Concealment is protection from enemy observation. Terrain, vegetation or a suitable screen obscures the body or its position. During evasion, this affects the directions from which an isolated person can be recognised.
Concealment and cover
Concealment interrupts the view of a person. Cover serves a different protective function: protection from the effects of fire. Vegetation screens the view through leaves, branches and the obscured body outline; protection against incoming fire is a separate property of the material or terrain.
Viewpoint, outline and camouflage
The screen depends on the observer's position. Vegetation may obscure a side view while a gap above the body leaves a view from overhead. Selecting a hide site therefore also includes overhead concealment. A low body profile reduces the visible outline at the edge of the screen.
Camouflage complements the screen by adapting colour and contrast to the surroundings and breaking up the recognisable human outline. Cut camouflage vegetation can wilt and change colour, making it stand out against unchanged growth. A moving shadow also changes which previously dark parts of the body or equipment become illuminated and easier to recognise.
Concealed observation
Staying concealed combines screening one's own outline with a view of the approaches. From a low, concealed position, the person observes the approaches while the rest of the body remains behind the existing screen. Additional movement may bring parts of the outline beyond that screen and reveal the position.