Gear color selection

**jlink79** · 09-07-2013, 20:34

Alot of animals with good night vision see the bright colors like a bright light. This is due to the UV brighteners used in the fabric. http://www.atsko.com/1009.html
this makes deer run and I guess a curious bear to gather, or it makes you look like a the bear equivalent of a twinkie.

**tritan** · 09-15-2013, 13:15

Originally Posted by jlink79

I love orange(School color form K-12 and college) and do have several pieces of hiking gear in that. I also live in Ohio wear almost any place I go is hunting area and they can hunt small game all year with a bow. I also use bike and bridle trails, getting run over is not something that sounds fun. When hiking I like to be seen when in camp not so much.

I did loose my site a view weeks ago. I was about 20yrds away hangout at the fire with the group and went to bed late in the night. the fire had ruined my night vision, there was no trail leading to my site back in the trees. I stumbled around for a while running into webs and tripping over stuff. My head lamp did not help me spot my camo tarp, green hammock and underquilt. After about 5 min I turn just right to see that I had passed it. What gave it away was a piece of reflective material on my pack hang on the tree.

What did I learn
Mark the trail
Reflective tracers on guylines are a must
I'm a sneaky ******* and can hide real good if needed.

I have added reflective tracer on my tarp too for that reason. My bear bag kits is glocord to easily find in the dark too.

**cjayflo** · 09-15-2013, 23:59

This is my first DIY. I didn't go for the pattern so much as it was cheap and plentiful. My DD hammock is all greens and black netting.

When I am solo I want to blend as much as possible. Its not the 4 legged creatures I worry about.

I do have a few sacks I carry that are red and yellow, they stick out amazingly well in the woods. I will put the yellow sack on my line while I am wandering around.

**sandykayak** · 09-16-2013, 10:01

Can you imagine having to sleep on the ground (without a tent) because you couldn't find your hammock? Lol

when I ordered (and later sold) my first Switchback I got honey gold. The lightHiker I replaced it with was also browny. The Switchback I won at the FL Hang raffle is a nice light navy that coordinates with my Backwoods Daydreamer tarp of almost the same color.

My Jarbridge synthetic UQ is a light honey brown BUT my JRB Shenandoah UQ is a BRIGHT KELLY GREEN (black on the inside), unfortunately, the only color offered at the time.

So, what you would prefer isn't always what u end up with.

**spoolup** · 09-22-2013, 11:04

If there is a subdued color available, I go for it. If not, then whatever. Good thing, most vendors have a few options, thus selling to a larger crowd. In the winter I have always ground camped. This year I came across a little extra money from a side project. So I said, why not upgrade the hammock for cooler camping. The old setup was fine down to freezing. Now Im hoping for single digits in the hunt this year to test the gear. Ill still bring the old gear as a stand by and incase I really get run into issues. Ill only be a mile from the vehicle till I get a feel for hanging in the cold. Plus Im a hammock rookie.

Old setup is a HH with 2QZQmod4, JBR top/ bottom quilts, and standard or hex tarps. This year, the hammock will be the same but Hammock gear 0* incubator in multicam, 0* burrow in brown (its inside so save the weight right?), and warbonnet superfly. Yesterday just ordered a XLC. MAY get here for the late hunt, at which time I can try it again!

Old hammock setup

Old cold weather, or still in use VERY cold weather, more so for a group. Kifaru 8man, packable wood burning stove, When you spread the gear to 3 or 4 people, its just a few lbs each.

no photo of the new stuff, heading up Oct 4th for 5 days, then back for 3 then up again for 3.

**iRokk** · 09-22-2013, 15:51

I sacrificed some weight to go with black straps with my black hammock. My poly straps weigh 136g per pair while my blue polypro straps of the same length are only 99g for the pair

**tritan** · 09-28-2013, 22:20

I stopped by the mi hammock hang today and was amazed at all the color combinations.

**bigsilk** · 09-29-2013, 12:37

My hammock's orange, but my tarp is OG. If I absolutely, positively have to be seen from ground or air, I'll fly that thing like a flag. My tent is orange, too. Some of my clothes are bright, including my winter jacket. I seldom go with more than one or two others. They don't seem to care.

I also usually don't camp in places where I see other people at all, and no one I feel I need to conceal myself from.

What I still can't wrap my head around is camo gear, like flashlights, knives, water containers, etc. Why make something you may have to rely on to save your life difficult to find in low light conditions?

**cm1021** · 10-01-2013, 09:09

Sometimes I like to be seen and sometimes I would rather not be seen. Some of my gear is bright and others is in earthy tones or camo. If I want to be seen I just hang my bright colored bags from my lines and if not they all go into my sack

**mr tickle** · 10-02-2013, 04:28

Always earthy tones for me.

The only thing worse than seeing luminous gear dotted about is being with someone who uses lots of it :P

Guy lines though, different beast, hate the tricky little fu**ers. Yellow for those as i always trip on them or the dogs rip em out.

Stu