For some occupations, such as military service members and wild game hunters, disguising oneself and their equipment from enemy forces or game animals is the key to success, and in both arenas, having the right gear means having the right camo mesh netting, Army camo netting, or even a sniper Ghillie suit for the job to obscure one’s shape, presence, and heat signature from other parties involved. Camo is more than just a jungle pattern on a jeep or uniform; great care is taken to design and manufacture camo mesh netting and hunting blinds for those who need them, and best of all, a variety of fabric types and colors are out there for different terrain types, making camo mesh netting a flexible industry for hunters and soldiers alike. Some netting may even be designed to help block out heat signatures from enemy scanners.
The Business of Camo Mesh Netting
Gone are the days of soldiers dressing in bright colors to tell them apart from enemy soldiers; in fact, until 1898, the American military used blue uniforms, but it switched to khaki colors, and modern camouflage emerged as of World War II. Today, militaries around the world equip their soldiers and service members with camo of different colors and types for any battlefield imaginable, and this extends to camo mesh netting that hides not just human bodies, but also vehicles and supply crates as well. For some personnel, Ghillie suits are the best route to take. Snipers often make use of these outfits, which are full-body suits that mimic the natural vegetation and colors of their environment, complete with false leaves, twigs, and grass to fool enemy forces. They may weight three to ten pounds, sometimes more, and can be highly effective. Hunters, meanwhile, are more likely to simply make use of camo colored outfits and hats, but they can still make good use of camo mesh netting to avoid alerting game animals to the presence of their camp, and camo mesh netting can also be useful to ward off human thieves who may raid unattended campsites.
The Power of Camo
How is camo mesh netting best used? It is not enough to merely drape it over a jeep, a pickup truck, or a stack of crates and consider it a job well done. Camo must conceal not only the colors and surfaces of the item being hidden, but also its outline, which will quickly give it away to enemy soldiers or game animals alike. For this reason, camo netting should be supported by nearby tree branches, not unlike a hammock, and flexible rods and poles can be used to create a sort of tent of camo around the item to be hidden. This conceals the outline of the item, such as a pickup truck, and hiding the outline in fact may do more work than the camo pattern itself for hiding the item. A truck or stack of supplies can quickly melt into the background if it has neither the colors nor the shape of its real identity. In some cases, hunters or soldiers may merely coat their truck or jeep with camo fabric or paint, and the vehicle’s shiny surfaces should be covered with mud and other materials so that their glare and glint do not give them away. Finally, those investing in camo mesh netting may note that such netting does not always completely hide the item’s presence, but instead hide its nature and shape from animals or enemy soldiers, and if camo is designed correctly, this is all that is needed.
Camo may be varied based on where it is to be used. Often, a forest setting is pictured for camo, such as for deer or turkey hunters, but this is only one example. Forest camo may involve natural greens and browns of vegetation, not to mention twigs and the natural dappled shadows that tree foliage casts. For those operating in a desert environment, local colors such as white, sandy brown, darker brown, and more may be used to blend in with sand, rocks, and hard-baked earth to conceal vehicles and soldiers alike. Camo for snowy environments will be white to blend with snowdrifts and more.