Village Praxis: More From Our Irregular Practical Tactical Series

Under pressure from Congress, and complaints from those on the pointy end of things, Natick Soldier Systems undertook a study to evaluate current camouflage patterns and the results have just been published. The results may shock a few of you.

The stunningly obvious comment, via Soldier Systems,  from a retired SF Warrant:

“Nothing earth shattering; desert shit works great in the desert and green shit works great in the green area.”

Practically speaking, and this report is sure to generate a lot of lathering in the preparedness and  gun-o-spheres, what does this mean to me? I would suggest the following salient points, from particular to camo to more general in nature:

1. Universal camo is a jack of all trades and master of none. It does “well enough”, but it shouldn’t be shocking that it doesn’t lead the pack for a specific environment.
2. Evaluate where you reside- If you live in a woodland environment, and your retreat, hunting cabin, etc is in a woodland environment, do you really need a universal pattern? Or would a surplus set of woodland BDUs (currently dirt cheap) suffice?
3. Most importantly of all- evaluate potential kit based on your needs and not how well your purchase will go over on the gun boards. We’re human, most of us have a “status” need, whether you care to acknowledge it or not. Far too often one eschews practicality and what works for the “latest and greatest”. Develop a “needs assessment” and base the assessment on your required capabilities for the conditions you will most likely encounter.
4. Start with your needs and required capabilities, then select your tools. It is far more expensive, and a waste of a finite resource (your time and money) to do the reverse.