Camouflage reduces the recognisability of a person and their equipment. Conspicuous colours, differences in brightness, regular shapes and reflective surfaces are adapted to the surroundings or covered. During evasion, the aim is to make it harder for an observer to distinguish the body, a pack or individual items of equipment from the background and recognise them as signs of human presence.
Camouflage, concealment and cover
Camouflage changes the features of whatever remains visible. Concealment blocks the view of the body or its location, for example through terrain and vegetation. The two can work together: a bush obscures part of the body, while suitable clothing and a broken outline make the remaining parts harder to recognise. Cover provides physical protection from weapon effects. Leaves, grass or a camouflage net provide concealment without stopping bullets. Whether an obstacle provides actual protection depends on its material, the weapon effect and its position between the threat and the body.
Background and recognisable shapes
Start with the surroundings against which the person could be seen. Dark clothing may blend into shaded woodland and form a sharp silhouette against snow or a bright sky. Green foliage attached to clothing stands out against dry grass. First choose a position with a suitable background and existing concealment, then adapt the visible parts to it. A printed camouflage pattern can only partly compensate for a difference in brightness between the body and its background.
The head-and-shoulder outline, the curve of a helmet and the straight edges of a pack provide recognisable shapes. Even equipment in suitable colours remains conspicuous when those lines are fully exposed. Body position also matters: stay low behind existing vegetation, keep the head and shoulders below a terrain crest and observe from concealment. A suitable helmet cover changes surface colour and shine but retains the helmet's curve. Small, irregularly attached additions of suitable material or camouflage netting can break up the smooth outer line. A large, uniform crown of leaves increases the silhouette and stands out as a separate object.
Adapt with the materials available
Clothing already being worn often provides the first adjustment: headgear, a collar, a scarf and gloves cover lighter skin and hair. A suitable matt cloth can cover a conspicuous part of a pack; an available cover or small piece of camouflage netting breaks up regular surfaces. Grass, leaves or small twigs from the immediate surroundings can be secured with available bands or cord. Add only enough to interrupt the troublesome outlines. The material must stay in place without swaying with every movement, catching on vegetation or blocking access to necessary equipment.
Shine comes from reflected light. A watch face, bare metal, spectacle lenses and the natural oil on exposed skin can produce bright points of light. Wear a watch under a sleeve, cover unused shiny equipment and screen metal surfaces with available matt material. Necessary glasses and optics must remain usable; blocking a viewing window with camouflage material removes the person's own ability to observe. Camouflage therefore includes both equipment carried on the body and items taken out during a halt.
If purpose-made skin camouflage pigment is available, apply colours suited to the surroundings in an irregular pattern. Relatively darker pigment on the forehead, nose, cheekbones and other prominent areas reduces their bright reflections; lighter pigment in naturally shaded hollows reduces the face's characteristic pattern of light and dark. Also consider the ears, throat, back of the neck and hands. A completely darkened face may stand out more against a light background. Do not paint the face when there is a risk of frostbite: the pigment hides pale changes in skin colour that may indicate developing frostbite. If suitable face paint is unavailable, cover visible skin with available clothing and use existing concealment.
When adding natural material, avoid changing the whole area around a halt. Torn branches, pale exposed breaks and a conspicuous gap in vegetation can reveal the location while the person remains hidden. Use existing vegetation with as little disturbance as possible and keep additions small. This also avoids spending unnecessary time and movement on a brief adjustment.
Shadow and movement
Shadow reduces the illumination of visible surfaces. The head, hands and equipment must actually be in it; a dark position offers little benefit if the pack lies in a patch of sunlight. A person's sharply defined shadow can also show on light ground. Shaded areas move as the sun changes position. During a halt, check again whether previously screened parts have become illuminated or whether another observation angle places the body against a bright background.
Movement attracts attention to an object even when its colour matches well. Repeatedly rising, turning the whole upper body or handling exposed equipment can undo camouflage that worked while stationary. Before a necessary task, place the required items within reach from the concealed posture and keep movements small. If movement is needed, use natural screening and avoid unnecessary movement in open places. Darkness reduces unaided vision, while night vision devices can still make use of available light.
Checks and changing conditions
After adapting the camouflage, check the head, neck, hands and accessible equipment one part at a time. A small mirror, if carried, helps with the face but cannot provide a view of the whole body from a possible enemy viewpoint; its surface must also be kept from flashing outwards. While concealed, bend carefully and perform the hand movements actually needed: does the cloth slip, a twig sway, a bright surface become exposed or a hand catch in the netting? These findings call for a different attachment, less material or a different arrangement. When alone, the back is particularly difficult to inspect. Leaving concealment and standing in the open to check would itself increase recognisability.
Compare again during a concealed halt and after a substantial change of surroundings. Cut vegetation wilts and changes colour and shape, pigment can rub off, and rain can loosen an attachment or make a surface shine again. Remove or replace dried or obstructive material, reposition the cloth and cover newly exposed parts. When moving from woodland into dry grass or snow, the new background is the main reference.
Other detection channels
These adjustments mainly concern shape, movement and contrast in visible light. A thermal imager forms an image from differences in thermal radiation; suitable colours and a visually broken outline therefore do not establish how the body and equipment appear in a thermal image. The overall signature also includes sound, artificial light, smells, transmitted radio signals and traces left behind. A rattling item, an exposed light or a radio transmission can direct a search towards an area even when the visible pattern fits well.