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Camo

Like most hunters, I wear camouflage because it may give a slight edge under some circumstances. Yet it seems many of the hunting patterns out now are really more for attracting hunters to the clothing racks than concealing. Is it really necessary for all these new camo patterns to come out each year or is it just to sell new clothes? Do you really need camouflage underwear that matches your camouflage pattern on your jacket? Hmm…Methinks that marketers are designing this stuff and not hunters.

Observations on Camouflage

When looking at this issue in my engineering way, I noticed that bigger open patterns tended to work well at breaking up the human outline (a forest green wool plaid shirt still works for instance). On the other hand, fancy prints with lots of detail of trees, etc. and false depth of field added actually had worse performance at distance from my own observing. I’ve noticed these things a number of times at archery shoots where you get to see many people traipsing through the woods wearing all sorts of camo patterns.

In short, the patterns that looked like nothing always seemed to do the best when the randomly changing backgrounds of the woods was taken into consideration. Patterns that looked like trees and leaves sometimes worked OK if the tree you were next to matched it, but didn’t work especially well for ground blinds or if you have to move and get away from the trees. In areas with limited concealment, complex patterns tended to be too dark and in the bright sun they really stood out as the darker colors they used didn’t reflect light the way surrounding vegetation did.

Is Simple Camouflage the Best?

Simplicity usually trumps complicated. Game animals in the wild are largely just variations of tan, black and brown. Simple. Yet, they are very hard to see when in concealment or even in the open. Their fur diffuses light and the color scheme is so neutral that it tends to look dark when in shadows and lightens up when in the sun. The color works regardless of the conditions or time of the year. Most hunters will tell you that game animals are incredibly hard to see (especially when they aren’t moving). So why aren’t these animals covered in barks, twigs, acorns, and leaves like the camouflage we see in the stores?

Is There an All Season Camouflage?

No, there isn’t. Most camo will need to be designed for the expected operating environment to work best. But some designs have made a good attempt at trying to work adequately in a variety of situations. One such design came out in the 1980s as a camo pattern called ASAT. ASAT is short for All Season All Terrain. It has since developed a legendary status among people who need to get really close to game animals to get a shot off: bowhunters. It’s a tan base color and just has some brown and black in it as a breakup pattern.

The ASAT company sells generic printed garments, but also offers an overall 3D “Leafy” version of their camo that adds an effect of blowing leaves. The suit is very lightweight and pulls over your clothes and can cover up just about anything you have on. It also isn’t so bulky that it gets in the way of running your bow or other hunting gear.

Test Photos

I recently took some ASAT and put it up against a couple popular military camouflage patterns below. I have also done it against some other hunting patterns but I will have to save that for another post. I just wanted to test the different camouflage ideas that exist. The military (and ASAT) for instance tends to focus on the patterns that look like nothing in particular and works better among what is called negative space (the area between objects like trees in the woods). Many commercial hunting companies tend to focus on patterns that look like trees, bushes, etc. or what could be considered positive space.

The photos were taken on a cloudy day in some generic wooded area with pines and deciduous trees during winter. The garments were each hung on their own in the same random place with light or no concealment and I stepped back a distance and took progressively closer photos until I was within about five feet of the camouflage (except the last series where I went for a long distance so you could see how they blob up from further away). The last photo in each series will show you which garment it was and is labeled in the caption. The first photos are all the garments laid out by pattern (MARPAT, ASAT, DPM, ASAT Leafy). The series of photos is random in which garment is being tested so you won’t know until the end which it is. Check out the full-screen mode for higher resolution images.

The Most Effective Camo

Just note that no camo is really going to save you if you’re caught out in the open (save a heavy and bulky Ghillie suit). Virtually all of these patterns work best with some light concealment in front of them at a minimum. And the best camo of them all for hunting or otherwise is to NOT MOVE, don’t make any noise, and make sure your scent is not blown towards the animal (regardless of what magic hunting cologne or scent control clothes being used). Eyes are drawn to movement but if you are wearing camouflage you may get a slight edge if you are seen or heard because the animal may not be able to tell what you are. If they smell you though they’ll be out of there.

I know this is not scientific and is not designed to critique military camo which has different purposes than hunting camouflage. For one, the camera sees things differently than a human eye and something that appears obvious in these photos was not really that obvious when I was using the standard human-issue eyeball. Secondly, military camouflage also needs to be invisible to things like infrared and thermal imaging which is not a concern for hunting because deer do not wear night vision equipment. Lastly, the military operates in many areas that are not woodland (urban zones, desert, etc.) and these are not considered in this test.

Here are the contestants:

MARPAT - USMC Digital Woodland Pattern

MARPAT – The US Marine Corp digital woodland pattern. This pattern was released several years back and is effective in woodland environments. The pixelated edges are not just for looks. They actually work to help confuse the eye up close and at further distances and keeps the pattern from blotching up. It appears to my eye to cause the edges to go out of focus between the color transitions.

British DPM

British Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) – This pattern has been out for decades in slight variations and is used by British forces. It’s an effective pattern because it uses larger swashes of color and tends to blotch up less than others I’ve seen. Another thing to this pattern is that it looks like brush strokes and the irregular edges this causes makes the transition regions between colors to be less defined just like MARPAT’s digital scheme.

ASAT - All Season All Terrain on Sitka Gear Jacket

ASAT – This is a Sitka Designs jacket in ASAT that I’ve owned for years. This is the standard ASAT printed on flat fabric. ASAT doesn’t offer the Sitka gear any more. That’s a huge shame. Sitka gear is awesome stuff and works in a wide range of weather conditions and is quiet in the bush.

ASAT - All Season All Terrain 3D Leafy Suit

ASAT Leafy 3D Suit - This is the ASAT leafy suit top. The package comes with the top, bottom and full head net. It packs down small and weighs about 2lbs. It can be taken on and off over most clothes (even heavy insulation or rain gear and with your boots on). You can stow it easily in your pack when hiking to your hunting location and put it on when you arrive to begin the hunt. It’s all synthetic so bad weather won’t bother it. The foundation is a netting so it’s very light and well ventilated. It’s also very quiet in the bush when I’ve tried it so you can stalk with it on and not spook game.

Conclusions

Overall, I think that ASAT flavors did well at breaking up the human silhouette at distance. Up very close in the open the ASAT was mediocre compared to the military patterns (the Leafy 3D did almost as well though). Behind some mild concealment however the ASAT performed well. The ASAT coloration of tan, brown and black is effective even in light concealment where the darker greens in the military camouflage sometimes tended to stand out as a blob. Also, the ASAT had a disrupting effect on my eyes especially when it is behind a few branches. Meaning that it made it very hard for me to discern the shape of the jacket from a distance even when I knew it was there. The British DPM was the worst performer in this regard and often was too dark in the area of operation where these particular photos were taken. MARPAT tended to fall somewhere in the middle. MARPAT and DPM both did best when out in the open up close. On the forest floor in the open, MARPAT is very effective and DPM a close second. In dense underbrush all the patterns did well. One possible improvement to ASAT would be to apply the digital texturing technique to the edges of the brown and black stripes to soften the edges and create a smoother transition between colors like MARPAT and DPM have done.

The ASAT 3D Leafy suit was very effective. It may not have come out as much in the photos, but with the naked eye it really did a good job. It impressed me with how well it worked even on a bare open pile of wood, behind some small branches or in deeper concealment. Considering it is so light, easy to pack, and relatively inexpensive compared to a full set of super deluxe camo patterns, I think it’s a great deal. It’s certainly something for a hunter to consider adding to their pack if they are expecting some close encounters with game. Wildlife photographers and others wishing to get close to wild animals may also consider adding the ASAT 3D suit to their equipment list.

What do you think? Post your comments below on what your eyes say and vote in the attached poll at the top.

Like most nerds, I like having some type of pocket tool kit on my person at all times. Whether a Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman, it comes in handy so often that I just can’t imagine traveling anywhere without one. But suppose you have to disassemble your car or defuse a bomb MacGuyver style in total darkness? You need some light and you need the light detached from your tool kit so you can see what you’re doing while using the tool itself.

Squeeze Lights Run Out of Juice

For many years I carried a Photon squeeze light on my knife. While very light and handy, they just didn’t put out a very strong beam and when the batteries died there never seemed to be any spare button cells around. Even worse, my Photon light would often turn on when in my pocket ensuring the battery would be dead just when I needed it. Eventually I decided it was time for an upgrade and and wanted a newer high output LED light using more conventional AAA batteries. After some research, I ordered a Fenix LD01 flashlight.

The Fenix Has Landed

The LD01 features a powerful 80 Lumens output on the highest setting. The light output is easily as strong as a much larger conventional lightbulb flashlight. I’ve lit up objects 100+ feet away without any problem. On the lowest setting the light is comparable to the squeeze lights but the beam is better focused and more usable thanks to the built in reflector. There is also a medium setting which is a nice compromise in brightness vs. battery life. The light settings are quickly adjusted by turning the front bezel. When turned on initially it will default to medium power, the second twist gives you low power and the last twist gives you high power. Twisting a final time turns the light off. There are no buttons on the light and the entire system is controlled by twisting the head. This is also how you replace the battery. It’s a rugged and simple design and stays off when in your pocket and stays on when you want it to be on. The kit also includes a pocket clip, attachment ring and spare O-ring in case the included one wears out.

In terms of battery life, on the highest setting the manufacturer claims a one hour burn time with a single AAA battery, 3.5 hours on the medium setting and 11 hours on the lowest setting. I’ve not run a battery out yet despite having used mine for many hours already. Because the light uses a standard AAA battery, you can find replacements in stores that may not stock button batteries or specialty photo cells that other lights may use.

The light itself is about 3″ long and 1/2″ in diameter. Here it is in comparison with a standard sqeeze light, the little brother Fenix E01 light (not nearly as bright but much cheaper), and my trusty Swiss Army Knife:

The LD01 packs a lot of light in a small package.

I had some photos of just how strong this light is, but honestly the images just can’t capture it well and it is so bright that it was causing the camera to underexpose. Let’s just say that a full size 3 D-Cell traditional bulb flashlight is about 80 lumens and weights over 30 oz. This light that fits in your pocket and weighs perhaps two ounces is just as bright. Of course there are some lights that are brighter, but for the size this one is really hard to beat. I own several Fenix lights now and have never had one fail me after some pretty rough use (as opposed to some others which failed soon after I bought them).

The little brother Fenix E01 is about 1/3rd the price, but is not nearly as bright even though they both use the same AAA battery. It also has only one brightness setting. It’s a great little light for the $10 or so it costs, but if you want a pocket light that means business I recommend just getting LD01. However, the smaller version could be a great light to keep around the house for power outages or other tasks that don’t require a blinding amount of output. They’re also cheap enough to keep one in your glove box in your car as a backup in case you needed to change a tire, etc. at night.

Knife in the Photo

Swiss Army Hercules

A Great Firestarter

The orange thing on the knife is a Swedish Firesteel Mini which is a small sparking device for starting fires, lighting stoves, etc. I keep it attached to my knife on a six inch piece of cord so I can strike it with my knife blade to throw sparks if needed. Usually I’ll use it when hiking to start up my stove and also as a backup firestarter in case of an emergency.

A Great Piece of Kit

But back to the flashlight. Fenix is a relatively new manufacturer, but they are making some really good products and the LD01 is a great piece of kit. It puts out an amazing amount of light in a small package that fits in your pocket. I think it’s a great value for the quality and function and can easily replace much bigger units for a fraction of the weight.

A theme you’ll hear on this blog about investing is the idea that the markets are not predictable. You may believe that I’m referring to the idea that you can’t predict returns on investments ahead of time and that’s partially true. The other part though relates to extreme risks that sweep through the markets in unpredictable ways with unpredictable results.

Aside from standard market risks, when you look at your investments it’s also important to always ask yourself: “What if I’m wrong?” Because, odds are, you will be wrong eventually. It’s just a question of degrees on how wrong it will be: A little or a lot.

The Permanent Portfolio has protection against unpredictable market risks and being wrong. If you’re wrong, you’re not going to be wrong so much that you take a crushing blow to your portfolio (because your asset allocation is widely diversified in relatively small chunks). We should also understand though that all investments have risk. Without risk, you will not get rewards. So risk must be taken to grow a portfolio, but it must be done with specific goals in mind. We need profits, but we also need defenses against an unknown future.

In this light, I’d like to share with you some books and podcasts that I think really hit at this problem of risk, uncertain futures and protecting yourself against being wrong. They may help you understand why diversifying and eliminating unnecessary risks in your portfolio is so important and why being wrong does not have to be fatal if you handle it correctly.

First there is John Allen Paulos and his book A Mathematician Plays The Stock Market. This 2003 title is one of a series of excellent books written about his worldly observations as a mathematician. In this case, the book details his own personal story of losing money in the stock market and how uncertainty rules. It’s an interesting look at many concepts you see in the investing world with respect to stocks vs. bonds, efficient market hypothesis, chaos theory, etc. And, best of all, it’s a very easy and fun read with almost no math but high level explanations of many concepts with real-world examples. He has a number of books written in his “A Mathematician” series exploring everything from innumeracy in society to his experiences investing (and losing) lots of money in Worldcom as he discusses in this book. The bottom line is that risk is real, markets are random, and trying to beat it can be very costly. His dedication reads:

To my father, who never played the market and knew little about probability, yet understood one of the prime lessons of both. “Uncertainty,” he would say, “is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”

John Allen Paulos – A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market Dedication

Now that’s a dedication I can get behind! That is the core philosophy of how the Permanent Portfolio is designed to operate.

…the government-sponsored institution Fannie Mae, when I look at their risks, seems to be sitting on a barrel of dynamite, vulnerable to the slightest hiccup. But not to worry: their large staff of scientists deemed these events “unlikely.”

Nassim Taleb – The Black Swan Pg. 225

I’d say he certainly called that one correctly.

I also think you’ll enjoy these two podcasts from Nassim Taleb. One recorded in 2007 talks about his book The Black Swan. The second was recorded in 2009 after the market meltdown as an after-action report on what he had written and said before:

Taleb on Black Swans – April 30, 2007

Taleb on the Financial Crisis – March 23, 2009

One thing about Taleb is while he has disdain for most fields of economics (and especially the very silly Keynesians), he does have an affinity for the Austrian Economic School and their dislike of the over-application of mathematics in economics for what is, essentially, a human behavioral problem (aka. scientism). Why does this matter? For one, you cannot model risks accurately with standard statistical methods because human behavior is not predictable. Secondly, Harry Browne was a firm believer in Austrian Economics and the Permanent Portfolio design, at its absolute core, is based on the Austrian School’s theory on monetary cycles (a lengthy topic for another day) and embracing unpredictability in the world. In fact, I think that one of the reasons the Permanent Portfolio is good at dealing with market risk is because the Austrian Economics school is right about a great many things. This outlook helps to drive the portfolio down the right path over time avoiding serious pitfalls and dangerous assumptions about the future.

With these three books and two podcasts you will understand more about market risk than most professional investors and economists. Seriously. Combine that with Harry Browne’s podcasts, and his own previous books, and you’ll be well versed in the dangers of the unpredictable in the investing world and how to position yourself to deal with them.

Formerly, I was in the Internet security field and part of my work was as a security auditor hired to break into computer networks as well as doing network attack tool development. So, it comes naturally to me to look for ways in which something may not go according to plan and deliberately push further until it breaks in unexpected ways. That’s what security auditing is at its core.

Therefore, as my research in investing and economics widened, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to depart from looking at optimistic scenarios and instead look at financial disasters. I already saw all the unrealistic hockey stick charts where people project their 15% annual returns for the next 50 years and retire by buying a Carribean island somewhere. Instead, I wanted to see how things worked when the train really sailed off the tracks. What assets held up, what didn’t, how long did it take to recover, etc. And, as it turned out, one of the more recent financial disasters was Argentina in 2001. During that year, the Peso was devalued from 1:1 with the US Dollar to a market exchange rate peaking around 4:1 Pesos for US dollars (that’s around an 80% loss of value kiddies). In the end, the overall damage to Argentina’s citizens was to lose more than 2/3rds of their wealth almost overnight as the government implemented extreme policies that made the situation worse.

Inflation in Argentina 2002 - Wikipedia

Now it’s one thing to read about losing so much of one’s life savings under an extreme event like this, but it’s another thing to actually live through it. Yet, during my reading on the subject it just so happens that I came across a report from an Argentinian Architect student (now Architect Professor) living in Buenos Aires:

Lessons from Argentina’s Economic Collapse (Read all four parts at your leisure, it’s well worth your time)

He also published a book (and keeps a blog) that is a collection of his advice on what really happens when an industrialized country hits a very bad economic climate.

Unlike other survivalist-type books that operate under the idea that all you need is a bunker and some bullets, this book actually covers realistically what to expect. It details the events of 2001 and the aftermath. This includes the very high unemployment, crime and poverty (as high as 57% under the poverty line at one point). He also talks about what things you probably should have to prepare for this situation (hint: It does not include an armored personnel carrier, but does include things like LED headlamps and a moderate amount of food supplies to ride out some initial disruptions). Finally, he goes into great detail about what happens in a country when a currency really does hyper-inflate. For instance, did you know that vendors and banks will happily buy gold and silver but are not interested at all in bartering with ammunition? Do people really think you’re going to walk into a store and say:

[CraigR]: I know that pack of Coca Cola costs a half-dozen .308 caliber, but all I have are 10 rounds of .338 Lapua Magnum. Can you give me five 30-06 caliber softpoints for change? Oh, and I’ll take two gallons of napalm. I need to refill my flame thrower because I have a death match at the Thunderdome tonight.

Ignoring the fact for now that gold can diversify a portfolio without any financial disaster at all, one of the criticisms of gold is that for financial Armageddon some say you’re better off with bullets, razor blades, etc. However if you read accounts of what actually happened in developed countries like Argentina and Iceland it’s a total myth. In Surviving the Economic Collapse the author goes into detail about how and why barter systems must fail eventually and how they did exactly that in Argentina. As it turns out, gold and silver in fact are great assets to have once you move beyond the basic sustenance items for your family. People are always happy to exchange gold and silver for either real items or local currency. Moreover, there is not some magic button that’s pushed where everyone turns into rabid murdering lunatics roaming the countryside looking for the razor blade bazaar to trade their wares. In the book the author explains:

Survivalists spend countless hours discussing what product to stock specifically for post SHTF [craigr: Shit Hits The Fan] barter. Tools, needles, candles, shoes, and sometimes the most ridiculous suggestions are considered the wisest statement. This or that item, ‘will be worth its weight in gold’.

Well, no.

Only gold is always worth its weight in gold. Bar none.

- FerFal – Surviving the Economic Collapse

And on bartering with ammunition:

How about Uncle Bob’s ammo stash. He read somewhere that .22 Long Rifle would be the new currency after the SHTF, and the best barter item, so he bought a few 500 round packs.

Again, his surprise was big when the egg guy told him that he didn’t need .22 ammo, he doesn’t even like guns, he simply needs a plumber.

Since he was at the ‘Barter Club’ he checked around to see what was the actual market for his .22 stash, and was sort of disappointed by the few offers he got. Seemed that each person wanted a different item, and those that were interested…they looked like people from the wrong walk of life, and Bob wasn’t sure he wanted to give ‘them’ ammo. Ammo that would end up being used in delinquent’s guns and possibly against him and his family.

- FerFal – Surviving the Economic Collapse

Besides the above, he covers many other topics with an insightful outlook. Here’s a short list:

• Common myths about what happens during an economic crisis
• Why preparation is a good idea
• How to prepare
• Importance of being physically fit
• Crime and unemployment
• Risks of living in rural areas
• Risks of living in the city
• Security in your home
• Security in your vehicle
• Gear to keep on your person, car and at home
• What kind of gun to buy first for protection
• Self-defense skills – unarmed
• Self-defense skills – armed
• Finances under economic calamities
• Making money in bad economies
• Bartering
• Gold and other foreign currencies in a crisis
• How to expect your government to respond
• Bribing, looting, riots and relocating
• Having multiple plans in case things don’t work out where you are

Lastly, the author reflects a bit on what he’d do differently if he knew what was going to happen ahead of time. This involves what items he’d buy, what he’d avoid, how he’d diversify his money and other small but important details that you may not have considered.

Overall I really enjoyed this book for the practical details inside of a financial crisis and what really happens as opposed to theories. The author apologizes for the writing in the book as English is not his first language, but I found his writing style humorous and blunt with no sugar coating. From his descriptions and acknowledgements of what he did right and wrong you can tell that he’s someone with (unfortunate) experience in these matters.

For $24.95 I think this is a great buy. It’s a book that offers practical advice for anyone who wants to be better prepared in case any type of emergency should arise that affects where they live whether natural or man-made. I give this book five stars. It’s a great read.