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Gear Test – Camouflage Test ASAT vs. MARPAT vs. British DPM vs. ASAT Leafy 3D Suit
1 year ago
Loading ...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.
