Ghillie Suits for Airsoft

[Iceman]

Wrap normal burlap around your rifle's front half (clear the chamber) and you're done. (that's what you see in my pictures). It works perfect.

Remember the idea is to break the 'human made' look of the rifle by giving it a more natural feel.

[|2enegade]

Originally Posted by zero delay

You'll never get a commercial Ghilie that will be as good as a hand made one, unless of course you buy a hand made comercial Ghillie, which is going to cost minimum $500 USD. typically you'll need two suits one for summer/spring, and one for fall/winter.

http://www.pbase.com/roughneckwillie/ghillie

ok now thats awesome!! where the hell are you!? (are you that lump near the centre of the pic?)

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by |2enegade

ok now thats awesome!! where the hell are you!? (are you that lump near the centre of the pic?)

Notice where the cat is looking. Ya, no kidding, very impressive ghillie for that area type!

[SCG48]

I really like the ghillie suits that have been posted here, very impressive. As it has been mentioned the best ghillie suit out there is one made by you. Why, first you make it according to the enviroment you play in, you dont want to have a leafy green type ghillie in a brown type environment, therfore you want to make your ghillie suit based in the areas you play in.

To answere someone's question, yes my ghillie suit is custom made, I have to do some repairs as the netting is starting to come off at the base of the collar area, but been busy. I am also awaiting on jute thread to make a full body suit that will cover the back only and I intend to use canvas type material for the front, I just need to get a set of BDU's, well pick which set ill use as I have the MARPAT desert/woodland, and DPM. Most likely the desert marpat.

[zero delay]

The one absolute rule in making one is to avoid any uniformity in the length or color in the material you are using, subtle shade difference is key to blending, and try and use a variety of different fibres, start with the thickest/largest material at the base and gradually shift to the thinner fibres, just the way vegitation lies in nature.

this one is my favorite, like a zombie breaking out of the grave lol

[SCG48]

That is an awsome suit for that enviroment....

[JacoNB]

I'm starting a ghillie suit myself, and I've found that you can find some great stuff for a great price, if you shop around...

I just bought 4 rolls of jute thread (heavy) at Canadian Tire, of all places. There's about 210 feet on each roll, and each 'thread' is braided by three strands that come out pretty bushy when you unravel it.

Here's a crappy pic from my camera phone:



They went for $1.99 per roll, and 4 rolls is about 840 feet of jute. Unravel each strand and get about 3 times that amount. (2,520 feet... or there abouts.)

I also wondered about getting some fabric dye to make a few different colors, and stumbled across this stuff at the dollar store. There's normally all sorts of colors, but all this particular store had was black. But for a dollar, you can't go wrong, eh?



We'll see how it turns out once I get the BDUs and netting to put it all together, but I expect I can at least cover my torso with this amount. I also found some MARPAT fabric at Walmart-- both Woodland and Desert patterns, and it was about $7.75 per yard... expensive, but even a few yards could be useful in a project like this, for scrim or a rifle wrap, at least.

[Iceman]

Jaco, i would recommend against those big cord jute threads... you won't get a very good effect for your ghillie (retain a man-made visual effect) instead of an organic one.

Also, never -ever- put black on a ghilliesuit. You don't need black as shadows will take care of it.

Just a though, hope this helps.

[JacoNB]

re: the big jute threads, do you mean you recommend against jute altogether, or just the thicker type of thread? I plan to have other elements involved as well, like actual brush, and different cuts of fabric to simulate leaves and such. When you unravel the jute thread, it makes for some pretty bushy looking stuff. I'll try this stuff out, and if it doesn't work... I'm only out $8 or so...

BTW, the pic at the top, far left, that's not three strings, it's the three strands from one thread. (The only problem is that it sheds an awful lot.) hehe... bald spots on your ghillie suit...

EDIT:** I guess you can't really guage the size of the thread in that picture, there's nothing to show scale... and they look huge.. but they aren't actually that thick. Here's another pic:



What kind of stuff would you recommend?

Oh, I wasn't actually planning on using the black, (not for this, anyway) I just wanted to show what to look for. This stuff waters down pretty easy, too... so you can make different shades of a color.

(thanks, by the way.)

[Iceman]

Yeah that's what i meant. The problem with that jute cord is it will not look natural in 'big' quantities, but rather a big blob of cord on the ground, which will attract attention.

I use burlap exclusively. You know those big 20feet long burlap rolls? get those. That's the best material to use.

[SCG48]

Just so you are aware, I do order ghillie suit making materials from the states, the jute thread is the good quality stuff and works marvously, you can order the colours, or the tan jute and colour it yourself. I have never used twine nor seen it one other ghillie suits, so I will not comment on its effectiveness or on how natural it looks when dyed. If you have further questions either PM me or post them here.

[JacoNB]

Yeah, I've seen the burlap rolls at the fabric store... not that I spend a lot of time in a fabric store... but for this project... The 'threads' in the burlap seemed to be about the same thickness as the cords in this jute... I just thought it'd save me from picking out all the little cross-sections of thread to buy this stuff. lol.

Do you happen to have a close up pic of the jute you do use, SniperChic? I've seen pics of those kits online, but nothing of detail. I'm wondering what the difference is. (Other than the colors and being pre-cut, I mean.)

thanks!

[Iceman]

I suppose its a personal choice. I've seen and used materials like Bushrag and ghilliesuit.com and they are of very poor quality. They are a quick fix for whatever you need on the spot, but they sure don't compete with home-made old fashion camo systems. Of course, this is all very personal. But judging from their quality, i wouldn't go in the bush thinking an individual trained in spoting could be around, i'd be scared of getting shot. Colours are off, suit itself is oversized, they are usually not crawl-friendly...

Here's a ghilliesuit.com exemple... mostly straight from the box, at 350$ USD ghilliesuit.com

I sold a few of mine for the same price

Overall, i dislike Jute because its a quick fix rather then a proper material for ghillie making.

Of course, if you plan on hidding in a desert or a 'wasteland' area, that stuff is very good because you'll find the same fibers and looks all around... but anywhere else... you'll be spoted very very rapidly.

[Iceman]

oh yeah, forgot the most important detail... the jute cords will not 'break' naturally and keep their 'cord' form longer, while Burlap will sort of 'disolve' into a soft hair-like fiber, which is wayyy more natural to look at.

sorry 'bout that

[concept_8]

Jute is just the name of the threads they use to make burlap aside from the bends from being woven already shreadded burlap and jute are the exact same thing.
I shred burlap too but when I can get jute strands at a good price it saves a tone of work.