Ghillie Suite

[GeoFish]

I have never own a Ghillie suite, but I am looking at them.

I have heard that they get very heavy when wet.

Looking for suggestions from people that have used them, what brand and pros and cons.

I don’t want to DIY since I am not that talented.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I bought one and although it is very good camouflage, it is heavy even dry and cumbersome. It is also a stick and sticker magnet. I found that I did just as well with a "leafy suit" top from Walmart and camo pants.

 

[Jtaylor]

"Kill Suit" sappers are nice and light. Pack them in and put them on when ready to hunt. They're made out of a synthetic mesh similar to a screen door. I have 2 different colors of ghillie suits, the one for corn fields/crp is the kill suit sapper in digital desert. The other one is for green grass and woods/cedar trees in a woodland camo and I just bought it at a big box hunting store years ago, it's a red rocks outdoors brand.
An alternative method is to buy some camo netting, cut a hole though it for your head and wear it like a poncho. You can buy a leafy hat from Wally World or make your own and you're ready to go. This method leaves your arms free to draw a bow, etc.
Hang whatever you plan on wearing where you're going to hunt and take a few steps back because sometimes it'll look more like a blob than something that blends in. A ghillie may do more harm than help in those situations. Shadows, heavy cover with a couple shooting lanes are you friend and the sun at your back usually will help disguise you too.

 

[Loopwing]

Let me know if you want a kill suit. I might have one for sale.

 

[Bowtie747]

Like my rancho safari one. Don’t use it very much though.

 

[Wirrex]

I tried a Marc Anthony one and it still collected everything and wasn’t the easiest to shoot with. I now use an old leafy suit.

 

[GeoFish]

Like my rancho safari one. Don’t use it very much though.

Thanks that's the one I have been looking at. Why dont you use it much, you dont hunt off the ground alot or???

 

[Bowtie747]

Thanks that's the one I have been looking at. Why dont you use it much, you dont hunt off the ground alot or???

Yea every year I tell myself I’m gonna hunt off the ground more and end up not doing it! Idk why, I wish I would. Next year I’m gonna make myself. It comes with a strap system in it for carrying in and out. The material does catch stuff but not like more stringy style guille suits I’ve had.

 

[raisins]

not your exact question, but forgive me.....

i feel a solid middle ground is a quality leafy suit with face paint....way better than 2D camo....not quite as good as a ghillie in terms of concealment....but super light and packable with very few down sides

this brand is very good

North Mountain Gear Leafy Suits

North Mountain Gear Offers Some Of The Highest Quality Hunting Gear At Very Affordable Prices

www.northmountaingear.com

a full length arm guard and a chest guard will make it so your string never touches it

 

[TreeCreep]

There are a number of great Ghillie threads on here over the past few years.
Its been one of my winter projects.
@DaveT1963 and @NMSbowhunter are on a solid path with a inexpensive / effective/ easy to pack method with a “Ghillie boonie/ cape.”
I made a DaveT one that weighs under a pound.
The @Red Beard / @KYHunter viper hoods posted on here are also bad a$$, but when you add all the cost of building one , It’s likely easier to get a quality premade leafy or ghillie .
Most of the better Cult-ish ghillies are no longer produced( bush in bag, underbrush, bushrag)
ill post a follow up after some real woods experience

* my example has not killed a deer. stay tuned

 

[mattpsu1]

"Kill Suit" sappers are nice and light. Pack them in and put them on when ready to hunt. They're made out of a synthetic mesh similar to a screen door. I have 2 different colors of ghillie suits, the one for corn fields/crp is the kill suit sapper in digital desert. The other one is for green grass and woods/cedar trees in a woodland camo and I just bought it at a big box hunting store years ago, it's a red rocks outdoors brand.
An alternative method is to buy some camo netting, cut a hole though it for your head and wear it like a poncho. You can buy a leafy hat from Wally World or make your own and you're ready to go. This method leaves your arms free to draw a bow, etc.
Hang whatever you plan on wearing where you're going to hunt and take a few steps back because sometimes it'll look more like a blob than something that blends in. A ghillie may do more harm than help in those situations. Shadows, heavy cover with a couple shooting lanes are you friend and the sun at your back usually will help disguise you too.

Following. I was planning on buying a ghillie suit for this year but those kill suits look the part and possibly without all the shedding and picking up half the woods on the hunt? Definitely has my eye

 

[Red Beard]

There are a number of great Ghillie threads on here over the past few years.
Its been one of my winter projects.
@DaveT1963 and @NMSbowhunter are on a solid path with a inexpensive / effective/ easy to pack method with a “Ghillie boonie/ cape.”
I made a DaveT one that weighs under a pound.
The @Red Beard / @KYHunter viper hoods posted on here are also bad a$$, but when you add all the cost of building one , It’s likely easier to get a quality premade leafy or ghillie .
Most of the better Cult-ish ghillies are no longer produced( bush in bag, underbrush, bushrag)
ill post a follow up after some real woods experience

* my example has not killed a deer. stay tuned

Thanks for the kind words buddy! I'd be down for making/selling my viper hoods if there was interest.

 

[mattpsu1]

Thanks for the kind words buddy! I'd be down for making/selling my viper hoods if there was interest.
View attachment 62430View attachment 62431View attachment 62432View attachment 62433View attachment 62434View attachment 62435

Tell me about this viper hood please

 

[Red Beard]

Tell me about this viper hood please

Haha. Right on. Well, the base itself is a one size fits all hood made by a reputable vendor with many adjustment points. I outfit them with 3-tone jute, camo mesh, camo leafy cut-offs, and raffia. I build them so that: 1-They don't interfere with your bow string and 2-You don’t lose any range of vision when wearing the hood.

The way I build them, you can literally rotate your head side to side with no reduced visibility like one would have when wearing a normal hood. I.e., the wearer can see through the hood. However, game, or someone looking at the person wearing the ghillie top from the side cannot see your head rotating within the hood. By doing it the way I do, the hood doesn't move or flop down when you draw for a shot either.

 

[Razorbak66]

I love my viper hood ol @Red Beard made for me it’s a “game changer “ for this hunting season …. Well for me at least and hopefully a few of you LOL
Hit Josh up if you want a bad ass hood

 

[GeoFish]

These look like better options. That Rancho Safari is 8 Lbs.

 

[Red Beard]

A couple great questions being asked via PM. Thought I'd share some of the answers here since they are applicable to the conversation.

1. My personal top weighs in at 1.45lbs (with pouch).

2. I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis, but with a little work, it can fit in one of DanO's fleece dump pouches.

3. Overall length (how long it comes down your back) depends on torso size. The actual hood only covers one's head/shoulders down to the shoulder blade area. The ghillie material goes a bit farther... say, mid-back. Keep in mind that what makes the viper top valuable is that they are lightweight. They provide the correct amount of breakup coverage in the most critical area (head to shoulders transition area) without bogging you down or getting in the way. Hunters will 100% leave a ghillie at home if it's not easy or if it weighs too much. By employing a top only, one doesn't hassle with having to "unstick" their pants after brushing through tall grass or briars.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I made this and it seems to work pretty well and is adaptable, so you don't have to commit a hat or cap to a permanent set up. I took a short length of rope and tied it so that it would fit over the top of a hat brim. Then I tied various lengths of ghillie materials around it. It stows away easy and is cheap to make. This one is in hunter orange since wearing a conventional ghillie around here could be very bad for one's health after about November 7th or so to the end of the season. I made this one and it works for deer, but bubba can still see it and not turn my head into a canoe. I'm always nervous about being on the ground once gun season starts.

I think the main thing a ghillie helps with is breaking up the human silhouette. The head and shoulder profile of a human seems to me to be the big "give away" for animals.

 

[GeoFish]

Thanks guys, lots of good ideas. Ordered a Viper Hood from @Red Beard
The deer wont stand a chance next season!

 

[NMSbowhunter]

That Viper Hood looks pretty sweet.