Sniper's Concealment: The Ghillie Suit

   One of the most intimidating things about the sniper, is how well they can conceal themselves from the enemy. The sniper adapts to whatever enviroment their certain situation puts them in. One of the snipers most useful tools of the trade to help them in their hiding, is the ghillie (prenounced Gi-lee) suit. This suit is made up of dyed burlap or jute that matches the color of of the enviroment that the sniper is hunting in. The ghillie suit breaks up the outline of the human body and makes it near impossible to spot the sniper.

This is a woodland bushrag ghillie suit.

Here a light colored ghillie keeps the sniper virtually undetectable from the enemy eye.

    The term ghillie came from Scottish follore from a from a tree spirit called "Ghillie Dhu." This spirit had the ability to conceal itself in different types of vegetation like tress and banches. The Scottish gamekeepers were the ones that originally used the ghillie suit as a way of staying hidden. Then during the Second Boer War, a unit in the British army became the first to actually deploy the ghille suit through the specific role of sniping in 1916. Not the ghillie suit if used all over the world by snipers and is the ultimite in concealment.