How To Make A Ghillie Suit

Starting out in Scotland protectors of flocks (Ghillies) used a camouflaged suit  to catch poachers and predators that would prey on shepherds flocks. The ghillie suit has evolved from just shredded material from around the farm to more sophisticated material for the military that is light, can breath and blends in to the surrounding environment. Now ghillie suits are often used for hunting and the sport of paint ball.

First there are not only different colors of ghillie suits but different types. The different types can be camouflage of just the head, just the face, just the head and torso or a full body ghillie suit including pants body head and rifle. I will explain the simple steps on how to make a ghillie suit that can be used for both hunting and paint ball but also allow you the freedom of your hand and allow you to move quickly but be un-noticed while sitting still.

Thing you will need:

• Netting (volley ball, tennis, fishing, badminton, etc) if you don’t have any of these you getting ghillie netting online just about anywhere from ($20 - $60) but the idea here is to keep it inexpensive.
• An older darker jacket, check the used clothing stores I have picked up many old Army jackets (BDU a.k.a Battle Dress Uniforms) there for peanuts.
• Synthetic Thread Camouflage jute (Strands of colored thread) You can get these kits online as well for about $40. This Kits come in different color schemes that you can pick depend on your surrounding and time of year.

1. Sew knots of netting to the fabric with transparent thread like fishing line. (Dental floss though white works very well and will not fray.) Apply a drop of glue for extra strength.
2. Tie 2 groups of 4 to 6 strands of jute, about 30 inches in length to the netting with simple knots. Stick to 3 or 4 colors that are prevalent in the environment you'll be using your ghillie suit.

Select items from your setting to keep the best profile. If you are in a wooded area, for example, attach small branches and leaves to the upper half of the suit and feather it to the bottom with items such as grass or twigs.

3. Attach more items to the back of the suit. Sneaking in a ghillie suit usually involves crawling. Items on your stomach or chest as you belly-crawl will likely get damaged or make noise.
4. Attach wider items around your head and neck. The human head is the most commonly identified part of the body. The shoulders and neck exaggerate the head. When standing still, your outline must be broken to prevent easy identification.

• Often basic ghillie suits can be bought which are a net poncho with flaps attached to it. This is a great start as it breaks up your outline and gives you many locations to attach items to it.
• Burlap is an alright material, but it will eventually fall apart and leave you with nothing. So go with jute twine, not burlap.
• The most important aspect of a ghillie suit is to break up your outline, as you may be much more easily spotted if you keep a human-shaped silhouette.
• Use burlap and camo netting to cover your gun, face, and boots! It's a shame to see ghillie suits given away by black boots sticking out of the back.
• Test the suit by giving a friend a pair of binoculars and seeing if he can spot you in a forested area.
• After a couple of days, new attachments will be required as green plants will turn color and dry up.
• You can make a Korean ghillie suit by getting a big piece of camouflage fabric then cutting a hole into the center and sewing rubber inner tube pieces to the edge so what your are making is a camouflage poncho with rubber strips on the side for inserting branches into.