Stand out, or blend in, and why?

**hankyknot** · 10-10-2013, 14:39

Hi folks,

I'll soon be ordering my first hammock camping setup and wondered what the divide was between folks that choose gear that stands out and those that choose to blend in with either camouflage or green/olive drab. And also what the reasoning was.

At the moment I kinda like the idea of standing out although I'm not really sure why, perhaps its not wanting to get lost when I go wondering away from base camp or making it easier for folk to find me in the event of a problem.

What does everyone else do and why?

**ClayTurner** · 10-10-2013, 14:50

I like to blend in to the environment. I dry camp a lot, and like when folks hike by and don't notice my setup. I can loop a piece of nite-ize on my ridgeline to create a beacon at night if needed. With my setup I can be very stealthy if I want, which makes it my choice to be noticed or not. I have friends that have equipment that is orange, red, purple and so forth. You can't miss them.

**brambor** · 10-10-2013, 15:08

I have neon green underquilt and top quilt. It stands out and I don't mind. I like it.

I purchased another pair for a second member of our family or for me just to give me a choice. This time the hammock, top quilt and bottom quilt are all camo.

One benefit for being old is that a lot of gear accumulates over time. :-)

**flkpm** · 10-10-2013, 15:12

My hammock is light grey with an olive drab tarp and camouflage underquilt. I choose natural colors because your not allowed to camp where I like to go lol. Also I don't trust people in the woods of Florida better to not be seen haha

**Seeker** · 10-10-2013, 15:14

I go to the woods for the peace and quiet... and visual "quiet" too, not just aural... It's just peaceful, or I find it so in any case. (I don't do much camo except when bowhunting (just the top. my stand or ground blind covers the bottom half of me!) and my USGI poncho is the old woodland camo pattern.)

My various packs are green (4 of them), black (1), and brick-orange (1).

My two silnylon tarps are OD green and grey, and I have two HH stock tarps in the original coyote brown. My big canoeing poly kitchen tarps are green on one side and brown on the other.

My various hats are green, black, khaki, and blaze orange (mostly for hunting, but I bring the knit one along when it's cool).

My 'normal' outdoor clothing (quick drying nylon tops, bottoms, and Ts) are green, khaki/tan, brown, or grey.

My sleeping bag is black and dark blue.

My hammock is coyote brown.

My underquilt is bright JRB green, but if they had had different color choices, i'd have gone with something more subdued.

All of my small, easily lost stuff is bright, or has a bright dummy cord... lighter, compass, knife, whistle, headlamp strap. And I do the zipper pulls on my pack and sleeping bag in reflective line, so I can find them in the dark more easily.

**dkurfiss** · 10-10-2013, 15:14

Depends. It is currently hunting season around me so I want to be seen. I use a lot of hot pink, neon green, and hunter orange at my camp and on my body.

Non hunting season I tend to blend in. Camo, tans, dull green, on me and my gear but I always have one piece of "glow in the dark" kind of stuff for just in case.

**Bubba** · 10-10-2013, 15:16

I don't intentionally do either. I typically prefer earth tones for gear but if the gear is a good price I don't mind if it stands out. I do prefer to be seen by others because I do not like to be startled and if they see me from far away then there's a better chance they avoid me or at least announce their presence from a considerate distance if they are approaching for a reason.

**old4hats** · 10-10-2013, 16:04

I tend to blend, try not to stand out, would rather see you than for you to see me. That said, I never really try to hide, just be low key. With all of the options around here where I live, stealth camping is just not necessary. Hunting season, yeah, fluorescent orange somewhere.

**The Old Boot** · 10-10-2013, 16:12

My hammock/tarp/quilts are all natural colours so they don't stick out too much.

I tend to like neutral colours anyways but my hiking shirts are deliberately primary colours so that I DO stand out. I want to be easy to see in the bush so when I get left behind when we're bushwhacking my friends can come back and find me easier...

**Bannerstone** · 10-10-2013, 16:14

Brandon recently did a run of pink Warbonnet Blackbirds in honor of breast cancer awareness month with proceeds to benefit the cause.

Just sayin...

David