| Making your own ghillie suit is time-consuming and | | | | netting - enough to cover you completely - 6 -7 yards |
| labor-intensive, but many people find it to be a highly | | | | - Can of flat black spray paint - 6-7 yards of burlap - |
| rewarding project, especially when wearing their ghillie | | | | Olive drab flight suit - Camouflage helmet cover - 1 |
| suit while out hunting or competing in paintball games. | | | | yard water-resistant Cordura canvas |
| Ghillie suits were first used by Scottish gamekeepers | | | | How to make your ghillie suit |
| assigned to capture and release for the nobility before | | | | 1. Cut and dye the burlap. |
| a hunt, in essence stocking the woods with game so | | | | Using a heavy duty pair of scissors, cut the burlap into |
| the hunt would be more successful. These same | | | | strips of varying lengths. Mix up the dye, and dye the |
| gamekeepers would also wear their ghillie suits when | | | | strips into many, many colors, creating as many |
| patrolling the grounds at night, protecting the livestock | | | | variations of the colors you noted in the desired |
| from poachers and predators. | | | | environment. Remember that some colors will change |
| Later the Scots decided ghillie suits were the perfect | | | | as the burlap dries, so make a wide variety of colors. |
| camouflage for their military units, so gamekeepers | | | | Mix and match colors - dipping the strips in one color |
| were recruited and trained as snipers for the Scottish | | | | and then another - to create all kinds of shades and |
| military. Ghillie suits are still used by military units today | | | | variations on the strips. |
| both for sniping missions and for reconnaissance. | | | | 1. Shred the burlap pieces. |
| Ghillie suits are commonly used for paintballing, airsoft | | | | When the burlap dries, shred the pieces and make |
| gaming, hunting, bird-watching, and for naturalists. You | | | | each one unique. |
| can purchase ready-made ghillie suits for reasonable | | | | 1. Cut and attach water-resistant canvas to the front |
| prices from many online stores, but you can also | | | | and back of the flight suit. |
| construct your own ghillie suit if you have the time and | | | | You'll want to cover whatever parts of the suit you |
| energy. Even store-made ghillie suits can be tailored to | | | | want to be water-resistant and able to handle wear |
| match the setting in which it will be worn. | | | | and tear. You may want to add canvas strips to the |
| Before you get started | | | | elbows, forearms and knees if you're going to be |
| Before you make your ghillie suit, visit the areas you | | | | crawling in the dirt. You can either sew this on or use |
| will be wearing the suit and take note of the coloring of | | | | the glue gun to glue it on. |
| the bushes, ground cover, and earth. Decide what | | | | 1. Cut and attach the netting over the flight suit. |
| season you will most likely be using the suit the most, | | | | Make sure the netting will blur your form so you no |
| as that can determine which colors are most dominant. | | | | longer have the silhouette of a human being, but |
| For example, if you ware making your ghillie suit to | | | | instead look like a bush or a blob. Make sure you give |
| wear when you go deer hunting, you'll probably want | | | | yourself lots of extra space so the netting won't |
| to use browns, taupes, greys, and blacks in your suit. If | | | | constrict your movements either. Sew the netting on |
| you want to use the suit year-round, you may want to | | | | using the fishing line and needles. |
| use more of a variety of colors. You may want to | | | | 1. Cut and attach the netting to the helmet cover. |
| collect samples of the brush, undergrowth, leaves and | | | | Follow the same instructions as above. |
| soil so you can match colors exactly. Another idea is | | | | 1. Attach the burlap strips to the netting all over the suit |
| to bring paint swatches (like the ones you can get in | | | | and helmet cover. |
| hardware stores) and mark off colors that match the | | | | Sew the pieces of shredded burlap on, making sure |
| surrounds on the swatches. | | | | you layer the pieces such that it looks natural and |
| Decide if you want to make a poncho or fitted ghillie | | | | varied and does not concentrate any one color in any |
| suit. Which of the supplies you buy depends on what | | | | one place. Use the fishing line and needle to sew the |
| kind of suit you want to make. If you will be staying still | | | | pieces on. This is the most time-consuming part of the |
| while wearing your suit, you may prefer a poncho, but | | | | process, but it is also somewhat of an art form to |
| if you'll be crawling in the dirt and trying to move | | | | make sure you use varied pieces and colors. Make |
| quickly, you'll want a fitted ghilie suit. This guide will tell | | | | sure you attach enough pieces of the helmet but not |
| you how to make a fitted ghillie suit. | | | | so much that you won't be able to see. |
| Gather your supplies | | | | 1. Drag the suit through the mud and let it dry. 2. |
| What you'll need: | | | | Congratulate yourself! You're done! |
| - Hot glue gun - Pack of glue gun glue sticks - Pack of | | | | If all this seems too labor-intensive, consider one of our |
| sewing needles - Fishing line - Powder dye packets of | | | | a ready-made ghillie suits. |
| RIT dye - yellow, green, tan, brown, black - Nylon | | | | |