Anatomy Of A Ghillie Suit

By Author: Carter Mitchell
Total Articles: 96
Comment this article

There are more ways to build a ghillie suit than there are people who build them. The first rule to remember in building a ghillie is there are no rules. Anything you can imagine will work as long as it actually conceals you. Regardless of how you make it, you will receive criticism from some folks because you didn't build it the way they think you should build it. Ironically you will receive the most criticism from ex-military men who are able to build great suits and are firmly convinced that their way is the only way. However, most ex-military men are well aware that a ghillie suit is just camouflage and it often has to be improvised in a hurry.

Occasionally you will get some advice that appeals to you. Take that advice and discard anything you do not like.

Many of the commercially available ghillie suits consist of a durable netting with either jute or synthetic thread tied to the mesh. The thread comes in a variety of colors and if you are building it yourself you should be able to closely match the colors in the terrain you will be working in. Even if you buy it already completed you can still add thread ...
... of the necessary colors to get the match you need to blend in with your surroundings. Some of these suits come in one piece like a poncho; others are a jacket and pants with a hood attached to the jacket. If there is no hood you can attach thread to a piece of netting to make a head cover.

While these suits built on a "mesh only" base are cool since they let the air move through, they also let the bugs move through. If the bugs just moved through there would be no problem, but they usually stop along the way for a bite to eat. This bug problem is answered with suits that are built with an inner liner of soft and light weight material that the netting or mesh is attached to either by gluing or sewing. These suits are great for most purposes, since the liner is light enough that it is still cool and now keeps out the creepy-crawlies.

The very best of the commercially available ghillie suits are built on a set of military BDUs. As with the others a mesh is sewn on and the thread is tied to the mesh in a variety of color patterns. These suits may come with a hood attached to the jacket or with a separate "boonie" hat with mesh and thread attached.

I do not mean to suggest that the mesh is the only way to build a ghillie. Many suits are made by sewing thread to strips of cloth and in turn sewing these strips of cloth to a set of clothes such as a jump suit or any jacket and pants. If loops of the cloth strips are left unsewn you have a handy means of "vegging" out the suit.

If you are going to try your hand at building your suit yourself there are plenty of kits available. Kits usually consist of a piece of mesh with enough thread in your choice of colors to build a ghillie poncho. They also come with instructions in case you have never built one before. You may also buy a bigger mesh netting a select your thread separately if you wish to build something bigger.

As of this year you can also buy a set of BDUs with the mesh already sewn on so that you just have to tie on your thread in whatever colors you desire.

If a kit is not for you then all your options are open. Gather your material; turn your imagination loose; and have fun!

James is the owner of GhilliesandStuff.com where you can get exactly what you want in a ghillie suit, the accessories, or all the materials you need to build your own.