Ghillie suit for bug out bag?

[HuntingBow96]

Ok so I Have a Ghillie suit, I have taken it hunting with me a few times, But just wondering. Worth putting in my ZA bug out bag? Or not?

[yossarian]

How much food, water, medical supplies etc. can you fit in the space it would take up? What disasters or bug out scenarios are most likely for your specific situation and how would a ghillie suit help you in those situations?

[rjm]

It's too much weight and takes up too much space. The only reason to have it would be if you were stalking something/someone, but if your goal or intention is to just be hidden or remain unseen, simply staying still and staying quiet is the best solution.

If you're planning on wearing it to bail-out, in order for it to be effective as camouflage, you'd have to creep along so slow, you'd never get anywhere.

[HuntingBow96]

Its a 72 hour bug out bag, I have room for it and theres already everything i need in there just not sure weather to put it in

[yossarian]

Leave it out and make it a 96hr bag Seriously though, what use do you see for it?

[HuntingBow96]

Leave it out and make it a 96hr bag Seriously though, what use do you see for it?

Hunting, and being sneaky hehe

[Flying Lead]

I wouldn't take one. That would be more of an INCH item.

[omega_man]

Unless your're a trained scout sniper, No. A ghilli suit is not insta-predator invisibility. A conspicuous lump of moving foliage will still draw attention. Ghilli suits still require a good deal of maintenance to constantly blend with their environments; time better spent setting traps, foraging, treating water, building shelter, etc...

[HuntingBow96]

Unless your're a trained scout sniper, No. A ghilli suit is not insta-predator invisibility. A conspicuous lump of moving foliage will still draw attention. Ghilli suits still require a good deal of maintenance to constantly blend with their environments; time better spent setting traps, foraging, treating water, building shelter, etc...

I'm not a trained sniper but I guess your right, I'm pretty good with it.

[HuntingBow96]

I'll just put this on the same thread. Has anyone else put a gas mask in the bag? Because I added my Russian gp-5 to it with 3 filters, Keep or throw?

[Shaper]

Ok so I Have a Ghillie suit, I have taken it hunting with me a few times, But just wondering. Worth putting in my ZA bug out bag? Or not?

[praharin]

Unless your're a trained scout sniper, No. A ghilli suit is not insta-predator invisibility. A conspicuous lump of moving foliage will still draw attention. Ghilli suits still require a good deal of maintenance to constantly blend with their environments; time better spent setting traps, foraging, treating water, building shelter, etc...

I'm not a trained sniper but I guess your right, I'm pretty good with it.

Not matter how good you are with it (this makes me lol, BTW. thanks) it won't help you in any legitimate bug out situation I can think of. Hell, even properly trained snipers don't use them that often because they're incredibly uncomfortable in most environments and totally impractical if you need to be mobile.

The real question remains: What do you envision bugging out from that will require you to be so hidden?

If you need a ghillie suit to hunt successfully, I suggest you take a few weeks now and practice your field craft. If you can't get within 10 yards of a deer in solid colors the best ghillie suit isn't going to keep a half decent observer from finding you. Camouflage is not a substitute for field craft. Build up your skills first, then start thinking about what gear you really need.

If you want to carry it because you like it, then by all means. Otherwise, toss an equivalent weight/volume of food and water in your bag and forget about hunting for another few days.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Can you wear the pack while you wear the ghillie suit? Under it, or over it, how effective can the camouflage the suit provides remain, with the pack involved? These are the issues I'd be looking at.

My own BOB has a change of clothes in it- all of it camo applicable to my area. This gives me street clothes while I'm still in town, and camos once I hit the woods. I can also mix and match between them, and even with the pack, not seem out of place, because an article or two of camouflage isn't unusual here. A ghillie suit, I'd have a much harder time with as a part of that mix and match, but it would rock while in the woods. For myself, no, I wouldn't carry it- I don't have a need for it. If you do, then rock on, and use it.

[offcamber]

I made one years ago before i knew better and it was pretty much useless in any given situation.

I have since cut it up into a pack cover and a head veil for my INCH just in case I ever need to break up my outline a bit in the bush.

[HuntingBow96]

I can hunt well without it, but I think I will put it in.

[omega_man]

Well, then why did you ask?

[KnightoftheRoc]

I made one years ago before i knew better and it was pretty much useless in any given situation.

I have since cut it up into a pack cover and a head veil for my INCH just in case I ever need to break up my outline a bit in the bush.

This post came up, and from over my shoulder, I hear my fiancee go "WTF is that?" I had to explain it was a pack cover twice...

[moab]

I have a ghillie suit that is a coveralls and hood made out of heavy nylon mesh. I bought it years ago. With the 3d sewn to it. It will fit over any kind of clothing. And can go on in seconds. The thing is bulletproof (almost). Air goes right thru it. So no overheating issues. And very very lightweight. It would stuff into a 9 or 10 inch square. I think it's very worth taking something like that. I've lain prone within 10 feet of people and have them not see me. But a 10 or 20lb real one? Probably not. To much weight and heat. It also depends on your AO too. Is it necessary or even helpful?

[moab]

I'll just put this on the same thread. Has anyone else put a gas mask in the bag? Because I added my Russian gp-5 to it with 3 filters, Keep or throw?

How far do you have to go? And what kind of environment is it?

[yossarian]

How much food, water, medical supplies etc. can you fit in the space it would take up? What disasters or bug out scenarios are most likely for your specific situation and how would a gas mask help you in those situations?

Does it fit properly? Have you had any training in the use and maintenance of gas masks? Do you know what threats that particular mask can protect against?


My guess is its just dead weight and/or a false sense of security.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Seems to be an ever growing list in the making here, of things that need vetting. You may as well just list the entire thing and stand back, lol.

A gas mask is another thing that you need training with in order to use it to it's full potential. A youtube video will only take you just so far, and is NOT a substitute for proper training. And using a gas mask wrong when you NEED it does not allow for a second try- you're already DEAD. Or, wishing you were.

Have you had training in the use of a gas mask, specifically the one you own? How fast can you don, clear, and seal a mask? These are things that are important, and if your answer is an honest "I don't know" (which, personally, I respect a lot more than a BS answer that sounds good), then the mask is just dead weight and wasted space.

[sgttk]

If you are packing this as a 72 hour bag take out the ghillie suit and pack food and or water to that weight instead. The point of the kit is to be prepared so that you don't have to eat rat heads during your possible "adventures". Never plan for wild game as a necessary part of your ration plan. Mr Murphy will know and will warn all the critters... Having done the NBC training and spent my share of time standing in a gas chamber without a mask I am very leery of some of the equipment being displayed. Rigorus training in proper use is required, to include donning, clearing, and sealing while in a hazardous environment. Also maintenance checks to make sure that your mask is properly fitted have to be done on a regular basis. lastly, many of the masks I see have no hoods. This allows greater exposure to the edges of the mask where an agent can compromise the seal, and also exposed skin which can lead to incapacitation through skin absorption. If you are in an area with a high risk factor, i.e. near a chemical plant, yes, seek out proper equipment and training and add it to your kit. Something you picked up at a surplus shop for cool factor, leave it at home and use the weight and space for more food and water

[Jeriah]

The answers to your questions like in 1.) identifying the most likely threats in your area and situation, and 2.) coming up with a plan to deal with each threat. In doing this, your kit or kits will evolve to serve your plans. When you have a solid assessment of threats you're worried about, and have come up with plans for each, you'll know whether your hunting ghillie suit and your old Russian gas mask fit into that plan or not.

For me, in my situation (not yours), I live in a big city surrounded by suburbs, surrounded by farmland. Woods are sparse. Swat teams around here use ghillie suits so their snipers can crawl up through the begonias in the burbs to draw a bead on the local crazies, but I don't see them doing me any good in my plans. Don't get me wrong, I've ghillied up a pair of hats (one desert, one woodland) and love wearing them for fun on hikes (and forcing my very tolerant wife to take pictures of me in front of things to see how well I blend in), but they've been removed from my serious preps kit for quite some time now.

I will say, re: my hats and the above pack covers, that a bit of garnish on some pieces of kit like this, might not be a bad idea, IF you're rocking an overall overt appearance anyway. That is to say, if you're carrying a weapon openly, and wearing LBE or a chest rig, well, you've pretty much blown gray, so you might as well go green. I wouldn't do a full ghillie, as they don't make a lot of sense with a pack, and they don't make a lot of sense for long-distance hiking (more for a few hundred yards to a few thousand yards worth of crawling, from what I understand/saw on TV once). But if you're wearing a K-pot, might as well Manchu-flage it up. Even a few strips of torn up BDU can break up that "distinctive head shape" under your boonie hat. Pack covers are also big objects that could benefit from a bit of garnish. But all told, this is probably one of the LEAST important areas of your preps, so should really be regarded in the "lots of fun" category, like guns beyond the basic few, as okay to do as long as they don't distract from the basics.

Gas masks, I have considered. If something nasty blows up downtown, or a train car full of chemicals tips over (LOTS of those around here), it could be a lifesaver, with the caveats others have mentioned: make sure yours works (banana smell test thing), make sure you know how to use it (no beard, bummer!), and know what it does and does not protect against. I don't own one, but may in the future. It's a low priority for me because the situations where I'm fucked without it, where I'm not also fucked with it, are pretty few. But they are nonzero so I could see a good case for it being made.

[HuntingBow96]

Thanks everyone, My gas mask works by the way