How To Choose Your Ghillie Suit

When deciding on a ghillie suit, there are a few factors to keep in mind. Some factors are obvious and others less so. The first and most obvious is whether to go with burlap (jute which is a natural fiber), or to choose the synthetics. Then you need to decide whether you have the time and patience to build it from scratch or a kit or lacking the time, patience, or inclination should you buy a ready-to-wear suit and if so how much money do you put into it? Do you want a suit that will last through many rough seasons or do you want one you can discard after the end of the season and buy another next time? Next you have choices of style; Ponchos in full body or head and shoulders, pant and jacket suits made on a variety of bases, one piece full body suits which in my opinion are simply full body ponchos, or you can opt for a specialty suit such as bowhunters need. I personally have never heard of anyone being allergic to Jute, but Some folks are allergic to a lot of things and some of them are really unusual. The synthetics are hypo-allergenic ( they don't trigger allergic reactions)

In deciding between natural or synthetic fiber there are several concerns. Natural fibers are very flammable. Synthetic fibers are usually fire proof or at least fire retardant. Natural fiber will rot or decay while synthetics will last longer than you will. Natural fiber such as jute carry a strong odor of their own and will absorb other odors that may give away your presence. Synthetics usually have no odor of their own and will not absorb odors. Synthetics may however, carry odors on their surface if exposed to airborne scent particles. A minimum of care and attention should enable you to avoid those scents. Organic fibers are difficult to clean if the need should arise. Synthetics can be cleaned with a simple hosing down and drip dry. Speaking of wetting down your ghillie, imagine being out in the rain in a jute suit. You're gonna be carrying around 30 or 40 more ponds in water weight. The synthetics do not absorb water, but they will carry some on the surface. Your choice, between 30 to 40 extra pounds or less than 5 extra. If you store either suit in a damp condition. you won't like it when you pull it back out. You may as well toss the organic fiber one,but you can hose down the synthetic and salvage another season from it. I only know of two pluses for the Jute Ghillies. Jute will consistently give you more natural and vibrant colors. This is an important consideration for artists and I include photographers in that statement. The other reason for choosing Jute is nostalgic. Some folks like to do things the old fashioned way.

After choosing your material you must choose between building and buying. If you have a lot of patience and plenty of time, building your own suit can be a very rewarding effort and you can end up with a somewhat better suit than you could buy. Sellers of ghillie suits have to construct them along very general guidelines to appeal to a wide variety of circumstances. You on the other hand would be building one suit to apply to only your specific circumstances. If you are an aggressive type "A" personality, you most likely would not do well trying to build your own. It really does take a lot of time and patience. The time and patience cannot be emphasized enough. In the long run, a bought suit is going to do every bit as good as a built one. You can get the personal satisfaction part from earning the money to make the purchase. Purchase prices may range from just under a hundred dollars to around five hundred. As with any purchase, buy the best you can afford for the purpose it is intended.

Style of suit will be dictated by personal preference and the circumstances of use. A poncho is versatile and allows for a wide range of motion. If you are going to be spending some time in a blind, a head and shoulders poncho may be all you need. If you are bowhunting, You need the jacket of the suit to be devoid of any string or attachments on the bow arm and that side of the chest area. Usually, the jacket would be all you need, but you can get pants to match if your particular circumstances would be better served. For varmint shooters, a sniper ghillie comes without any thread on the front, but is reinforced with a heavy, water resistant cordura layer for laying on your belly and taking those long range shots. For really rough wear especially in cold seasons and climates, a ghillie suit built on a set of BDUs holds up better and is more comfortable than any other. You can also get a very comfortable suit that comes on a base of very light material instead of the BDUs. This material is soft to the skin and is bug proof. Be sure the suit you buy suits the purpose you intend to use it in.

Be sure to buy from a reputable dealer that gives some assurance of satisfaction. You do not want a suit built with anything containing UV brighteners. Try to get an accurate picture of the suit to see if there are any straight lines in the construction. Some suits are made looking as if someone cut all the threads to the same length in rows. These straight lines defeat the purpose of the ghillie suit. Try to determine if the suit is constructed in a manner that allows for adding of vegetation in the field. Be sure the synthetics used are non-reflective (a rare situation). Most of the dealers on line who sell primarily ghillie suits with a few related accessories are reputable people. There are also a lot of dealers who sell ghillie suits as a sideline to a lot of other products. Some of these have no knowledge of ghillie suits or camouflage in any form. Some will show you a picture of a ghillie suit and then ship whatever they happen to have on hand.

GhilliesandStuff is really enthusiastic about our latest offering from GhillieSuits.com. The "Bullseye" is in answer to the public demand for an inexpensive ghillie suit. Until now all the inexpensive suits on the market were not just inexpensive. They were downright Cheap and cheaply made. One of the most noticeable problems with those cheap suits was that the thread pulled out all too easily. After a short trek through the woods, one would no longer be camouflaged. The "Bullseye" is constructed using a patented method of securing the thread so that it does NOT pull out. This is a 4 piece suit (jacket, pants, hood, and rifle or gear wrap) available in Mossy and Woodland colors. Elastic trims the waist, cuffs and ankles and a drawstring also on the waist. Pass through pockets on the jacket and on the pants gives easy access to whatever you may be carrying. The "Bullseye" is built on a light and comfortable inner shell just as many of the more expensive suits. All the cheap suits on the market were giving ghillie suits a bad name. It was past time for a quality suit at a really low price. A draw string duffel bag for storage is included.

Another recent entry into our offerings is the "Marc Anthony" bowhunter suit from Bushrag. This is an ultra-light suit that replaces Bushrags older ultra-light bowhunter suit. It is of superior quality and is offered at the same price range. For more information on these and other great ghillie suit products, go to GhilliesandStuff.com

For those interested, here are a few recent pictures of "Billy" "Billie". Several weeks ago "Billie" laid a couple of eggs and then almost 2 weeks later laid a couple more, so we had to change the spelling of "her" name. "Billie remains in robust good health. Last trip to the vet entailed a minor bit of trimming to the beak and was pronounced healthy.

Hunting and Ghillie Suits

What’s a hunter to wear on a nice cool fall day? A pair of blue jeans perhaps? Or how about a fuzzy brown sweater? Picking out clothes for a day of hunting is not like picking out clothes to go to church or to dinner. It’s not about looking nice or presentable. In fact, it’s just the opposite. You want to look as rugged and as wild as the animal you’re hunting. Actually the less human you look the better and to achieve that, one would need a good quality Ghillie suit in their closet.

A hunter without a Ghillie suit is like a baker without an apron; it can get pretty messy and you can expect more misses than hits. Hunting is more than just skills and weaponry; it’s all about blending into your background, becoming one with nature, taking on your surroundings, and most importantly not being seen by your target.

What is a Ghillie Suit?

Ghillie suits are basically a type of camouflaged clothing that’s designed to look like brushes, twigs, bushes, trees, leaves and other heavy foliage. Ghillie suits can come in a variety of styles. There are Ghillie jackets, Ghillie pants, Ghillie full body suits, Ghillie ponchos and so much more. They’re often made from a net or a cloth garment which is then covered by netting which is in turn covered with layers of twisted cloth, twine, or loose strips of burlap.
Ghillie suits are available in all sizes from children to adults. Visualize a nice family portrait, everyone in their Ghillies and shot guns in hand? Now that’s what they call coordinating accessories. Though these suits can get pretty weighty, the individual fabrics that make up its structure are lightweight and move with the wind, to imitate the movement of its surrounding environment which would usually be comprised of forestry. There are Ghillies the cover your entire body from head to toe which is perfect for the stationary hunter, Then there are those that only cover your upper body which allows the stalking hunter more mobility.

The Advantages of a Ghillie Suit

Being the hunter, you want to make sure you’re always one step ahead of your target and the Ghillie suit gives you that advantage. After all, how would one expect to successfully hunt a deer if he can hear, smell, and more obviously, see you from a mile away? Here are other great ways you and your hunting can benefit from a Ghillie suit.

• Ghillie suits are made from durable materials that can take the beating of nature and the charging of a bull, although you may not want to test out that bull theory. Just take our word for it.
• If you’re hunting in extreme cold weather, then the Ghillie suit can double as insulation, providing you with extra warmth and coverage from the cold air.
• Ghillies make it effortless for you to blend into your background. They’re the perfect camouflage that can be undetectable to the animals you hunt.
• Not only can you be undetected by animals, but also humans. Ghillies are also used for military purposes and are commonly worn by snipers in natural environments.
• You can move and walk around in nature without becoming a conspicuous human form intruding on another species’ territory. The less of an impact your presence makes on your environment, the more effective your hunting will be.
• With a Ghillie, you can be only a few feet away from your target allowing you a more precise hit. There’s no way on this green planet that you’d be able to do that in your mere human appearance.

So if you want to increase your chances of coming home with dinner in tow or have something nice to give your wife for your anniversary (this of course would be the fur or leather hide, not necessarily the meat or head) or maybe you want to add another beautiful addition to your taxidermist collection, then get a Ghillie suit. With it you can become the ultimate hunter, shooter, and human chameleon.

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FIRE!

For those of you who may have missed the Youtube video of the soldier on fire in his ghillie suit, I will provide the link . This is why we always treat the jute suits with flame retardant powder and provide extra so that you can reapply as needed. It looks as if it's one of those things that should never happen, but those are the things you have to prepare for. I could ramble on about the incident, but I will stop with these words of advice. If you aren't likely to use the precautionary measures necessary for a jute ghillie suit, then please opt for the synthetic models.

Billy