What Is a Ghillie Suit?

Most people are familiar with ghillie suits even if they don't know it. The sniper in the war movie who suddenly appears from nowhere wearing the stringy, moss-like outfit is wearing a ghillie suit. The origins of the ghillie suit are part-apocryphal and part-documented, but the one thing that is certain is that since its appearance in the trench warfare of the First World War, the ghillie suit has become an indispensable part of the sniper's arsenal.

Ghillie Suits

A ghillie suit is an outfit that has been modified or designed to blend into background cover by looking like heavy foliage. This is achieved by covering the suit with strips of twine or cloth. The effect is that of super-camouflage, which breaks up the wearer's outline in three dimensions, rather than just the two with ordinary camouflage. It is a frequent tactic to use real twigs leaves, and moss in ghillie suits, and a good suit will even blow in the wind just like local plants. The suits are popular with hunters, considered essential equipment by snipers, and becoming a prized item among serious paintball/woodsball players.

The Origins of the Ghillie Suit

The word "ghillie" is Gaelic for servant, and the term as often used to describe Scottish gameskeepers. As the story goes, the ghillie suit was developed by these professional huntsmen and forest wardens as a kind of mobile hunting blind.

The Ghillie Suit Goes to War

The Lovat Scouts, a Scottish regiment in the British, first started to apply the ghillie suit to infantry combat in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). They resumed this use of the ghillie suit when sent to fight in the First World War, and from there the suit found a more general acceptance as snipers became more common in the stalemate of the trenches on the Western Front. The Lovat Scouts continue to live in the modern British Army, albeit as a mere platoon of the 51st Highland Regiment.

Making a Ghillie Suit

There are a variety of ghillie suits available from commercial manufacturers. However, the best suits are tailor-made. Indeed, nearly all military snipers make their own suit. The most common way of doing this is to take a poncho, flight suit or ordinary fatigues and stitch a homemade netting of fishing line or nylon cord to it. This is then used to attach bits of colored twine, jute and cordage, as well as natural debris.

Drawbacks

The main drawback of the ghillie suit is that it is hot and heavy. Even in temperate climates, the suit can be stifling to wear. In swamp or jungle conditions, the heat can be debilitating and make dehydration a serious issue.