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Camouflage v Hi-Vis

Ystranc

Ystranc

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So many survivalists or preppers choose camouflage or earth colours for their outdoor clothing yet serious hikers and climbers tend to choose dayglow orange or hi-vis that stands out like a sore thumb to make them easier to find in case of an accident. Is it just a foolish affectation on the part of preppers and survivalists to try and blend in? After all, if there is no need to hide why bother and if you had an accident while out in the countryside it could delay rescue/help finding you.
I can understand toning down your clothing if you are stealth camping or poaching but is camouflage really necessary as an every day item of clothing… I’m not saying that we should all wear tweed or corduroy, just that in its own special way camouflage can also draw attention.
 
I don't and won't wear camo, I do wear earth colours. The reason is so that I stand a chance of seeing the wildlife rather than waving a brightly colours flag at them from miles away. There have been times in the past when, by sitting or standing still, I have had wildlife almost walk into me. On one occasion a very wild (not urban) fox walked with feet of me, and it was only the click of my camera that alerted him to my presence. Having said all this I carry a dayglo orange survival bivvy bag in my pack for emergencies.
 
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I understand what you mean Paul but that argument doesn’t entirely stack up. I think it is more to do with our own perception and need to feel like we’re a part of the countryside.
It’s been shown that dogs see blue but see orange in greyscale while sheep are unable to focus on objects over 30 feet away but see their movement with 300 degree peripheral vision. Ducks and several kinds of insects see ultraviolet which helps them to pick out mates, food or standing water. Tigers are orange and white but appear to their prey in greyscale, their prey being far more attuned to movement and scent. Their senses are all very different.
There are other ways to approach wildlife without any hint of subtlety, for example I have slowly driven right up to fallow deer and even a hare in broad daylight. They didn’t perceive any threat until I got out of the vehicle. That movement was the trigger for them to run.
Animals don’t all have the same perception that we have, their senses may be attuned entirely differently and their responses to humans (and other animals) can vary from season to season or past experience. From my own experience I’ve never seen birds or animals avoid an object purely because it was brightly coloured or reflective. (I have seen a male blackbird repeatedly attacking it’s own reflection though)
 
I agree with almost everything you've said, not so sure about your conclusion though. All our perceptions are at variance with most animals. Almost all mammals see in yellow/blue, which naturally includes green, only the primates can see red. Predators have stereoscopic vision and prey species usually have wide peripheral vision. Movement is what attracts attention and why many species lie still to avoid attention. Each species has evolved it own survival strategy, fight, flight, lie still, feign dead. I don't have the same sense of smell that many animals have, but I know that if I am downwind of them I stand a better chance of getting close. I also move very quietly. In the same way I know that if I am not wearing a bright colour, such as dandelion yellow, but wearing colours that are similar to the things around me - greens and browns, I will be less conspicuous.

On your point about our own perception and wanting to be 'part' of nature - I'm not sure, you may have a point. For myself, it is not only the wild animals that I don't want to spot me a mile off - it's other humans. Many's the time I have been wandering in the woods collecting mushrooms with a friend, also dressed in 'earth colours', when we have made other people jump out of their skin when they suddenly wandered into us standing 5 feet away. The intention wasn't to frighten people, but it does prove that I wasn't drawing attention myself.

And one final point: When one joins an activity, a pastime, club, team or organisation, it is often de rigueur to dress the part. Mountaineers dress in bright colours, but is it just because they want to be seen in an emergency? Join a cycling club and you'll be buying Lycra. Go shooting grouse and you'll be dresses in tweed plus-fours and a silly 'Sherlock Holmes hat'. Take up cricket and you'll be buying 'whites'. I think this also plays a big part in the choice of what we wear when taking part in certain activities.
 
Paul N said:
I agree with almost everything you've said, not so sure about your conclusion though. All our perceptions are at variance with most animals. Almost all mammals see in yellow/blue, which naturally includes green, only the primates can see red. Predators have stereoscopic vision and prey species usually have wide peripheral vision. Movement is what attracts attention and why many species lie still to avoid attention. Each species has evolved it own survival strategy, fight, flight, lie still, feign dead. I don't have the same sense of smell that many animals have, but I know that if I am downwind of them I stand a better chance of getting close. I also move very quietly. In the same way I know that if I am not wearing a bright colour, such as dandelion yellow, but wearing colours that are similar to the things around me - greens and browns, I will be less conspicuous.

On your point about our own perception and wanting to be 'part' of nature - I'm not sure, you may have a point. For myself, it is not only the wild animals that I don't want to spot me a mile off - it's other humans. Many's the time I have been wandering in the woods collecting mushrooms with a friend, also dressed in 'earth colours', when we have made other people jump out of their skin when they suddenly wandered into us standing 5 feet away. The intention wasn't to frighten people, but it does prove that I wasn't drawing attention myself.

And one final point: When one joins an activity, a pastime, club, team or organisation, it is often de rigueur to dress the part. Mountaineers dress in bright colours, but is it just because they want to be seen in an emergency? Join a cycling club and you'll be buying Lycra. Go shooting grouse and you'll be dresses in tweed plus-fours and a silly 'Sherlock Holmes hat'. Take up cricket and you'll be buying 'whites'. I think this also plays a big part in the choice of what we wear when taking part in certain activities.
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That is a very valid point about wearing the club outfit though I think a tweed cap will probably do just as well as a deerstalker as long as a gentleman doesn’t go bareheaded. Up to a point I am only playing devils advocate with this post but there are safety issues about blending in too well when other people don’t know you’re there…especially when there are other hazardous pastimes such as shooting that could be planned in the same area unknown to you.
 
For me it depends on what area… most areas I frequently visit or should I say use to visit frequently 🤔… don’t have hunting so earth colours are fine and dandy,,, if I’m sneaking about a new patch or any dromond estate land I put my orange hunting hat on so I Stand right out… use to wear camo for hunting but I thrown that aside and went beige lol … however it’s really each to there own
 
Nowt like a bright orange bump cap with reflective tape to stop the back of your head being mistaken for a rabbit.
 
Well here is a story that should outline a few safety concerns related to said topic lol

One evening I went shooting with my cousin on an estate near by, I made my normal and mandatory phone call to the estate manager and off we set,, both head to two in camo ….. we even put up a camo hide lol …. After around two hours and a walk about I stopped to roll a cig and ask my cousin to hold my tin ,,,,, just as he put his hands out a shot was fired and the tree we was standing next to was hit 😳 no shit !!! It took us by surprise, a second or two past by and a second shot but this one didn’t hit anywhere near us, both shots where within seconds of each! I started yelling at the top of my voice…. Hello hello hello, only bloody thing I could think of 😂 any hoo I started walking towards the tree line in And came across the owner of the land,,, very posh gentleman that thought it best we had a chat,, Took me everything not to chin the old cock 🫣 he could tell I wasn’t happy and I could tell he wanted to exit the situation without much fuss, so we went our separate ways after I mentioned he should have a word with his estate manager before pulling any trigger!!! Old git lol…

After this I wore my bright orange hunting hat 🤔
 
Ark79 said:
Well here is a story that should outline a few safety concerns related to said topic lol

One evening I went shooting with my cousin on an estate near by, I made my normal and mandatory phone call to the estate manager and off we set,, both head to two in camo ….. we even put up a camo hide lol …. After around two hours and a walk about I stopped to roll a cig and ask my cousin to hold my tin ,,,,, just as he put his hands out a shot was fired and the tree we was standing next to was hit 😳 no shit !!! It took us by surprise, a second or two past by and a second shot but this one didn’t hit anywhere near us, both shots where within seconds of each! I started yelling at the top of my voice…. Hello hello hello, only bloody thing I could think of 😂 any hoo I started walking towards the tree line in And came across the owner of the land,,, very posh gentleman that thought it best we had a chat,, Took me everything not to chin the old cock 🫣 he could tell I wasn’t happy and I could tell he wanted to exit the situation without much fuss, so we went our separate ways after I mentioned he should have a word with his estate manager before pulling any trigger!!! Old git lol…

After this I wore my bright orange hunting hat 🤔
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The thing is it’s even more of an issue in Scotland as there is a right for the public to cross private land on foot and so much of the private land is in the hands of shooting estates. It does make you wonder what the old bugger was playing at…was it a shotgun or rifle?
 
I tend to wear camo trousers when I go camping which is almost always nowadays in relationship with re-enactment. It's living history with the associated dirt so dpm camo trousers tend to be better at hiding dirt and soot. Purely a practical reason in my eyes and my tops are usually a brighter colour. I do have a matching jacket but don't tend to wear it. I do sometimes wear a camo jacket though . Well some debate as to whether it's actually camo as it's Strichtarn , the raindrop pattern worn by the NVA and I'll wear that because partly few really view it as camo and partly because I really like the pattern.
One area that I think camo should be more prevalent in my eyes is caravans. Enjoy the outdoors by plonking a big white box in it alongside other white boxes. What would be wrong with having them a more subtle colour , not necessarily camo , to be less jarring to the view. A couple of years ago I brought a box trailer. It was a fugly white obvious box on wheels so I camo painted it now it's a fugly green but less obvious box on wheels.
 
Ystranc said:
The thing is it’s even more of an issue in Scotland as there is a right for the public to cross private land on foot and so much of the private land is in the hands of shooting estates. It does make you wonder what the old bugger was playing at…was it a shotgun or rifle?
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Rifle I presume Mike, didn’t get a look at it as he must have put it in the landy before I seen him…it’s possible the git saw us and thought poachers! And decided to fire a warning shot, that was my thinking at the time and still is as directly behind where we was standing around 3 too 4 hundred yards is a B&B . Surly the old port drinking twit wasn’t shooting for his super 😂 but again, you never know with inbred’s
 
So just a Devon thing then! 🤷
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