My Ghillie Cape

Hi, Having owned/bought a few Ghillie suits in my time i decided i would make my own to better suit my local environment.
The Problem was what materials i would make the suit from.
I toyed with the idea of again, Buying some Camo Netting from a local Surplus store but as this suit would be mainly for hunting purposes i found that the netting was rather noisy.

Anyway, Someone suggested Hessian/Burlap, It's quiet, lightweight and can be dyed to suit your locality, so Fleabay got hit and i soon found a supplier who sold lots of the stuff for cheap..Deal Done.

After weeks of stripping down the Burlap strand by strand then bunching up in 12/15 strand bunches, i finally got round to dying and then attaching it to a pair of Olive Coveralls. I attached some netting (garden netting) to the coveralls and set about adding in the dyed burlap. took a while, but the suit looked really good. here's were it all went tetas up.. Admiring my handywork i decided to do some quality control.

As a Smoker my first though was..How Flammable is this suit as i would be wearing it and getting out of a pair of Coveralls is hard enough..out came the lighter...Whoooomp..Up went the suit.
Seriously folks, if we could find a way of fueling our cars with Burlap this would be a better, cleaner option than Petroleum.

Dont try it at home. My blackened walls and Ceiling, burnt hands and singed eyebrows will back up everything i have said.

So with all that aside i decided i had came this far i wasn't going to quit now, so a idea for Ghillie suit #2 was hatched. I would make a cape, Something that if somehow it did catch alight i could drop it in a hurry...

I dont have pics of Ghillie suit Mk1 for obvious reasons but here's what i came up with on the Mk2.

I must be missing something. All I see is a bush in a room.

Serious question: how far down does it go? Are your feet covered? I'm assuming it hangs lower than it looks because you're holding it up on display?

Anyway, I stand by my first comment

a reply to: Soloprotocol

Not a bad build; and not a bad approach for form-factor... I would've done a little bit on the headpiece myself; but to each their own.

I would personally evaluate a different smoking solution, rather than remodeling the suit - but having seemingly designed it already, I can't say that I don't like your approach to a Ghillie anyway... I might model something similar.

Per a smoking solution - I believe someone was trying to pitch one to the armed services - a metal tube with holes on either end that accepts a cigarette was the proposed solution; and I can't say I can come up with a much better one... You get to smoke, without a visible ember - which thence ( < proper usage? lol ) can't ignite your suit, and when you're done, rather than opening it and putting it out on the ground - you could just let it simmer out in your pocket ( if you can deal with the stench ) and take advantage of the warming qualities... If you safely insulated it and routed the smoke, you could absorb the stench while you're out on your hunt, and avoid hinting to your prey as well.

I'm a smoker too, so I can understand your concern. I like the Ghillie; I would have done a couple of things differently - but as a whole it's a good modern approach. I'll come back with some mock-ups later today; hopefully... Gotta get ready to run to the in-laws right quick...



- Not bad bubba.

a reply to: Soloprotocol

I hate to ruin all your work but, that cape is going to snag on things you didn't know could get snagged on, you're not going to have fun mucking around with it while holding your gear. try a surplus set of military green as the base and hot glue (seriously) burlap netting on the back of them for the strands to hold on to

originally posted by: Shamrock6
I must be missing something. All I see is a bush in a room.

Serious question: how far down does it go? Are your feet covered? I'm assuming it hangs lower than it looks because you're holding it up on display?

Anyway, I stand by my first comment

Sorry, Wrong pic, that's my Homegrown..

Anyway, all joking aside, I didn't want it dragging on the ground if and when i walked with it on. I intend to use it mainly when laying in the prone position. More for camouflage when glassing, but i now see it can be used for other things. though walking through heavy brush would be a nightmare so i'll leave it off when going from A to B unless i'm slowly moving over open grassland..ie, Stalking Prey.

I made it bigger than i intended and the hood was stitched on a bit off centre, but it doesn't need to be perfect. I wanted something i could also use as a hide when i was stationary as well as a ghillie cape.

Turned out OK. Will serve it's purpose and as i said previously. It's Lightweight, Quiet and can be rolled up into a neat little bundle for transport on my Rucksack when not needed.

originally posted by: DigitalJedi805
a reply to: Soloprotocol

Not a bad build; and not a bad approach for form-factor... I would've done a little bit on the headpiece myself; but to each their own.

I sewed 7 or 8 small Burlap strips onto the hood so as to attach natural foliage in the field.

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
a reply to: Soloprotocol

I hate to ruin all your work but, that cape is going to snag on things you didn't know could get snagged on, you're not going to have fun mucking around with it while holding your gear.

See post below yours. you got in before i could finish.

a reply to: Soloprotocol

That works just as good for hunting

The Cape has Shoulder straps, Waist straps and a couple of other straps all on the inside so as i can attach it to my Bergen or tie up when using it as a hide.

Nice work Man.No sarcasm..

Easy solution, go to using E-cigs.

I do like the cape idea though. Smoking or not....it's a more convenient solution than a full suit.

originally posted by: Gazrok
Easy solution, go to using E-cigs.

I do like the cape idea though. Smoking or not....it's a more convenient solution than a full suit.

E-Cigs, No Thanks...I'll just stay off the smokes when wearing it. need to quit anyway.

As for the Cape, Yeah, It has more uses than a suit.