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Using a black backpack?

N

napid79

New Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2020
Messages
4
I know we are all gear junkies and will take any excuse to buy new equipment, but in the name of saving a few bucks I’m considering using an old backpack I have from my backcountry skiing days. It was designed to carry skis or a snowboard and I think it’ll work well for my platform and sticks. Only thing I’m slightly concerned about is that it’s all black. For the most part, I think it’ll be fine. But maybe it’ll be a massive, odd blob in the tree that’ll get an eye. What are your thoughts?


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So when I was issued all the highspeed tactical gear before and after 9/11 we used to either sew camo mesh strips to our gear to break up the outline but that was extremely time consuming so we'd break out the rattle cans and go to work. Black and OD Green stick out like a sore thumb in both woodland and desert environments. A good "basecoat" dusting with a primer grey followed your choice of OD Green, browns, tan, black to make your own pattern. You don't have to go crazy with big bold stripes or blotches, just light passes is all you need. Hang your gear outside for a few days to air out and you'll be good to go.
 
Grandpa hunted in overalls and red flannel. He also did okay. Deer must have evolved and developed better eyesight. Hahahaha.

(Says the guy that had to talk his wife into not leaving him over a Sitka purchase)


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Another vote for spray paint if you’re concerned. Personally, I wouldn’t worry about it and agree with just sitting still. We did the same thing when I was overseas though, light brown and green spray paint and a mesh laundry bag to add a “snake skin” pattern worked very well for our scout snipers.
 
Photo of the pack, minus sticks. I think it works too good to not try
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Gun hunters can get away with a lot more than bow hunters. I use Predator camo because it breaks up my outline. I would do something to break up the outline of that black pack.
 
Don't give them a reason to look up in the tree and it's no big deal. If he is looking your way and senses are alert. That black backpack hanging above you is the least of your problems.
 
I wear plaid and a red bandanna, just to prove the point that camo is just for marketing. I do wear FL gear, because i like the comfort and also because i get it at a discount. Movement and a deer's nose will bust you before anything else.
 
I don't buy the argument that because one or several hunters have had success without camo means that another hunter will not benefit from it. For all we know, if Dan Infalt wore a leafy suit and painted his face, he might be marginally more successful. He'd have to try both ways for a time and then report back with some data. I'll wear camo if it gives me even a 5% increase in odds. Perhaps the better of a hunter you are, the less camo matters, but it matters more if you are in a marginal situation. A lot of it might come down to "it is a pain in the rear and isn't needed in some situations and I have had success without it, so I'm going to forget about it". Or maybe they are showing off, like Jimi Hendrix playing with his teeth.

Also, many acknowledge that "really good camo" like a ghillie suit does make a difference. Heck, I've had squirrels almost run up my leg and birds land on me when wearing a leafy suit on the ground with a painted face. Tons of anecdotal evidence of people having deer look right at them with a ghillie on and look right past them. So maybe just crappy, not-committed-to-the-concept camo is not effective.

Now that I've stepped off my soap box, I'll suggest this for painting fabric (it is flexible and sticks really well):

Vinyl & Fabric Coating – Duplicolor

www.duplicolor.com www.duplicolor.com

I would buy 1 or 2 lighter colors (gray or tan?), launder the backpack, and then sponge paint it.

I bought some of that paint off the shelf at an auto store (either autozone or advanced auto, can't remember).
 
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I am super new to hunting, but IMHO, I think camo is about confidence. When I fly fish, I often try different flies, because I feel like that's what I am supposed to do. I can be catching nothing and then when I tie on my "confidence fly" they suddenly start biting. I think, with exception of a good ghillie, camo is about confidence... and that's ok. I think blue is a no-no, because the deer visual system is attuned to blue light being crepuscular, but other than that it;s about confidence. A lot of deer have been killed in red flannel and /or bright orange. I think a black bag oughtta be ok, but if you don't feel confident in that black pack being on you, in the saddle, etc, then it might not be good.
 
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