Ghillie suits new company - Advice needed
- Thread starter Camouflagemaker
- Start date
Think about it…is Etsy the premiere destination for high speed/low drag honest-to-goodness military snipers or their procurement people? Or coyote varmint hunters?
That might be part of your problem.
That might be part of your problem.
No, I mean both mil or coyote/varmint hunters are your target market, and they aren’t exactly hanging at Etsy.
This site is full of mil guys, with some coyote-type hunters. Accurateshooter.com has a sub forum for varmint shooters. There’s predatormastersforums.com, predatortalk.com (not sure how great either of those are), and the ever-popular rokslide.com.
And then there are the bow hunters, who I imagine prize camo more than most, but I don’t bow hunt so I cannot say for sure. A quick search on the googles with “bow hunter forum” should yet you some good sites, methinks.
You definitely need a better marketing plan. No one and I mean, no one, that I hunt with would get on Etsy.
That suit would get hung up on sticks and stuff with those elastic rope. Velcro would be the to go. Esty is not the place to do business as most of it so 3rd rate subpar in quality.
I'll give you some advice if you want it.
That is way too dark. You can always darken your ghillie with natural veg, but you can't lighten it. That color scheme would look like a black blob from any distance. Very few places where you'd really blend with a suit that dark. I can't help with the marketing, but I do have some experience building them and how the colors work in the real world. Good luck though, I hope you succeed.
That is way too dark. You can always darken your ghillie with natural veg, but you can't lighten it. That color scheme would look like a black blob from any distance. Very few places where you'd really blend with a suit that dark. I can't help with the marketing, but I do have some experience building them and how the colors work in the real world. Good luck though, I hope you succeed.
Another note: the cross pattern strings on the front of the legs will never work. If you are crawling, you'll literally hang up on everything. They will rip out of the suit on the first stalk, and likely tear the pants themselves pretty bad in the process. They wouldn't survive one long stalk in rough terrain. They should go. 550 cord loops are all you need there, maybe an inch long. That area will never be exposed by someone who knows how to use a ghillie.
Another note. You need loops over the sleeves and pant legs. You need to be able to loop them over your thumbs and over your boots. If you can't do that, you're constantly fighting it as it rides up your arms and legs while you crawl. When you're belly down in rough ground, that suit keeps you from being injured by sharp stuff, bugs, sticks, rocks etc. If it is riding up on the limbs as you crawl, it isn't serving that purpose.
I think that is an improperly deployed sniper. Unless there is a really good screen in front and behind, you'll be seen from space.
If that guy is screened front and rear, and he's set up that way because it's his only option, then adding veg to the legs is irrelevant.
Just an idea to ponder:
One of the things we always wished we had was a zipper that would allow us to zip them on and off over our clothes. This is for both convenience and safety. Nobody wants to have to strip down to their socks and underwear to put them on and off, but you have to. If someone built one that could be zipped on and off in the rear, that would be a big deal. It's also a safety thing. You can imagine what happens to those things with all of that dry jute and adhesive if they hit a spark. Snipers have been burned very badly trying to get them off.
One of the things we always wished we had was a zipper that would allow us to zip them on and off over our clothes. This is for both convenience and safety. Nobody wants to have to strip down to their socks and underwear to put them on and off, but you have to. If someone built one that could be zipped on and off in the rear, that would be a big deal. It's also a safety thing. You can imagine what happens to those things with all of that dry jute and adhesive if they hit a spark. Snipers have been burned very badly trying to get them off.
I often wondered why the dint have zipper/button panels that you can attach and remove.
Have 3-4 sets of different color bases and use according to AO
No, I mean the base of the uniforms should be closer to chocolate chip. Light tan or gray. They should be very light. Using a dark colored base suit is same mistake everyone makes when they begin making these.
I agree to some point
No one /civilian is stalking 300 yards in rough terrain
And 99.9% of people are cheap
Truthfully the people who use the suits are the air soft crowd. They actually crawl, get dirty, and use it a few times a month.
We make fun of airsoft and paint ball guys but they go out in the field more than all of us together
Don’t be ashamed of Etsy ..need to start somewhere
I had a ghillie suit years ago and it was a PITA to carry and maneuver in. So I sold it. However, I am a hunter and not a sniper. I'm able to stay immobile and camouflaged without a ghillie suit. So my "mission requirements" don't need a ghillie suit.
I say that because, you might have to overcome skeptics like myself. On the other hand, my interest in ghillie hoods has been piqued.
I will also say that I hate going to Etsy for anything. It's a PITA to navigate and I also don't trust it When I think of Etsy, I think of inexpensive and poor quality stuff.
I'm not saying that your product is poor quality but that you are probably trying to sell through the wrong online venue.
I don't know how to do it but I think there is a section for vendors on this forum. Also let folks on here know when you have a specific product to sell along with features. Lots of examples and photos help. I've bought some items from some vendors on this forum and been very satisfied.
Someone mentioned that your example is too dark. I second that. Start out light with a base color. It's always easier to darken it. That's why I like my rifles in FDE. I can always add wraps, burlap or other cloth to darken it.
Good luck.
PS: If you can come up with something that defeats thermal optics you might sell out fast.
I say that because, you might have to overcome skeptics like myself. On the other hand, my interest in ghillie hoods has been piqued.
I will also say that I hate going to Etsy for anything. It's a PITA to navigate and I also don't trust it When I think of Etsy, I think of inexpensive and poor quality stuff.
I'm not saying that your product is poor quality but that you are probably trying to sell through the wrong online venue.
I don't know how to do it but I think there is a section for vendors on this forum. Also let folks on here know when you have a specific product to sell along with features. Lots of examples and photos help. I've bought some items from some vendors on this forum and been very satisfied.
Someone mentioned that your example is too dark. I second that. Start out light with a base color. It's always easier to darken it. That's why I like my rifles in FDE. I can always add wraps, burlap or other cloth to darken it.
Good luck.
PS: If you can come up with something that defeats thermal optics you might sell out fast.
All joking aside I’d stay off the hide for initial sales and marketing.
I’m surprised this thread hasn’t gotten into a pissing match about how you and your idea suck.
There are 2-3 other threads about suits which started off really well with good criticism and ideas from guys who really used them and guys who made their own.
They shortly turned into poking fun and shitting on the idea.
Just my 2 cents
Hey fellas…isn't there a guy…maybe from Scandinavia somewhere…that pops in to ask/show his material selection for suits in different environments.
If I recall, he had a super eye for color and texture. Perhaps the OP could find that thread as I believe he may learn a bit from that guy.
Anybody remember that thread?
If I recall, he had a super eye for color and texture. Perhaps the OP could find that thread as I believe he may learn a bit from that guy.
Anybody remember that thread?
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Yes more or less.
Then you can expand your product line to different weight core pieces either for durability, weather conditions etc as well.
Different material panels. Real wool/yarn, gortex etc
All having different price points and target markets.
Then customers can mix and match as they see fit with your options. Some guys may want to use one in a wet environment yet don’t want the mold or weight issue so they choose the light weight synthetic.
So, occasionally I watch the O’Neill Ops guys on YT hunt coyotes. They wear these interesting half-ghille suits with a hood+shoulder drape thing (I’ve nicknamed it “neck flair” lol) that seems to work well. Easier to move about in. You can see their version on the page linked above.
The ones they have used in the past and the one they offer on their site are both from Tactical Concealment.
tacticalconcealment.com
O’Neill YT
Anyway, if I was buying today for coyote or crow shooting, that’s what I’d get.
Fucking crows are smarter than me! I swear they have thermals up there…
The ones they have used in the past and the one they offer on their site are both from Tactical Concealment.
Tactical Concealment LLC - Official Home Page
Sniper ghillie suits and surveillance Viper Cobra Hood
tacticalconcealment.com
O’Neill YT
Anyway, if I was buying today for coyote or crow shooting, that’s what I’d get.
Fucking crows are smarter than me! I swear they have thermals up there…
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In the terrain in that picture you could hide a neon orange elephant.
I don't think you're going to find many buyers in the military market. One of the things you do in sniper school is hand build your own ghillie under the eyes of the best. They aren't buying them. We all had at least two that we built ourselves, but I knew guys that had a half dozen. I don't know about the Ukrainians or some of the other disorganized outfits, but the battlefield has been almost exclusively urban for the last 40 years worldwide. I'm guessing that your buyers won't be hiding from drones, but hiding from turkeys or paintballs might be more reasonable. Military drones mostly have thermal capability, so all the camo in the world won't save you.
This is exactly why I like the ASAT Vanish suit. Easy on, easy off AND its a breathable.material
There's an old saying in the sniper community that goes like this "good camouflage doesn't look like anything, it looks like everything". The first ghillie everyone makes is 2 feet thick with jute. By about the third one, it looks like that guy at the bowling alley with four or five streaks running down the middle, a little fuzz on the sides, and a whole bunch of loops for tying veg. Jute is only there to break up your outline, that's why I kept talking about the base suit being too dark. If a stalk is done correctly, you'll change veg repeatedly, maybe 4 times over a thousand yards if the terrain is really bad. Using terrain correctly is more important that camouflage. I don't want to be a dick, but saying that you make something that people can use to stalk within 3 yards is just not a true statement. In the wrong terrain those suits would be visible at a mile to the naked eye. In perfect terrain, you might step on them before seeing them. Like so many things, there is no single solution. That's why more is less with jute, and natural veg is everything..
Curious, I went here to see it:
ASAT Vanish Pro Leafy suit | All Season All Terrain
<p>The Ultimate in a camouflage concielment over-system, the ASAT Vanish-Pro 3-D Suit is designed to fit over a garment, rain gear, comfortable hot weather clothing or bulky insulated clothing. The polyester fabric is leaf cut and chain stitched to the mesh - the mesh inner layer is also printed...
www.asatcamo.com
Is that it? The manufacturer sure hates to show pics of it. Never understand that approach.
Also for the OP:
www.snipershide.com
Ghillie suit: NEW pattern " woodland forest floor " project
Hi people, Im bart and i run ghillie art design camouflage systems belgium, a hobby based profile / youtube channel. My previous project click here was a personal succes to me ( my personal development ) so i decided to continue with a next project called " woodland forest floor". This time...
www.snipershide.com
Thank you, Carbon....I couldn't find it but I do think this guy has a good eye for color and texture.Also for the OP:
Ghillie suit: NEW pattern " woodland forest floor " project
Hi people, Im bart and i run ghillie art design camouflage systems belgium, a hobby based profile / youtube channel. My previous project click here was a personal succes to me ( my personal development ) so i decided to continue with a next project called " woodland forest floor". This time...
He has another thread somewhere...ah, here
Fieldcraft - Ghillie suit raffia color field testing
Hi everyone, My name is Bart and i represent " ghillie art design", a youtube page that posts movies about ghillie concealment. Building ghillie suits begon as a hobby but evolved to a passion. So in this thread i want to share some information/ pictures with everyone who's interested in...
www.snipershide.com
Look, dude…you came here seeking opinions and suggestions. In almost every instance where such opinions and suggestions were offered, you reply with some defensive BS that basically says you and your stuff are wonderful as is.
I offered my opinion that the fella in those two threads has a good eye for color and texture and I still believe that. Never said you had to copy him, just that it was an example of other similar work and you might learn something from reviewing them. But your defensive attitude seems to preclude you ever learning a fucking thing.
I never said a word about your products but this is the second defensive reply you have made to me.
So this one’s for you, sonny boy
