Wednesday, January 23, 2013

MultiCam or MARPAT?

I've done a couple of posts on camouflage that I use as well as tests on different kinds of patterns that are useful in a number of environments.  For the past couple of years, I've been religiously using MARPAT in both it's Desert and Woodland form for outdoor games.  MARPAT, if you didn't already know, is short for Marine Pattern and is used by the United States Marine Corps.  It's a digital camouflage pattern unique to the USMC and they use two forms of it, depending on the area they are deployed.  A Desert MARPAT is obviously used in arid regions.  I use my Desert MARPAT in late autumn until things start growing again in the spring.  The rest of the time I use Woodland MARPAT, which is much better for deep wooded areas with lots of growth.  There are "civillian" versions of both Desert and Woodland MARPAT that I have compared before, but I'm a bit stingy with my stuff and only field genuine USMC-issue MARPAT.

It's never really let me down when either pattern is in season.  The only trouble I tend to have is in those "Transitional" periods.  In Spring and Fall when the colors are turning, it's tough deciding if I want more greens/dark colors or lighter tans and browns to match my surroundings.  This is where I almost wonder if investing in a third set of camouflage might help cover my bases a little more.  The best candidate that I've seen that is a bit of a mix of both is called MultiCam.  Currently fielded by the US Army, MultiCam has been often cited as a good middle-ground camouflage that works well in many different environments.  I've seen it work especially well in the seasons where my camouflage gap tends to be.

The hangup that I have about MultiCam is that I'm worried that I won't use it frequently enough to warrant pursuing a set of it.  I COULD use it year-round, but for the types of games that we normally play, Woodland MARPAT over the summer is likely going to be the best choice.  We play fewer off-season games where I would potentially use MultiCam and the Desert MARPAT can handle most of that.  In that same vein, my Desert MARPAT doesn't get used that frequently because we don't often play in the winter to begin with.  I'm almost wondering if I should replace the Desert MARPAT with MultiCam for our off-season games.

I'm open to suggestions, so chime in if you've got an idea on how to tackle this Tactical Nitpick of mine!

12 comments:

  1. In South Texas, I usually prefer urban cammo. Scrub oak and mesquite is mostly grey, as is thr sand you usually find. Even the greens are kinda grey. The underbrush is actually made up of dappled shades of grey. I also prefer a tiger stripe pattern because the growth tends to be a bit leggier. Someplace that actually gets a lot of water, like around the reservoir, id use a greener pattern, of course.

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  2. Oh , I have little input on camo choice, though. Maybe a tactical poncho?

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  3. For Lazer Tag I've actually gone full black. I'm not sure if its actually effective, but I figure a trade-off on camouflage and comfort for reduced light reflectivity is worth it. Rather than take the risk that the infrared light will find a way to reflect off my clothing. I don't have any empirical evidence as to whether or not this actually works, however. Just a gut feeling.

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  4. Auscam slightly fades to a great camo for dry bush http://www.kitbag.com.au/products/Auscam-Rip-Stop-Cotton-Combat-Shirts.html

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  5. The Australians use Auscam in some areas of Afghanistan

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  6. dye the desert marpat

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    1. If I hadn't spent so much time tracking down genuine USMC Desert MARPAT Flame Resistant Organizational Gear (FROG), I'd consider it. I'd rather not ruin this camouflage.

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  7. if you had served you could've just worn your pair

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    1. If I had chosen to serve, I would've come up with a better reason than just wanting camouflage.

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  8. well, ill give you credit for a damn fine end to my circular argument

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    1. And I'll assume, based on what's been said so far, that you have served. Thank you for your time and service to your country. (If you haven't that's okay too)

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