The texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance. Like color, texture has a baseline also. If an object has a surface that contrasts with its surroundings, it becomes noticeable. An Object with a smooth surface reflects light and becomes more noticeable than an object with a rough surface that casts shadows upon itself. Very smooth objects tend to become shiny and reflective. This is something to keep in mind when trying to get the right contrast and value for your environment. The ghillie veil is by far the most important part of the ghillie suit. While you’re observing the enemy, some of your head is the only part of your body that should have a direct line of sight to the enemy. Many experienced scout snipers will only bring their veil with them, but only after mastering the technique of stalking. Some will bring their veil and blouse, opting to leave the trousers behind. These photos also show color, contrast/value blended well, but the texture is non-existent. (at least for the top half of my body). The lower half of my body shows how much contrast there is between my grey pants and the tan environment. Light (Reflecting, Sunlight and Shadow) Your environment has a baseline of color. The greater your color contrasts with the baseline color, the more visible you become. This is especially true when that color is not natural for that area. It can be difficult to identify an object strictly off its color, but incorrect color can attract the eye of an observer and lead him to scrutinize the object in question.

To prep the 550 cord, ill break this down into a few steps. First, cut about 100 pieces of 550 cord in anywhere from 12”-24” sections. When you have that massive pile of 550 cord strands, remove the 7 white strings inside, known as the “550 guts”. Fun fact about 550 cord that some people do not know; the 7 strands of white string in the guts are all rated at 50lb test. The hollow tubular shell that the guts are contained In, is rated at 200lb test. Altogether, you have 550lb test paracord. Hence the name, 550 cord. In a pinch, you could remove a few strands of the 550 guts to make much longer yet weaker cordage. Anyway, we won’t be needing the 550 guts, so either throw them away or put them aside. Again, this ghillie suit is just a simple base idea. Tailor this suit to you and your environment. Add more jute, add more 550, some people take burlap sandbags and shred them up, using scraps to add texture to their suit. If you’re only going to be in a hayfield or fields of goldenrod, include much more tan than green.

Sniper Equipment & Gear

At this time, you should be preparing your suit for use in the field. Pull on the netting to find any loose spots, add any more glue where it may be needed, add jute or 550 in places where it may be needed. The first time you break in your ghillie suit should identify weak points or problems in the suit so that you can repair it, and prevent any problems in the future. A ghillie suit must break up the human outline, and cover all 5 body angles to prohibit an observer from noticing and distinguishing the shape of the human body. Color The easiest way of doing this part is to grab a partner and work together. You should only need a partner for about 5 minutes, so you aren’t asking them of much. Have your partner drape the netting over your shoulders, and hot glue little cross-sections onto the blouse.

As you can imagine ghillie suits can be very hot and increase the risk of overheating, especially when layers of vegetation are added. One of the only thing more dangerous than passing out from overheating is passing out from overheating while literally nobody can find you! I have seen this happen before and it can be deadly. I recommend never stalking alone. Consider using something like a find my phon” app so that you can be located in case of emergency. If you’re going to be in the woods most of the time, include a little more green. If you’re in an area where there isn’t much vegetation, include more jute and things to break up your outline more. This is basically one big manly arts and crafts project. If it works, do it. Just remember, you can always darken your suit in the field, but if you bring a suit with a dark base color, it can be difficult to lighten it. Positive Space is anything that takes up mass. This can be buildings, trees, bushes, vehicles, obstacles, etc. If possible at all, it is difficult for an observer to see through positive space. The human eye naturally moves from positive space to positive space, as the eye is attracted to these large objects. Similar to reading a book, it’s typical for an observer’s eye to move from positive space to positive space from left to right, far to near. It’s just first nature to the human while observing.

Rothco Sniper Veil

As I mentioned earlier in “color”, this picture (left) was originally taken to show improper use of shadow. This dark shadow, looks unnatural and is an anomaly in the baseline of the environment. This draws the observer’s eye toward this spot. The picture on the left was taken from about 12 feet away. The picture on the right was taken about 200 yards away. See how that dark shadow is such an anomaly in the baseline, that it draws your eye to it? Contrast is a difference or strong dissimilarity between two compared objects. Value is the tone of something, the darkness or lightness of color. This can be easily confused with the element of color, however, color is more so choosing the right color to match your environment, and contrast/value is understanding how being darker or lighter can draw attention to yourself. The first step in making a veil is to cut a straight line on the brim across the forehead. This will prevent the Boonie from casting a dark shadow on your face while wearing the veil. Next, grab a scrap piece of netting and zip tie them onto the loops of the Boonie. (my zip ties are camo, look closely).

Now I took the same veil that I was wearing in the “color” photos and made a good texture example. Imagine wearing a grassy ghillie suit with the texture of a leafy bush. While they can be the exact same color, your outline and shape are broken up correctly, your contrast/value is blended correctly but if your texture is off you will look out of place. Notice how the grassy veil doesn’t really blend well with the round, splotchy texture of the bush. Now on the next photo, I dropped the grassy veil onto the ground. Look how much better that texture matches up. Rhythm and FlowThis is the part that I go all out on. I spend, by far, the most amount of time of this project prepping and applying 550 cord to my ghillie suit. The 550 is a crucial part, that is what you use to tie in the vegetation that truly makes you invisible. Use enough of it, and it will act in the same way as the jute does, breaking up your outline. Notice in the images above, you see parts of my outline. Most noticeably, the vertical line which is my left ribs, left pectoral, and the horizontal line made by my left arm. You also very easily see the “V” made by my left armpit. Even through a bush, with a camouflage shirt on, this “V” is easily noticeable. After spotting this “V”, and part of my body’s outline, it becomes easy to see that this is the top left portion of a human body. Rhythm and Flow is my favorite of the 9 elements of visual perception. Many of these elements, such as color, are simply science. Your color(s) either match the baseline or they don’t. With Rhythm and Flow, you begin to steer away from the science of camouflage and dive deep into the art of camouflage. Do you, as a ghillie, blend beautifully with the environment? Does your suit bow to the wind like a light breeze rolling over a wheat field?