Types of camouflage seems to be a common topic on these forums, and I as of now, I have not been able to find a thread that gives details about the most popular types of camo. This thread will attempt to remedy this situation. Also, I have seen most of these patterns in use in the woods near me (southern Connecticut), so keep that in mind when reading about their effectivness.
First off, I, as well as others, understand camo is for the most part, ineffective in speedball, so this thread only is referring to camo for use in woods games (recball, scenerios, outlaw). Heres a link for
Camouflage pics.
US Woodland Camo
This is the most commonly seen type of camo. It is the 4 color pattern used by the US military that is primarily green, with black and two shades of brown. The biggest reason this pattern is used by the military is that it is moderately to very effective for a large variety of terrain and foliage. This means it works well just about everywhere. The disadvantage to this of course, is that it does not excel in any one place as well. Also, since it is so commonly seen, I think your eyes will spot it easier only because it is a pattern we are more used to seeing. It is also very green, so if there aren’t many leaves in, you will stick out. This pattern seems to be very difficult to locate if you dont know where to look, but once it is spotted, is somewhat easy to keep in sight.
Advantages :
Easy to obtain
Cheap
Good all around pattern
Works well in many situations
Disadvantages :
Common (eye is familier with pattern)
Does not excel in any one specific setting
US Digital Woodland
This is the newer US military pattern that I believe is going to be replacing the woodland pattern. There are several versions for the US, as well as a Canadian version. Differences are mostly in color used, but the concept is the same. It has similar colors to the standard woodland camo, but the colors are scattered in digital looking squares. You’ll understand when you see it. The biggest difference with this camo, is that your eye blends the colors together and it goes unnoticed. I also read somewhere the camo is most effective at ranges closer than 100 yds., which is excellent for paintball as markers have limited range. Here's a good website comparing
US MARPAT and Canadian CADPAT .
Advantages :
Tricks the eye into blurring colors
Works well in many situations
Disadvantages :
Not as common yet
Usually more expensive
US Tigerstripe
This is one of the older US styles and I believe it was first used in the jungles of Vietnam. It is very dark with horizontal stripes. This type works best in thick foliage and dark areas. Its dark color can make you stick out when the terrain is lighter (dead leaves, fields). I don’t think it is still produced, so it might be harder to get a hold of.
Advantages :
Works very well in dark foliage
Seems to conceal movement
Somewhat less common
Disadvantages :
Very dark
Harder to find
US Desert 3 color and 6 color
These are both primarily light brown to match the desert setting. The 6-color combination is no longer in use (aka, chocolate chip patter). These would work well of course, in a desert setting, but I have also seen them in use in woods in the autumn and they are moderately effective, mostly the 3 color, as the black spots in the 6 color tend to stick out.
Advantages :
Excellent in desert setting
Common
Inexpensive
Disadvantages :
Ineffective with foliage
Small range of usable settings
Austrian Dot Camo
This camo consists of brown, green, and black dots mushed together. The dots are larger and farther spaced than flektarn and the brown is more of a muted orangish color. This camo works well where leaves aren’t as thick, or there is a lot of dead leaves, as the colors seem to match up pretty well. This type is much more difficult to find (I have only seen it in t-shirt version), but in my experience, works very well.
Advantages :
Lighter in color (good for dead leaves/autumn)
Less common
Breaks shape up very well
Disadvantages :
Difficult to find
More noticeable in dark terrain
German Flecktarn
(Fleck=Spot, Tarn = Camouflage: translates literally to "spot camo")
This camo is similar to the Austrian dot, but the groupings are smaller and more closely spaced. It has a nice mix of brown and green, so it is versatile like the standard woodland camo. In my experience, it works very well around dead and green leaves. I have yet to find a situation where it does not perform well other than fields, where the small dots seem to clash with the clean vertical lines. The colors are similar to the US woodland camo, but are not as dark and blend better with natural forest colors. (There is a
desert Flecktarn camo as well that also works well in the woods during fall and winter months when everything is brown)
Advantages :
Versatile
Breaks up shape very well
Not too dark, not too light
Disadvantages :
Difficult to find
Expensive
German Borderguard Camo
This camo is mostly light brown, with many small scattered vertical lines. It also has olive and redish-brown splotches scattered around it. This seems to work well in areas with dead leaves and tall light brown grass. It works well in the woods too, but in situations with lots of shadows, it can stick out a little. Very few people have this camo, so its somewhat different color scheme would be not be used to.
Advantages :
Works well in fields or anything brown/dead
Unusual color/blotch scheme
Rare
Disadvantages :
Difficult to find
Not as versatile as other patterns
British DPM
(Disruptive Pattern Material)
This is similar to the US woodland camo with its pattern and colors. What sets it apart is that there is more brown than the US camo and the pattern is thinned out more, or it looks more like paint strokes everywhere. I have yet to see this pattern anywhere in the US, but would imagine it works similarly to the US woodland pattern, maybe better because of the greater use of brown. (The soldiers in the movie “28 Days Later” are wearing this)
Advantages :
Versatile
Good color scheme
Rare
Disadvantages :
Very difficult to find
Very expensive
French CCE Camo
This is also similar to the US woodland pattern, but it also uses more brown and has a larger splotch pattern. It is also somewhat lighter in color. I have not seen this pattern in use, but once again, would predict it is similar to the US woodland pattern, versatile. Maybe more effective in woods as brown seems to be more frequent than the excessive amounts of green in the US pattern.
Advantages :
Versatile
Rare
Disadvantages :
Very difficult to find
Expensive
Large pattern might show up against more detailed backdrops (a guess)
Danish Camo
Another pattern similar in design to the german flecktarn style. It consists mostly of a vibrant green, and works well in thick foliage. This pattern would stick out in dead/brown vegatation as it does not contain much of either, although it still works very well to break shapes up.
Advantages
Works well in thick foliage
Not common
Breaks up shape very well
Disadvantages
Very green
Difficult to find
May not work well in all conditions
German Splinter Camo
This is another unique pattern. It is mostly a light green with jagged shapes of brown and darker green scattered. I don’t know much more about this pattern as I have never seen it in person or in use. But I would guess it works well in medium dense foliage and is as versatile as the other patterns.
Well, that covers most types of camo. I did not include realtree or hunting camo, as these work on a different method of concealment. I also did not include snow/urban camo, as its uses are limited in paintball (many of styles do come in those patterns though).
Camouflage pics
(The website with all this stuff is based in the UK, so unfortunately the prices convert to some big $$$ in the US)
Mountain Dew Mafia
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