Capes for Camouflage.

Version 1.2

The 1944 book “Infantry Training-part VIII” reminds us:

“...camouflage should never be treated as a "specialist" subject, but as part and parcel of every tactical move, for it deals with what the enemy sees of that movement.”  Paragraph 14, page 8.
 

When it comes to personal camouflage the modern soldier is faced with several obstacles.

• Many armies have adopted “designer label” patterns that do not live up to their inflated hype. Many modern patterns lack the element size and element contrast necessary to break up the distinctive human shape. At realistic viewing ranges the colours merge to create a brown-green man-shape. In addition to this problem there is often a failure to provide the serviceman with apparel in appropriate designs for the area where they will operate. The British army operated for decades in urban Northern Ireland wearing predominantly green and dark brown camouflage. Similarly, troops operating in desert environments have had to spend many years wearing distinctive black or green equipment and body armour. The latter problem could easily have been solved by use of a simple hessian smock or apron.
• Modern combat gear tends to be overly tailored, in some cases being form hugging. This exacerbates the problem of the soldier being a distinctive man-shape. Close fitting clothing also may restrict freedom of movement, inhibits air circulation and limits the insulation that can be worn beneath it. “Camouflage uniform” is a military oxymoron. The soldier in the field should look as far from the crisp, parade ground ideal as possible.
• Often the soldier is prohibited from camouflaging his weapon, or is reluctant to do so since materials must be removed for parades and insepections. This provides a distinctive shape for the enemy to notice despite any other camouflage measures the soldier may have taken. Knee pads are usually worn outside the trousers, providing another distinctive shape. Combat trousers should be sized so that knee pads can be worn underneath them, providing both better camouflage and air circulation. If you are worried about the knees of your trousers getting holed simply patch them with a double or triple thickness of material.
• Any camouflage patterned cloth is only the foundation of personal camouflage. Three dimensional elements need to be incorporated. Some of these will be local foliage and some will be textile additions. A helmet cover printed with a camouflage pattern may still leave the helmet as a distinctive hemisphere. The cover does nothing to obscure the straight line of the brim or the regular shape of the helmet. Many helmet covers have very little provision for adding natural foliage. Other combat clothing and equipment seldom has provision for mounting foliage. Even in deserts where there is little vegetation the distinctive shapes of helmets, shoulders, pouches and packs needs to be disrupted.

Outdoorsmen, preppers and survivalists are not subject to the military regulations that often hinder a soldier but we often find ourselves influenced by what the military is doing, and sometimes this is not a good thing!

Recently I have been thinking about “un-uniformity”. I have also been considering how camouflage items will interact with other equipment present. Wearing a smock or poncho over your body armour solves the problem of distinctive shape and inappropriate colouration. There have been smocks that were intended to be worn over webbing gear too but it was found that soldiers generally prefer to have their ammunition outside. These pouches have a regular shape and they often create shadows in the chest area that are darker than the surroundings. The upper edges tend to catch the light, forming distinct straight edges. This is another area where 3-D camouflage measures should be applied.

The solution that I am going to propose is a little unconventional, but logical. Effectively, this is an improvement of the Viet cong cape seen in an earlier post.

Firstly, acquire a piece of material about two metres long and one and a half metres wide. Material is often sold in pieces of about 1.5m/ 60" width. This cloth should be of your preferred camouflage pattern. If you cannot acquire this then a couple of metres of hessian/ burlap is fine. You can paint a pattern onto this later.

Fold the cloth widthwise, then cut a curve between two opposite corners. You do not have to be particularly neat with this. When it comes to camouflage irregularity is good. You now have a half-oval shape, two metres long and one and a half across. Save the two remaining pieces, we will use them soon.

Take your piece of cloth and drape it over your head like a shawl. If you are likely to wear a helmet or boonie hat when using the cape, put this on first. The long straight edge is at the front, the curved bit hangs behind you. Once you have finished pretending to be Emperor Palpatine, mark where you think the cape fastening should be. See the video below on how this is done. You want the front edges of the cape to cross over a little.

There are a number of options as to how you may fasten the cape. Our ancestors used a variety of hooks, pins or knots. For the modern user a fastex buckle and short length of webbing strap will probably be most attractive. This allows for a degree of adjustment and the option of quick, one-handed release. Sew the ends of the straps to the inside of the cape. You may like to add a couple of lengths of cord inside. These can be hitched to your webbing and used instead of or in addition to the front strap. They can also be run down the front of your chest and tied behind your back.

Next, you have to sew a few centimetres inside the edges of the cape. We want the edges of the cape to fray. We will even be cutting the edges into tassels. But we do not want this to spread too far. Frayed and tasselled edges help break up the shape. They may even help the cape dry when wet.

The brim of the hood will need some work to make it less distinctive. Take one of your remnant pieces and use some of it to make a fringe that can be sewn into the brim. This should hang at about eyebrow height and will help put your eyeglasses in shadow to minimize reflections. The bottom level of the fringe may vary with headgear worn. Add buttons or poppers so you can shorten it if this is the case.

The next phase is to add the textile 3-D elements. The trick here is no to overdo things. We are not creating a heavy, full-blown ghillie suit. Natural materials will also be added to the cape and “overgarnishing” will attract attention instead of the intended purpose. It is possible to add textile elements in ways so that they also provide attachment points for foliage.

Sources for textile elements include:

• Camouflage cloth. The remnant pieces you saved. Off-cuts. Cheap camouflage tee-shirts. Children's clothing. Old or damaged camouflage clothing. Non-official or captured clothing etc. A lot of camouflage is too dark once you place it around a convex human shape. Light coloured patterns such as pieces of desert cloth can help make your cape and its contents appear less solid. Green is less common in nature than is generally assumed. Capes intended for autumnal and semi-arid environments should go easy on darker greens.
• Monochrome cloth in neutral and appropriate colours. Greens, browns, beiges, greys.
• Hessian/ burlap. Sources include non-synthetic sandbags and gunny sacks.
• Jute, hemp and raffia fibres.
• Scrim
• Pieces of camouflage net and/or artificial foliage from a net.

There is no need to seam any of these items. Fraying adds to the disruptive effect. Short pieces of material tend to stand up, longer pieces droop. Use more shorter pieces in area likely to be uppermost, such as the top of the hood, shoulders and the back. Remember you may be prone when using the cape, so include some “uprights” on the back.

Keep patches of netting and similar materials small. In heavy undergrowth these may get caught. In very heavy undergrowth the cape is easily removed and can be packed away until there is less cover.

The camouflage cape is not intended to keep you warm, or keep off the wind and rain. It is for camouflage. What you wear under it should handle these other duties.

When worn the cape covers the chest rig and any other equipment worn here. If a weapon is carried at “Rhodesian ready” or a similar position it will also camouflage the weapon until it is brought into action. The cape also covers and camouflages any rucksac or backpack being worn. This is one of the reasons the back part is cut longer than the front. When prone the cape will also cover most of the wearer’s body.

When the wearer is stationary the upper part of the cape can be pulled up over the wearer’s head like a shawl. obscuring the distinctive head and shoulders shape. When moving the “hood” can be thrown back, but its folds still help disrupt the shape of the shoulders. Unlike a conventional hood the folds of the cape can be arranged so that they will not catch on low-handing branches.

When not worn a cape can be rigged to create a hide or windbreak.

The cape can easily be replaced, making it practical to carry several capes with alternate patterns for different terrain or time of day. It is possible to create a cape with a different pattern on each side but I suspect it is not practical to incorporate textile 3-D elements on both sides, making one side secondary rather than alternate. The exception to this may be a snow cape with one side pure white and the other in a broken snow pattern. The doubled layer of cloth might prove welcome in such conditions, too.

Soldiers using capes in the snow. The agal-like headband keeps the cowl in place where moving. The headbands may also be a means of identification, necessary when both sides wear white. In warmer climates such headbands can also mount foliage.

The camouflage cape will work well with any other camouflaged items you may be wearing. It will probably work fairly well with non-camouflaged items, if they are of a reasonable hue and shade. It is not the whole story, of course. You will still need suitable headgear and facepaint/ mask/ headnet/ veil/ scarf/ neck gaiter. Your chest rig will be exposed once the cape is opened. Your chest rig should be of a light shade, overall, to counter body shading. Desert patterns such as British two-colour DPM, US “chocolate chip” and “coffee stain” and Tropentarn are good camouflage patterns for chest rigs. Add some tufts of textile to further break up the pouch shapes, remembering the top edges will catch the light. The front of the camouflage cape is dimensioned to not interfere with the movement of the legs so camouflaged trousers and/or gaiters are prudent.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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Improvised Lock Picking.

No-SPP Hook Picking.

The chances are that if you ever have to pick a lock “for real” you will be away from your lock pick kit. What tools you have you will have to improvise. It is possible to create a rake or half-diamond by bending in a key-way but it is more likely you will have to use some form of hook.

This does not necessarily mean you have to use single pin picking (SPP). There are a couple of things you can try before you resort to this.

The first is “go deep!” I have discovered many of my locks will open if I move a hook about at the very back of the key-way. Apply light torque as usual, then reach deep and hook upwards. This may act on the final pin, another part of the lock mechanism or some combination thereof. It may be a statistical abnormality that my particular collection of locks can be opened this way. It is something worth trying. This also suggests that some of the bypass techniques that a razor pick or mini-knife are suggested for may also work with a stout hook.

The second technique is rocking. I have mentioned this in previous posts but it is worth repeating. Rocking is my favourite techniques for using a rake but you can also try it with “non-rakes”. To rock with a hook invert it so it curves away from the pins. Apply light torque and see-saw the inverted hook up and down in the key way.

The third “no SPP” hook technique is called “zipping”. You will also see it called “ripping” or “dragging”, although these terms imply a level of force or violence that is not needed. Like so much lock picking, a lighter touch often yields better results. Zipping is a raking technique. Apply torque and insert your hook. Withdraw the hook, running the tip across the ends of the pins like a stick on a railing. It is worth trying this several times, varying the pressure, torque and the speed you withdraw the hook.

Sometimes these techniques will set some pins but not others. If you suspect this happening keep the torque applied so the pins do not reset and experiment with different combinations of the three.

Jiggling Small Locks.

Readers may recall how I acquired a very small lock to test my finger rakes on. The main problem was finding a turning tool small enough to fit in the lock in addition to the rake. Luckily I had a piece of hair pin I could modify. Yesterday an alternate approach occurred to me. I inserted just a rake in the key-way and used it to apply turning force as well as moving the pins. Effectively I was using the rake as a jiggler key. This is an option to bear in mind when dealing with very small locks. You need a fairly rigid rake to do this, such as a Dangerfield Bogota. Most picks will be too flexible and you risk breaking them.

Carry Hair Pins.

Add some hair pins to your lock picking, tool and emergency kits. They have numerous uses.

Final Tip.

I have said this before but it is worth repeating. Lock picking tends to be the antitheses of brute force. If something is not working the solution is usually less force, not more.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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Equipment Pouches.

One of my reasons for writing this post is that I came across a statement that a certain army was currently issuing several dozen different designs of equipment pouch. I see pouches for survival tins offered, which misses the point of a survival tin! One even sees belt pouches for KFS! This got me thinking about what configurations would be most useful. Some of us do not have an unlimited budget or supply system, after all!

It would be very nice to have pouches designed based on the golden ratio, such as in the proportions 1: 1.618: 2.618. Such gives a litre pouch of about 6 x 10 x 16 cm and a two litre of 7.8 x 12.6 x 20.3 cm. Attractive though these are, we must also consider more practical considerations such as the dimensions of the items that such pouches will be required to carry.

To begin with, let us consider a medium-sized utility pouch with internal dimensions of approximately a litre volume. This could serve as a water bottle carrier for typical military designs such as the British 1-litre ’58 pattern and the US 1-quart M-1961. There should also be room for associated items such as canteen cups and stoves, so size may be something around 9 x 14 x 22cm. Personally, I think a two-litre bladder with a drinking tube is more practical, but designing the medium utility pouch to take a water bottle also gives us a convenient size for many other items. If you don’t carry a water bottle the pouch can still carry a cup and stove, zip ties, pliers, cordage, flashlight and a useful collection of other items. It can be used to carry several magazines, bagged stripper-clips or several grenades. The pouch itself would be fairly basic. If a draw-cord neck is desired a suitable liner is added. Likewise, inserts can configure the interior to specialist roles. There will be provision to mount smaller pouches on the outside should external pockets be desired.

There would also be a small utility pouch, perhaps of about 10 x 12 cm. This item is obviously inspired by the M1967 compass/ field dressing pouch, and like this item it can exploit mounting positions high on the body. It will also be convenient for mounting on the sides of a chest rig where larger pouches might be awkward. The proposed item will not use the popper fastening that the M1967 does, since these are fiddly if a pouch is partially filled or contains soft contents. For some contents it may be convenient to be able to mount the pouch with the opening downwards or to the side. As well as compasses and first field dressings (FFD) such a pouch can hold various other items and would serve as a pouch for frag grenades. This latter requirement may require a change in proportions. There may be a case for sizing this pouch to carry mobile phone-shaped items. Small utility pouches would be designed so they can be mounted on larger pouches. When used for FFD the soldier's blood group should be clearly marked on the outside and a TCCC casualty card or equivalent carried inside.

The medium utility pouch will be complemented by a larger version of approximately twice the capacity. We will call this the “medium size 2” and the previously described variant the “medium size 1”.

The size 2 utility pouch would serve a number of functions and be designed so that it can be worn on the belt or be carried by shoulder strap. One of its roles is to carry a 2-litre hydration bladder fitted with a drinking tube. This allows the wearer to easily access a source of drinking water independent of any backpack. Another role for this pouch is to hold an immediate first aid kit (IFAK). This pouch would contain an insert roll holding a vacuum-packed major trauma kit and a pair of combat tourniquets. Two such pouches at the back of a soldier’s belt resembles a more compact version of the British army kidney pouches, but their contents are more useful and combat relevant.

The size 2 utility pouch was inspired by the Canadian utility pouch that was found to be useful for carrying a (C9) 200rd SAW drum. Alternately, a 100rd belt of 7.62x51mm/ 6.5mm Creedmore or five 30-round rifle magazines could be carried instead. If the waterbottle is the item we design the size 1 pouch around then the SAW reload is what the size 2 is designed around. For the ammunition carrying role the contents of the utility pouch should be rapidly and easily accessible. This again suggests that the utility pouches be a relatively simple design. For other roles one or more small stuff sacks could be carried in the pouch. It may be prudent to proportion the pouch so it can carry 2L plastic ice cream containers. Other possible contents include the US 2-quart canteen.

Utility pouches with shoulder straps allow a machine gunner’s ammunition load to be shared throughout a unit. Each soldier carries a bag and deposits it with the machine gun team when they take position. Such bags can also increase an individual’s ammunition if that carried by the chest rig is felt insufficient.

The fourth design of pouch would be the “munitions pouch”. As regular readers will know, I am fond of the chest rig. I am also a fan of not overloading said rig. The basic component of the chest rig should be a pouch that can accommodate a pair of magazines. Depending on body form a rig will have three or four of these. It makes sense to design the pouch for a pair of AKM 30 rd magazines, allowing it to also carry 20/ 25 round 7.62x51mm/ .260 Rem/ 6.5mm Creedmore magazines. Such a pouch can easily take a pair of 30 round 5.56mm magazines or a 60-round coffin mag. Box magazines for shotguns may also need to be considered. The pouch may be a little too big for the 5.56mm magazines but this may be addressed in several ways. The pouch may be adjustable or some item used as a spacer beneath the magazines (extra socks are always useful!). If the magazines are fitted with pull loops it probably does not matter if they sit deep in the pouch. Pull loops are detailed in my book “Survival Weapons: Optimizing Your Arsenal”. Should such pouches be built some smart company might produce larger capacity 5.56mm magazines the same length as those of the AKM. A number of pouches capable of taking a variety of magazines are already offered by a number of manufactures.

Other features of the munition pouch need to be considered. Some ammunition pouches have a pocket for a pistol magazine on their front. Such could also be used for other equipment such as wire cutters, flashlights etc. Many pouches do not have flaps, so it may be prudent to design the flap as removable. If fitted, should a flap need to be lifted up, as is traditional or is it more efficient to have it open forward? What is the most useful fastening for an ammunition pouch? Fastex buckle or tab and staple?  A possible design might be a separate flap piece held by a strap and quick release buckle at both front and back. This might also facilitate the pouch being adjustable to magazines or loads of varying height.

A single, filled munition pouch and a magazine on the rifle gives a shooter 90 – 120 ready rounds, which should be ample if correct fire discipline is observed. The remaining munition pouches might carry other contents. Such a pouch can take items such as rifle grenades or smoke grenades. It may also be used for items such as some designs of radios. At least one manufacture makes a “trauma insert” for ammunition pouches which contains an abbreviated IFAK. Extra small pouches to hold additional grenades can be added if the wearer desires.

“Dump pouches” have come into vogue in recent years. Many are designed to fold or roll up so they take up little room when not in use. Some are cleverly sized so that they can carry a soldier’s helmet when it is not worn.

A soft, padded pouch that could fit in the cargo pocket of a soldier’s trousers would be useful for survival items and first aid kits. This should have loops that fit over the pocket buttons to keep it in place.

Larger pouches may be needed for specialized roles. These could be carried as shoulder bags or mounted on larger packs or webbing. For example, some Canadian military units issued their personnel an extra buttpack to carry their NBC gear in. The Canadian 82 pattern butt pack was 30 x 25 x 12 cm, which is approximately 9.8 litres by my calculation. The US army M1961 butt pack was 22 x 21.5 x 14 cm, so about 6.89 litres. The most useful parameters for a buttpack/ shoulder bag need to be determined. Provision to attach small and medium utility pouches to the exterior needs to be included.

The M7 claymore mine bag (“bandoleer”) is another item that soldiers have found to be useful for functions other than its intended role. Such bags could carry ten 30-round magazines or 27 40mm grenades. A claymore bag has two pockets with a shared flap and is 30 cm square. Given their intended contents I would estimate that it is at least 5 cm deep, giving a capacity of about 4.7 litres. The claymore bag is similar in size to the haversacks used in the American civil war. These were used to carry rations and “table furniture” –a tin plate, cutlery and related items. The haversack had an easily washed cloth liner designed to protect the bag from the food and vice-versa. Civilian bags such as this one combine features of both, the larger pocket being useful for laptops.

I have touched on the topic of fasteners already. Fastex buckles or tab and staple systems are preferable to poppers, buttons, toggles or velcro. Fastening systems should be operable with one hand and compatible with gloves.

Ideally we do not want to issue duplicate items in different colour schemes. It is also worth remembering that disrupting the box shape of a pouch is different to camouflaging a whole person. The best “off the shelf” pattern for pouches is probably British two-colour desert DPM. The high contrast between the sand and brown disrupts both perceived shape and depth. The light sections help counter the body shading that usually can be seen with pouches. Two-colour DPM will be effective in a wide range of environments. In jungle the pattern helps break up the shape of more verdant patterned garments worn beneath it. In snow white tape can be added.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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Frogs for Tools.

Entrenchments were a prominent feature of the American Civil War. Earthworks were an established component of sieges but this conflict frequently saw troops digging in at more temporary positions. “Hard Tack and Coffee (p.361)” tells us that each corps of 23,000 men had six wagons loaded with entrenching tools that were provided to units that needed them.

In later wars infantry were issued entrenching tools as part of their personal equipment. SLA Marshal criticised this practice:

“The only amendment that might strengthen them would be to add that rations and ammunition should be specified only in the amounts which reason and experience tell us the Soldier is likely to expend in one day. Beyond that, everything should be committed to first line transport. This includes entrenching tools since twenty heavy and sharp-edged spades will give better protection any day to an entire company than 200 of the play shovels carried by Soldier”

(The Soldier’s Load and The Mobility of A Nation, p.57)

There will be situations where a unit cannot be easily reached by the company train. The best approach most likely lies between the two approaches. A unit will have some tools organic to it but also have access to more substantial items from the company or battalion. For the prudent civilian the approach is similar. One should have portable items with some larger items cached at base, home or with a vehicle.

Level of issue is another issue. Some argue that if the enemy is close half the unit should dig while the other half stands guard, so only half the men should carry entrenching tools. If on a mobile patrol only a couple of tools may be needed. In an urban sweep digging tools are of limited use but there may be a need for crowbars and axes. This last point illustrates something that should be borne in mind in the following passages. For simplicity I may use spade-type entrenching tools for illustration but the proposed ideas are equally applicable to other types of hardware such as axes, mattocks, picks, tomahawks, prybars and so on.

When I was writing about the soldier’s load it became apparent that entrenching tool covers and carriers were rather superfluous. When on the march the entrenching tool is best carried with the rucksack. Rucksacks have numerous pockets, loops and straps that can be used to secure such an item so a carrier that can be affixed to them is redundant. There are times when the rucksack is not carried but the entrenching tool may be needed, and may be needed in a hurry! The various belt mounted carriers in common use take up a lot of room and do not permit the tool to be brought quickly into action. This is why we have numerous images such as the one below. Assault troops ignore their belt carriers and tuck their e-tools through their belts. The belly position is not ideal if the soldier has to crawl or is forced to go prone by enemy fire. A better position is around the right hipbone, as was often done with tomahawks. See my previous blog on fast-drawing of items such as tomahawks.

One function that a carrier or cover does serve is to protect the soldier from the sharp-edges of his tool. There are simpler, lighter and more efficient ways of doing this. The image shows a simple guard used with a tomahawk. For a spade a U-shape can be made from plastic or aluminium tube or siding. Cord or elastic and hooks or simple knots are used to keep this in place. Such constructions do not prevent the soldier from drawing his tool in an emergency. A muzzled pick, tomahawk or spade are still effective weapons.

If a tool does not carry well tucked through the belt a simple “frog” can be constructed. The simplest is to tie a cord into a circle and pass it behind the belt, letting one end to pass through the other to form a simple loop. Loops like this are used to carry hammers on tool belts. If the carry is considered too loose the circle is reduced. Other tricks can be used. It is possible to tie a clove hitch without access to the ends of a cord. This can be done with the hanging part of the loop and the shaft of the tool passed through the centre of the knot. Such a knot can be prevented from collapsing when empty by the simple use of a paperclip or loop of fishing line.

A better frog can be created from nylon strap. Ideally a second strap would be sewn to the outside of the loop, the outer having either a fastex or double-D buckle. The outer strap can be tightened when a more secure grip on the shaft is wanted, the buckle easily released when it is not. To the frog I would add one or two eyelets to which a short length of cord can be attached. For articles such as tomahawks the cord can be passed over the top of the tool and tucked down inside the loop, which is then tightened. This helps secure the tool but is easily released by the action of pulling upwards on the head.

Potentially, items such as machete sheaths and even pistol holsters could be designed to be compatible with the frog.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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