How to Make a Ghillie Suit With Leaves

Military-grade ghillie suits, a type of camoflauge with dense foliage, are used not only for covert military operations like sniper teams but by recreational game hunters and paintball players the world over. The high-quality suits used by the military are available for purchase by the general public, the downside being the suits often come with a fairly hefty price tag. Many do-it-yourselfers decide to forgo the retail suits and make their own, using common household materials and leaves and twigs from the surrounding environment.

Things You'll Need

  • Dark colored denim jacket/pants/coveralls
  • Black mesh netting
  • Knife or scissors
  • Fishing line
  • Large gauge needle
  • Adhesive gel
  • Jute rope
  • Black, green and tan dye
  • Plastic buckets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spread your garment over a flat surface and smooth away any wrinkles to make the ghillie process easier. Spread the large mesh sheet over the garment and then cut the mesh using the garment's outline to make a mesh pattern the same size as the garment.

    • 2

      Use the needle and fishing line to sew each corner of the mesh to the jacket/pants/coveralls. Sew each corner of each square to the garment, effectively creating "pockets" in the mesh sheet. Dab a few drops of adhesive gel to each sewn corner to add extra strength.

    • 3

      Cut the spool of jute rope into lengths that range from 18 to 20 to 24 inches; cut the entire spool into these lengths, then divide the jute pieces into piles. Prepare the dye in the buckets according the directions on the packaging.

    • 4

      Soak one pile of jute in the black dye, one in the green dye and the remaining pile in the tan dye. Once dyed to satisfaction, remove the jute from the buckets and allow the jute to dry completely. Once dry, tie one to two pieces of jute to each mesh square, then stuff each "pocket" with leaves, twigs and brush from the environment.