Artificial Vegetation selection
Artificial vegetation is the glue that binds your base and the the natural environment. Here we will talk about the pros and cons of specific styles of artificial vegetation and use cases.
Jute(Strand)-rough fiber made from the stems of a tropical Old World plant, used for making twine and rope or woven into sacking or matting.
Advantages of Jute strands
Light weight
Takes dye well
Can be made from readily available sandbags
Can be found in various diameter cordage
Antistatic properties
Low thermal conductivity
Disadvantages of Jute strands
Expensive
Natural fibers wear down faster
Moderate moisture retention
Flammable
Time consuming to separate
Strands of jute are the staple for ghillies across the world for good reason. It is a very durable material capable of being died and is readily available. These strands naturally break up your outline.
Cut them to varying length to give addition texture to your ghillie.
Hemp-A hemp rope is made from fibers of a plant in the cannabis family. The long fibers of the plants are twisted, braided or wound together to form a long rope of various thickness, and smaller ropes can be wound together to make thicker ropes.
Advantages of Hemp
Natural fibers free of chemicals
Gets softer and more pliable over time
Very durable
Weighs about a third of cotton
Disadvantages of Hemp
Expensive
Has a tendency to crease because of its semi-rigid structure
Requires some upkeep due to shedding
Can be irritating for prolonged missions
Typically come braided (harder to work with)
Hemp is a great material to use in moderation. Because it has a different texture than jute, and is typically thicker, it adds a layer of depth to any suit that would be impractical with strands of jute alone.
Nomex-Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon, but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex is an example of a meta variant of the aramid
Advantages of Nomex yarn
Strongest artificial vegetation choice by a large margin
Exceptional heat/flame resistance
Resistance to stretching or fraying
Low Weight
Comfortable
Zero care required
Disadvantages of Nomex yarn
Expensive
Will never look natural
Holds moisture longer
Prone to shrinking
Advantages
Exceptional strength
Exceptional heat and flame resistance
Resistant to stretch and abrasion
Disadvantages
Not absorbent
Jute(Ribbon)-rough sheets of jute fibers made from the stems of a tropical Old World plant, used for making twine and rope or woven into sacking or matting.
Advantages of Jute ribbon
Light weight
Takes dye well
Can be made from readily available sandbags
Can be found in various diameter cordage
Antistatic properties
Low thermal conductivity
Disadvantages of Jute ribbon
Expensive
Natural fibers wear down faster
Moderate moisture retention
Flammable
Ribbons of jute will traditionally be used to imitate small leafage. So dye these shades of green to give a little more texture to your suit.
Raffia-a palm tree native to tropical Africa and Madagascar, with a short trunk and leaves that may grow up to 60 feet (18 m) long.
Advantages of Raffia
Mildew/mold proof
Breathable – Great option for hot weather
Looks exactly like grass
Burns as opposed to melts like polyester
Disadvantages of Rafia
Has distinctive audible presence
Sensitive to UV bleaching
Not malleable
The raffia fiber is soft, pliable, strong, durable. Its difficulty to work with is a turn off to most but if you can look past that and the distinctive crinkle, it is a good material to use in areas with a lot of dead fall, straw, reeds or elephant grass.
Cotton-A soft white fibrous substance that surrounds the seeds of a tropical and subtropical plant and is used as textile fiber and thread for sewing.
Advantages of Cotton yarn
Natural fibers free of chemicals
Most versatile artificial vegetation for dyes
Breathable – Great option for hot weather
Hypoallergenic and does not irritate skin
Burns as opposed to melts like polyester
Disadvantages of Cotton yarn
Expensive
Not as durable as some of the others on this list
Holds moisture longer
Prone to shrinking
Cotton yarn is a moderately light weight material that has made its market because of it’s versatility. You can find it in pre-dyed packs or in spools. It is best used sparingly due to its predisposition to moisture retention and the lack of overall durability.
Choosing your artificial vegetation is going to be the most basic way of blending into your operating environment. So this should not be all one color or all one texture. Varying your selection will prevent you from looking like sasquatch walking through the woods.
Sisal-a Mexican agave with large fleshy leaves, cultivated for fiber. Made from the sisal plant, used especially for ropes or matting.
Advantages of Sisal
Takes a lot to fray/ disassemble once placed on suit
Water resistant
Anti-static
Very easy to dye
Low maintenance
More fire insulative than other natural fibers
Disadvantages of Sisal
Once water logged, it takes a long time to dry
Hard to find in large quantities
Prone to mold
Oily when wet
Takes a good wash to get the shine to fade
Sisal possesses high strength, durability, ability to stretch, affinity to dyes, and resistance to deterioration in salt water. For these reasons I absolutely love using sisal for my ghillies. Patches of sisal help make the suit more flame retardant while adding addition texture due to the diameter of most sisal cordage.
Acrylic- A replica of natural cotton and wool yarns. It is manufactured to mimic its natural fiber cousins, such as wool or cotton, at a lower cost and higher quantity
Advantages of Acrylic yarn
Incredibly light weight
Dye to any color
Resilient, retains shape, resists shrinkage and wrinkles
Very fast drying
Innately deters oils and some chemicals
Disadvantages of Acrylic yarn
Weak tensile strength
Brittle in some operating environments
Very sensitive to thermals
Melts as it burns
Acrylic yarn is a synthetic fiber and is much cheaper than most natural fibers. This yarn washes easily is color-fast It is very thin and light allow you to fill some gaps left behind by the larger diameter natural cordage.
