The Mudcat is an interesting blend of the two, but I'm still a firm believer that camouflage is a lot like guns - you can't get one to do everything. As there are assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, etc. camouflage has to be tailored not just to the environment but to the season, because a Manitoba summer looks absolutely nothing like a Manitoba autumn.
Given my experiences in the bush I find that we play in deciduous areas far into the fall season and encounter a significant amount of browns, yellows, and tans, with some areas containing large crops of birch trees with their signature white bark. Personally I feel the Terracat pattern is perfect for this condition as it is, and while the Mudcat does have a good look to it I feel it would be a bit too time-specific in its application. Just as the leaves are turning and beginning to fall you still have green in the bush, but this part of the season passes relatively quickly so theoretically you'd be transitioning from something like Gaia or Highland, to Mudcat, to Terracat in a short period of time, so the cost to "time worn" ratio would be a lot higher than the others. I would prefer to go straight from Gaia/Highland to Terracat myself and avoid an intermediary.
This picture of me at the MAA's FNG Day in October (?) 2006 highlights what our typical autumn looks like, as well as the obvious disadvantage of having a camouflage not tailored to the season. Cool pattern though, eh?
This is of course my personal opinion only, and applicable only to the areas that *I* play in. Others may find Mudcat would work not as an intermediary but as a primary pattern for their fields. However opinions were solicited, so there's mine.
