to others with similar backgrounds like KUIU's Justin Shaffer, who is also a former Army sniper, and Matt Zirnsak from The Push Archery who uses ghillies to hunt turkeys and white-tailed deer.
With these additional perspectives, I jumped head-on into product reviews and other top ghillie lists. Hunting ghillie suits are also popular in some circles, particularly for hunters who stalk wild turkeys. It's important to note that, from a tactical standpoint, ghillie suits are not always the best option, however.
They have many obvious strengths, but they are also very heavy when compared to other forms of clothing. They can limit mobility, trap water and cause hypothermia, and can be very flammable without proper treatment.
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