Whether you're creating sniper ammo for your next skirmish or just want to be more concealed on the field, our expert ghillie camo guide will help you stay discreet and blend into your environment like a pro.
From buying ready-made full ghillie suits to making your own from scratch, our ghillie experts have put together a comprehensive guide covering everything you need to know about ghillie camo.
Key Takeaways
- A ghillie suit boosts stealth by breaking up your outline and helping you blend naturally into woodland, grassland, or urban terrain.
- The best suits use raffia, burlap, or synthetic fibres, with added leaf strips for realistic texture and IR protection.
- Combine capes, hoods, or boonie hats for full-body coverage and pair with boot covers and gloves to conceal hands and feet.
- Always match colours to the environment — greens and browns for forests, beige for fields, white or grey for snow.
- Maintain performance by mud-washing new suits to remove shine and scent and customise with local foliage for each skirmish.
Is A Ghillie Suit Necessary?
While a ghillie suit isn't strictly necessary, it can be a game-changer in scenarios where stealth and concealment are critical.
Whether you're participating in a sniper stakeout in a MilSim or want to maintain the element of surprise in a CQB skirmish, a ghillie suit allows you to blend seamlessly into natural surroundings, making it much harder for others to spot your position.
However, the decision to use one depends on the terrain, the level of concealment required, and personal preference.
What Should Ghillie Suits Be Made Of?
Ghillie suits are made from lightweight, breathable materials like burlap, jute, or synthetic fibres. These materials are used because they are durable, easy to work with, and can be made to look like natural plants.
For example, burlap and jute are often dyed or frayed to create textures that blend into forests, grasslands, or deserts.
Synthetic fibres are a good choice for wet climates because they resist moisture and mildew.
The base of the suit is usually a mesh fabric, which provides ventilation and keeps the wearer comfortable.
The right materials are essential for making a ghillie suit that is both effective and durable in different environments.
How to Build a Ghillie Suit
So, you know you want the added camouflage of a ghillie suit, but aren't sure where to start? Our expert team has broken down the basics to help you get started and hone your ideal ghillie from head to toe.
1. Choosing a Base
The obvious starting point when building a ghillie suit is to choose your base.
For those who prefer a low-effort approach, starting with a full pre-made ghillie suit, such as the 4.1 Suit from KMCS, is an excellent option.
These types of suits provide comprehensive coverage and are ready to use with minimal additional adjustments.
On the other hand, if you're aiming for a highly custom and creative design, beginning with a basic camo top and trousers gives you the flexibility to craft a unique suit tailored to your exact preferences.
However, this approach does require more time and effort.
Whichever base you decide to go with, it’s crucial to take into account the colour and how well it matches the environment you play in most frequently, ensuring effective concealment and blending seamlessly into your surroundings.
2. (Not All) Airsofters Wear Capes
Adding a cape to your basic tactical clothing can be an excellent way to enhance your camouflage and break up your silhouette, making it harder for opponents to detect your movements.
Capes, like the KMCS Python Cloak, are particularly effective in wooded or uneven environments, where their loose, irregular material helps blend your shape into the natural surroundings.
Many airsofters appreciate the increased concealment and versatility that capes provide, as well as the way they can be easily customised to include additional foliage or patterns.
If you want more extensive coverage from a single item of clothing, the KMCS Poncho offers almost full-body coverage with plenty of movement.
Pros and Cons of Using Ghillie Cloaks for Airsofters:
- Enhanced concealment, blending seamlessly into natural surroundings.
- Lightweight and easy to move in, providing better agility during gameplay.
- Can be customised with additional foliage or patterns to match specific environments.
- Offers versatility, as it can be worn over regular airsoft gear.
- Quick to put on and remove compared to full ghillie suits.
- Provides less coverage than full ghillie suits, potentially exposing parts of the body.
- May not offer adequate protection in rough or dense terrain.
- Can get caught on branches or obstacles if not properly maintained.
- Limited warmth in cold weather due to the loose and lightweight design.
- Requires careful storage to prevent wear or damage to the material.
3. Hoods Vs Enhanced Boonie Hats
It's not just about keeping your body concealed; a shock of blonde hair is the ultimate giveaway, no matter how good your ghillie suit is.
Investing in a hood or an enhanced boonie hat is a great way to ensure your entire head is covered and camouflaged.
But which one should you choose?
The main difference between hoods and enhanced boonie hats lies in their design and functionality.
A hood typically comes with built-in sleeves, like the KMCS Cobra Hood, which provide additional camouflage by covering your upper body more effectively.
This design makes hoods particularly useful when paired with a chest carrier, as they allow for full access to your gear without the restrictions of a full ghillie suit.
On the other hand, enhanced boonie hats are designed to cover both your head and neck, making them an excellent option for breaking up your silhouette.
This coverage is especially effective for maintaining concealment in environments where movement might cause your outline to be detected.
4. Ghillie Grass or Leaf Strips?
Both ghillie grass (or raffia) and leaf strips play a crucial role in creating an effective and versatile ghillie suit.
Raffia, made from dried palm leaves, offers a natural, earthy appearance that closely mimics the colour and texture of dried grass found in many environments. Its realistic look makes it an excellent choice for blending into open fields or dry, arid landscapes.
It can also be dyed to blend into more lush grass environments (alternatively, the KMCS ghillie grass comes pre-dyed in a natural green shade).
On the other hand, nylon leaf strips are designed to replicate the shapes and patterns of natural foliage, making them highly effective for blending into green, forested, or bushy surroundings.
The KMCS Adaptive Leaf Strips feature IR invisibility tech to help keep you hidden during nighttime battles, even when under infrared goggles.
By using a combination of both raffia and leaf strips, you can achieve a fuller, more balanced ghillie suit that adapts to a variety of terrains.
5. Break Your Silhouette With Burlap
Ripping up strips of burlap is a practical and effective way to break up the human silhouette, which is one of the main goals when crafting a ghillie suit.
The uneven, frayed edges of burlap add texture and irregularity, helping mimic the natural shapes and randomness found in outdoor environments.
By attaching these strips to your ghillie suit, you can enhance its ability to blend in with grasses, bushes, or forest floors.
Additionally, burlap is lightweight, durable, and easy to dye, allowing you to customise the colours to match the specific terrain you are operating in.
This simple addition can significantly improve your camouflage suit by further disrupting outlines that may otherwise be noticeable to the naked eye or through optical devices.
6. Don't Forget Your Hands & Feet
Of course, it's not just your head and your body you need to worry about. Nothing ruins a great ghillie suit faster than bright blue trainers sticking out the bottom!
Investing in ghillie boot covers, or even crafting your own, adds the perfect finishing touch to your ghillie suit.
These covers seamlessly blend your footwear with the surrounding terrain, ensuring that no bright or unnatural colours give away your position.
Store-bought options are often made of durable materials designed to withstand rugged environments, but creating your own using netting and natural foliage can be an equally effective and budget-friendly alternative
While you're at it, don't forget to get a pair of airsoft gloves to keep your hands warm during colder stakeouts and conquer glare without sacrificing vision with goggle lens camo stickers.
7. Don't Let Your Carriers Let You Down
Of course, you can't head into the field in just a ghillie suit and your primary weapon. You'll need supplies, but having a black backpack on can ruin the effort that went into your camouflage.
Investing in something like the KMCS bag cover is the ideal way to make your backpack part of your ghillie suit. Not only does it disguise the colour of your bag, but it also helps break up your silhouette, which boosts your concealment when lying in the undergrowth.
You can't forget about your auxiliary carriers either, such as your drop & dump pouches or magazine pouches. Instead of investing in a different colour for each terrain, just remember to attach some mesh scraps or raffia to them before you head out.
8. Make Use of Your Natural Surroundings
It's not just about getting ghillie suits and airsoft accessories in the right shade of Next Gen Brown or Forest Floor.
The most effective ghillie suits always include bits of natural vegetation.
Each time you get your ghillie suit out for a skirmish, take the time to grab some leaves, twigs, or moss from the area before or just after you've headed out into the field and tuck it into the mesh or grid of your suit.
This helps make sure your suit blends in with the unique shades and textures of the local terrain.
9. Don't Forget To Ghillie Your Gun
You can make sure you're ghillied up to the eyeballs, but if you don't give your weapons the same treatment, you'll be spotted a mile off in no time.
Spending a little time covering your weapon from the barrel to the stock is key to maintaining 100% camouflage when it really matters.
This is particularly important if you’re using a two-tone airsoft gun. Just remember to remove the ghillie when transporting the weapon to stay legally compliant.
Here are our top tips to ghillie an airsoft weapon:
- Use burlap strips, leaf strips, or camouflage netting that matches your environment.
- Wrap these materials around the barrel and stock, securing them with suitable zip ties, rubber bands, or a thin rope.
- Avoid covering essential parts like the trigger or sights.
Read our full guide on how to gillie your weapon to make sure you're not letting the side down.
Can I Use Spray Paint & Ink for Camouflage?
Taking your sand colour gear and covering it with spray paint and ink to make it blend into natural environments might seem tempting, but unless you're on a budget of practically zero, we wouldn't recommend it.
Not only does it take Bob Ross levels of skill to get it looking right, but it's also nowhere near as durable as printed ghillie or camo products.
Even if you do a good job, the paint is likely to crack and peel after a few washes. So, while it can be a reasonable option if you're in a pinch, we wouldn't recommend this approach.
What are the Best Colours for Ghillie Suits?
The best colours for ghillie suits largely depend on the environment in which they will be used.
Ultimately, selecting colours that closely match your surroundings ensures maximum camouflage and effectiveness.
| Environment | Ideal Ghillie Suit Colours |
|---|---|
|
Heavily wooded areas |
Dark green, brown, and black |
|
Open fields or grassy areas |
Lighter shades of green mixed with tan or beige |
|
Deserts or arid regions |
Khaki, sand, and light brown |
|
Snow environments |
White or grey |
Do I Need to Ghillie Wash My Suit?
A ghillie mud bath involves coating a ghillie suit in mud or dirt. This process helps break up the suit's uniform appearance, giving it a more natural and rugged look.
It's particularly useful for new ghillie suits, as it helps remove any factory shine or scent that could make the suit stand out. The mud and dirt allow the suit's fibres to absorb natural elements, helping it blend better with outdoor surroundings.
This also adds a layer of authenticity, making the suit look more weathered and improving its camouflage effectiveness.
A mud bath is a practical step to help your ghillie suit perform well in the field, and we'd definitely recommend it!
Final Thoughts: Professional Vs DIY Ghillie
So, both buying a ready-made ghillie suit and making one from scratch have their pros and cons.
In practice, combining the two is always going to be your best bet.
You can buy a professional ghillie suit and then add some of your own touches to make it more personalised and effective in your specific environment.
When choosing a professional ghillie suit, make sure to look for suits made from high-quality materials and with adjustable features, like straps and drawstrings for a better fit. And don't be afraid to modify the suit by adding or removing material as needed.
Shop Quality Ghillie Products at Socom Tactical
At Socom Tactical, we stock a wide range of quality ghillie products from renowned brands such as KMCS and Kombat UK, designed to help you stay perfectly concealed on the airsoft field.
Whether you need a full ghillie suit, lightweight concealment options, or customisable accessories to enhance your camouflage, we have everything you need to gain the tactical edge.
Browse our full range of ghillie suits online today and enjoy free shipping on orders over £100!
