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From City Slicker to Desert Dirt Devil
Types and Uses for CamouflageWhen you think of camouflage, the first thing that probably comes to mind isstandard issue greens that look like someone took three or four paintbrusheswith different shades of green and splashed them randomly on the clothes.You probably also think of extremely insulated and thick material that almostfeels like canvas. Thanks to modern technology, testing, and governmentawareness of the changing scenes of war, this is not always what is referredto when talking about camouflage anymore. While still in use and quitepopular, this stereotyped camouflage is by far outdated in many instancesand has been replaced in many cases with newer, more effective camouflagepatterns. Depending on the use, soldiers may have various patterns worn forvarious circumstances.Woodland camouflage is probably the most popular form and is the first thingthat tends to come to mind when thinking of a camouflage pattern. It is theclassic mixture of greens and browns with no real pattern that mimics thevarious hues of a forested area full of trees, leaves, and shrubs, thus earningits name. The most notorious and widely used camouflage pattern, woodlandcamouflage has been around for ages. However, over the years, it has beendetermined that this is not the most appropriate pattern to actuallycamouflage soldiers under all circumstances.The desert 6 colors camouflage pattern came into use during OperationDesert Storm, as well as the wars in Somalia. Finding that the standardissue woodland camouflage actually stood out against the sandy, treelessbackdrop of the Middle Eastern deserts, the United States military began toissue its soldiers these duds, which replaced the greens and dark brownswith the colors of the desert – tan and light browns with smaller greenmarkings sprinkled throughout. Also, these were made of a cotton/polyesterblend, making them less insulating in the terrible heat of the desert.A still further improvement in this area that is now being used by soldiers inIraq is the desert 3 colors camouflage. These fatigues, as per their name,use only three colors – tan, beige, and standard brown. The three shadesmimic the look of sand even better, allowing soldiers to literally blend into thedunes around them and never be noticed. Best of all, the desert 3 colorscamouflage is typically 100% cotton, making them easily breathable in the115 or above degree heat experienced in the Iraqi desert.ACU digitalcamouflage has recently come into use in the United States Armyas well. To picture this pattern, think of the game Tetris, with its variousshapes created by putting blocks together. The greens and browns in thesecamouflage items are fitted together in this manner, appearing almost likepixels in a digital camera. This pattern has been found to blend into severalenvironments, including woodland, desert, and urban locations. That makesthis type of camouflage a great all purpose design.
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mikeybhannock

A brief look at camouflage pattern-printed items available to US consumers at the present. Not very deep.

reply11 / 08 / 2009
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