Should You Buy or Build Your Next Ghillie Suit?

Should You Buy or Build Your Next Ghillie Suit?

A ghillie suit is an outfit made exclusively for hunting, military operations and other combative activities, including simulated warfare.  It is a suit designed to camouflage the wearer, rendering him almost “invisible” when he stands amongst bushes, trees and other forest backdrops.  A ghillie suit is a full body piece, often times including a head covering, that is designed to obscure your body's outline and add texture. 

It’s interesting to note that many people, including military men and hunters alike, choose to create their ghillie suits.  They may order a Create-Your-Own suit kit online or create their own material using old clothes, burlap, jute and shoe goo.  This is probably the most economic way to find a ghillie suit.  Unfortunately, a self-made ghillie suit, while it might be effective for some purposes, has limitations.  For one thing, if you attach authentic foliage then you will have to frequently replace your cover of attachments. 

Another reason to think professional quality is that today’s modern ghillie suits are built to be lightweight, cooler and resistant to water, fire and mildew.  Cheaply made costumes may not be realistic enough to fool wildlife, though they may suffice for paintball competition.  The highest quality ghillie suits can sell for over $100.00. 

You may have heard that most ghillie suites are not suitable for washing.  It’s not necessarily that the burlap or base material isn’t durable enough; rather, it’s the attachments (the fake foliage) that can be destroyed in a washing cycle.  Additionally, even if your suit makes it through a wash it may have a scent of clean laundry, a highly unusual smell for the forest.  The most expensive suits are machine washable since they are made from a combination of ultra-light weight synthetic materials, as well as realistic-looking burlap and jute. 

If performance and quality are important, then look for a new ghillie suit.  However, for friendly competition you can probably find an inexpensive gillie suit or apparel piece for less than $30.00.