Perspective: Selecting the right Camouflage pattern

Camouflage has been used in one form or another since the beginning of man's existence to help him gain advantage over the animals that he hunted for his survival.  The importance of camouflage for military use increased during World War I, and the French pioneered the first widespread use of camouflage in a military context, this first French military unit was known as the "section de camouflage" and was put under the command of an artist.

Artists, the type who work with paints, brushes and canvas have traditionally been employed in the design of camouflage because; despite the recently discovered science and neuro-optical physiology behind what makes camouflage work, camouflage remains more of an art than a science, and this must be taken into account when using any camouflage system.
 

When choosing a camouflage pattern, there are a few important things to consider: where will it be used? what will the surroundings be like? Will it be used in one type of visual environment or a range of visual environments?

The obvious goal here is to select a pattern that will help the item being camouflaged blend into the surroundings where it will be placed a majority of the time.

The more sophisticated camouflage patterns with detailed depictions of leaves, plant stalks and other specific, and recognizable naturally occurring items are excellent for specific visual environments. For Example our Farmland Corn, is extremely effective in the middle of a corn field in autumn, but not quite as effective on the floor of a Forrest in autumn.

On the other hand, a basic and more abstract pattern like Autumn tan, would have middle-of-the-road performance in a wide range of autumn visual environments. So in conclusion: if you know exactly where and when the camouflaged item will be deployed, select a pattern that was made for that specific visual environment and time of year. If the camouflaged item must be deployed in a wider range of visual environments, go with a more basic and abstract camouflage pattern.
 

American Home & Habitat Inc.