Digitized camo happens to work quite well. In the bush, it is at least as good as the old woodland pattern we had when I entered the Army. When we used it in combat operations in urban settings in the middle east,it is better by magnitudes.
Draping a camo panel to hang neatly from a couple of trees is in no way a good test of it's ability to break up the outline of a human being.
Having said all of that, only three pieces of my normal hiking/backpacking gear have any camo pattern. I have a Camelback in woodland pattern, along with a neck gaiter. I also have a Camelback in the old tri-color desert pattern.
My hunting gear, on the other hand, is all various types of hunting pattern camo.
Since my primary goal of my outings and most of my gear is hunting related, I have lots of camo. I spend most of my money on bowhunting gear, so most of my stuff is camo. Non-hunting friends laugh when I take it along on a non-hunting trip, but I can't buy more gear just to not have camo...
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My preparations for this fall's upcoming bivy elk hunt - gear, training, mapping: http://elkprep.blogspot.com
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I agree, it's silly to have one set of gear/clothing for hunting and another for backpacking! Just ignore the comments!
The one thing I'd worry about is being seen when you need to be seen. A few years ago while driving home from a hike, I came perilously close to hitting someone sitting at the edge of a road in the shade. I was dodging potholes on the very rough road and didn't even see the guy until he moved! If you need to road walk, you might want to add something bright-colored (and reflective at night or dawn or dusk) to your clothing.
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
I'm late to this party, and there's a reason: mostly, I could care less what others wear; I'm just glad to see them out there enjoying the woods. Personally, I use drab colors (grey, green, tan, brown) when I can, because I like not to stand out. My colors tend to be one-per-item, but I'm not sure that's a whole lot different than camo, which is multiple colors mixed into each piece.
The only side issue I could think of is one of perception. Just as having clean, high tech gear or wearing certain brands of clothing "brands" you as a "yuppie" or "gearhead," wearing camo can brand you as "paramilitary" or "survivalist." But don't let that dissuade you from wearing camo. Sometimes, being branded will cause people to leave you alone (and I've found those are often the people you most want to leave you alone.) The folks worth meeting will talk to you regardless of how you're dressed.
The reason I maintain separate sets of clothing for hunting and backpacking is because my backpacking clothing is lightweight and my hunting clothing is not. The hunting stuff is much heavier duty because of all the trail busting I do while stalking prey.
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