White BDUs - Trousers and Parka

Why white? Why not "broken pattern" snow camouflage like we see in sporting goods stores?

8'X12' White Tarp Shelter

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Contrary to popular myth, the last thing you want in snow camouflage is colors darker than the snow. This includes shades of any kind. Your camouflage beneath the snow camo will already add differing shades as well as the natural variations in how the fabric lays on your body. However, here are several additional reasons why;

1. With respect to the study of color and attraction, for identification purposes, the human eye is attracted to outlines first, then the main body. For example; when you were taught to identify any geometrical shape, what were you taught to do? Study the body of the object, or study the outline? Clearly, you were taught to study the characteristics of the outline. Once you become proficient at identifying a particular shape, identification comes seemingly instantaneous, but in truth, your mind has simply learned to identify that shape much faster, using the same means. That is to say, by it's outline. Inversely, when you find an object that you cannot identify, you necessarily run the process of identifying what it is not. But the brain starts with the outline. A person can be seen with a "negative outline" as easily as a positive outline. This happens when "broken patterns" end abruptly in such a way as to create a recognizable shape against a solid background. It is the outline itself that is recognizable. For this reason, professional soldiers avoid skylines and employ techniques to break up their outline, which the minds of most humans have become quite efficient in identifying. White on white is very difficult to spot for the human eye as you have removed contrast; a necessary element in location and identification by the human eye. (See photo of 8'X12' white tarp shelter)

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2. The human eye is quite sensitive to movement and can pick up movement as slow as 1/60 of a second. Needless to say, any movement combined with a clearly visible outline equates to ready identification by the human eye. Since white on white is difficult to identify as there is a huge lack of contrast, and therefore depth perception, it also becomes quite difficult to identify movement in the snow when wearing solid white camouflage.

Let's not forget another critical, but often overlooked (at least by the armchair commando crowd) aspect of camouflage; When taking into consideration that we live in an age where soldiers can be observed from above, the need for solid white camouflage goes off the charts with snow as a background.

3. Human perception changes along with changes of contrast, light, color and distance. How many times have you seen things look like one thing from a distance and look completely different up close? Advertising companies spend billions on this in relation to billboards. This phenomenon applies to camouflage as well. The elite troops take off the parka only, the less snow there is on the ground. This creates a false horizon in the middle of their body allowing for a smaller visible signature in either white or earth tone backgrounds, fooling the mind and making any recognizable outlines seem farther away, or being consciously denied by the observer as what it appears to be. The blotchy snow camouflage that seems like such a great idea, is readily identifiable at greater distances as the blotches appear to run together, blending with the space between the blotches and creating a larger, darker object comprised of the whole, giving the human eye something dark to pick up on. (The human eye is drawn to more extreme contrasts of larger objects such as something lighter [overall] than it's surroundings, or darker [overall] than it's surroundings.) Remember that you will already be wearing darker clothing under your suit. Additionally, there will be enough variation in shading due to the way the fabric drapes across your body. If there are shadows in the snow, you'll be in them!

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4. Regardless of your activities, most of your time will be in contact with the ground....specifically, the snow. When attempting to remain undetected upon contact, natural reaction is to get low; keeping the outline small. Using any other camouflage, a person would be spotlighted in the snow. The lower you get, the whiter you need to be in order to maintain your cloak of invisibility in the snow. It's just that simple. As with any camouflage, there comes a point where that particular camouflage has worn out it's usefulness and must be changed if you are to blend in to your surroundings. That's the point of the snow camo shells. You can shed the snow camo, stuff it in your rucks and blend into totally different surroundings.

With regard to changing camouflage, unless you're going from the living room to the kitchen, terrain doesn't generally change in an instant. Let's not forget that EVERY mission establishes what's known as an ORP (Objective Rally Point) before the final assault/execution of the objective with necessary halts along the way. The ORP is the last stop before the objective. This is where a patrol comes together to finalize plans, tally the troops, rest prior to the mission, eat, check/clean equipment and, yes, you guessed it, check camouflage. (Have we mentioned yet that much of this movement is at night?) The real thing is far from the often viewed Hollywood productions envisioned by the armchair commando crowd. At night, snow becomes a reflector of any ambient light and stands out in the darkness. The need for white is imperative as any dark spots and patterns will stand out long before the solid white variety.

Some points to consider;

Americans in general have yet to understand the importance of silence. Not only in negotiations, but also in regard to finding answers. It's not the light, but the shadows that must be investigated. It's not what "they" are saying to you, but what they are not saying that holds the keys to your success. In the case of retail items, for example, it's not the items that fill the shelves that are in demand, but those that have only one or two broken pieces, on back-order, or just plain impossible to find that are the ones in high demand. The same can be said for snow camouflage. Think about it. Have you ever tried to crawl in the snow with a Euro-Camo Poncho so available today? Not gonna happen! Snow ponchos are for emergencies! Have you ever tried to get at items in your pockets after having to pass through a "slit" in your surplus outer camo trousers? You can find success only after a lot of fumbling. Doesn't it make more sense to have actual white BDUs? Why do the "surplus" trousers have slits? (Remember that your parka is designed to be tied around your legs at the top of your thighs so your knees don't catch on the fabric as you travel up a steep hill or climb an obstruction. This would cause you to trip continually; just as you could expect to do with a poncho when stepping on the fabric.) Pull over slit trousers were not the original design for the surplus Parkas that you are used to seeing. It makes no sense to have to go through 2 layers of outer camo to reach the pockets of your BDUs. That's why the Parkas themselves have slits! So you could reach any pocket above the cargo pocket in the white BDU trousers! Worn as intended, you would never be able to access your cargo pockets with current "surplus" slit trousers with your parka tied around your upper thighs, and you'd have an interesting experience trying to access your upper pockets of your BDUs through both the parka slits and then the trouser slits! Any pocketed items that needed to be readily accessible would go in the cargo pockets! Perhaps you think you're going to "quick change" a lot in the field so you want to wear regular BDU trousers and wear an outer set of snow camo trousers as well. Chances are, the only quick change you'll see in the field is from intact to shredded in a poorly constructed set of camouflage! That's why ours is made of ripstop. (The cotton is for quiet movement in sub-freezing temperatures.) Why would an elite troop wear extra weight in unnecessary gear when he could take extra rations of food in it's place? Especially over long distances? At least a ration of food would give him an extra day of sustenance, as well as a lighter load to carry after he ate it! Elite forces are all about efficiency. The original snow camouflage, from which these reproductions were made, exist, yet they are virtually unheard of. We know elite soldiers are well trained for Arctic conditions as well as jungles, and everything in between. They don't call off operations because of inclement weather...regardless of what you see on television. The worse the weather, expect the elite to be moving in! Or haven't you ever heard that "when things get tough, the tough get going"? So when the heavy snow flies, is it some type of broken pattern, or solid white that blends them into the blizzard? We know that the military only buys from contractors in mass quantity. Yet we only see Euro-Camo on the market. The silence is deafening.....

Photo taken at a distance of 15 ft.

The militaries of the world sell off what they no longer want as surplus! Why then, have you NEVER encountered white BDU ripstop trousers? They do exist, you know. They've been around for over 50 years! There is only one place on the Internet that you can get them. Survival Solutions Innovative Gear. Scour the Internet for them. Check it out for yourself. Ask at any surplus store in existence to see if they've ever even heard of them, let alone seen them! You will not find another set like them. It's always amazing to those who have done it, what those who haven't done it come up with in their theories of what they think it's like, or what they think are the important aspects of a given situation. Even worse are those who make all manner of false claims for the sake of notoriety! Forget what the armchair commandos say. This is the real deal worn by the elite troops who have protected our country from enemies, both domestic and foreign. This set is for those who are looking for the very best.

Get 'em while you can....there's nothing worse than wishing you did!