Fieldcraft Store bought Ghillie...

SilentStalkr

Wonna Be Badass
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Minuteman
  • Oct 8, 2012
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    Has anyone ever tried one of the ghillie suits offered by allpredatorcalls.com or ghilliesuites.com? I am just wondering how they hold up and if they are cheap or what. Ghilliesuites.com are not exactly cheap but they aren't as cheap as the ones on Allpredatorcalls.com either.
     
    Re: Store bought Ghillie...

    Depending of course on your needs, I would avoid ANY suit that you don't have 100% control over the materials and arangement. MY needs may not be the same as yours.
    If you can't modify it to suit your needs...It's not a "GHILLIE"...It's a "3D Camo Suit".
    HUGE difference.
     
    They are made of material that resembles cheap yarn. They get caught on everything in the woods. That being said they do pick up a ton of the natural foliage, thus adding to the camo. They are normally really green or really tan. No middle ground....
     
    CABELA'S sells some very well made ghillie suits of synthetic cloth strips. Synthetic is better than burlap as it does not absorb much water (& weight), does not change color when wet and does not smell after getting wet.

    You can ALWAYS add or remove your own strips and/or vegetation onto the commercial ghillies. You can remove all the front strips (& save them) and sew on camoed Cordura nylon on the front areas for prone crawling work. DIY modifications of commercial suits should be considered as S.O.P. Check for fabric suppliers online to find camo Cordura of various weights. Seattle Fabrics is one source.
     
    Synthetic ghillie

    Ok, if you go with a synthetic fiber then how are you guys cut the glare and truly get the UV out of it. Would you not glow viewed through NV? I use UV free soaps and UV killer spray on natural materials and it works great. not so good on nylon cordoras. Thanks Brian
     
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    I have been working on a ghillie for a while. Double knots sucks! I am thinking about getting one for hunting but a more traditional one with an open front.
     
    Do not go with a full synthetic! I have used both and synthetic does not behave naturally. Its not as ridgid as burlap and flows too much in a breeze. It knots up and tangles like crazy. It has a slight glare. The color is not natural at all. Its only advantages are that it doesnt rot, its fire retardant, and when used at about 1/3 synthetic 2/3 burlap or 1/2 to 1/2 it works well at holding foliage but the burlap aids in hiding its flaws.
     
    Ok, so I got one of these for free for doing a job. I always wanted to try one to see if it was any good. I must admit there seems to be a lot of cover but there are some decent bare spots. The netting is good and it looks like they have ample spacing to tie in some natural stuff. The jute or whatever it is does look kind of like cheap yarn so I am not sure how well this will hold up in the woods getting snagged on stuff or crawling around. If it does hold up then I would imagine as the yarn frays it might start looking a little better but for now it looks to me unnatural. I suppose it could trick the eye pretty well at a distance but I am not so sure about that. Haven't had a chance to test it in the field. IMO, adding natural veg to this is an absolute must to blend well into the environment. I will also say that it knots up easily. I will just have to see how it holds up in the real world but I suspect one good snag and its gone which it shouldn't be if one was to pay full retail for this as they are not cheap at nearly $200. In the end, I highly suggest making one over the store bought ones. I mean I kind of knew that but I had to check one out for myself just to see how they compared. I mean its not necessarily bad by any means as it is workable but I imagine a made one will be 1000x more durable.