Want to make my own ghille suit

[ilarcher]

Well with my deer season over I thought I would try to make a ghille suit for next year.

I have found some places on the web that have kits that you can make yourself. Are these kits worth it?

Is there someplace out there that I can buy the burlap/jute and systhetic treads from at a reasonable price, or have any of you found other materials that work.

As for the netting I was thinking a fishing net of some type would work. Like the ones you use for minow's.

Any help would really be great.

[mwmwmb]

step 1 coat yourself with boiling oil or tar.

step 2 roll in leave pile.
   

i am also interested in this.

[Bill Turner]

I bought a leafy suit from Cabela's that was built on a bug suit frame. Mine has pants and top with hood. I would prefer to have the full length coat. Weight is a big issue with the burlap guille's. I'm also interested in this thread.  

[EricW]

I made a poncho from a kit. Works great. If you have a lot of time on your hands it's worth it. If not just buy one. I did mine over the winter a couple of years ago. Sit and watch tv while working on it. If you ever did a latchhook when you were younger, it's the same thing just on a bigger scale. The nice thing is you can custom make to your liking to match your environment.

[ilarcher]

I have found websites that have the systhenic threads but they seems to be a little expensive.

I am leaning towards the systhenic thread beacuse of weight, but would like a little burlap in it to give it that depth or different look to help blend in.

I was also thinking or starting with a bug suit, but they all seam so dark to start with as the base layer. I'm sure they would be fine by the time I got it done.

I'm just trying to get a suit that will work for more than one time of year like a green for early season and then more of a brown or tan for late season. But if the price is right I would make two different suits for different times of the year.

[unclewhit]

Sew your netting on to a set of coveralls (non- insulated if it's early season gear) Then go to "Jo Ann fabric" they carry the burlap in bulk, or by the yard, with a wide selection of colors. (I would suggest sticking with greens, black, and browns.) cut your burlap into strips and fasten them to the netting, you can either tie them on or sew them on.
Good luck it takes a while.

[ishiwannabe]

I think I remember reading posts on this last year...pretty sure that guy got yarn from Wally world or something like it. Those were awesome ghillies he made.....

Do a search for Dr. Ed Ashby ghilli...just found the pics on a thread labeled "Gillie suit pics - more time to kill"

[Sam McMichael]

I have found that lighter colors seem to look more "airy" - less like a solid object. Lots of grey, light browns and tans. Also light greens, etc. Too much of the dark colors make you look like a solid blob.

[mjh]

Bushrag kit netting poncho with synthetic leafy material, get the greys tans light browns with small amount of green

[kevsuperg]

i made one a few yrs back,sorry no pics. get a old camo shirt/pants,get a length of burlap from a fabric store or burlap bags from a tractor supply/feed store. get some ritz dye in asst colors. cut the burlap into 2" wide buy 6-8" long strips or whatever you like. glue the pieces on to the pants/shirt with a fabric adhesive (a silicone adhesive works very well)just by the ends every couple inches all over the suit so that its covered in solid burlap strips.now pull out the horizontal threads from the burlap strips all the way up to where ea one is attached,this allows the burlap to fuzz up.mix up the ritz dye in a spray bottle and spray the burlap in a camo pattern, browns,greens etc. i like to leave some natural burlap too.believe me it works,its easy and the adhesive smell will be gone by next season
 after evrything is dry and set you can machine wash the suit to really fuzz things up.

[Paul Mattson]

I plan on making one using Camo burlap.  I picked up at Walmart for $5.00.  First I plan on making somewhat of a ponchoo then sewing on strips of the burlap.  Cutting arm holes and then sewing on a burlap hood.

[Onehair]

Dr Asbey had a post a few months back showing the one he made. Yarn and netting. Looked very good.

[Doc Nock]

I had a tacky ole "leafy suit" that was a joke...just strips of die cut leaves in straight lines with huge gaps between.  I got ghilliesuit.com to send me some of the synthetic thread. I tried burlap/jute before. Heavy, if it gets wet..REAL heavy. STINKS and if you do try to wash it...shreds to pieces.

I like the synthetic.. its way light, too

Here's what I managed to do so far with 3 bundles of material... this was the first "test" shot (pic) and I went back and filled in places that needed more material.  I heeded Wingnut's advice in an earlier thread to avoid the draw-side chest and arm... might add more this late winter.

The suits that ghilliesuit.com has is nice, but lacked leg openigs to put on over boots. Owner said they're getting newer ones with leg slits. You can't wear a leafy suit in a mile through bruch or Stevie Wonder can follow you!  

Figured if deer see in B&W, then contrast is the key... Dark vs. light. Tried it a few times.

Even in winter..it's warm... with all that hanging down. My buddy has a Rancho Suit ...washed it and it was a mess!  

 

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Nice! Looks good! Careful though, big-foot might get a twinkle in his eye  

[ilarcher]

Well I have found some Fish netting. Hobby Lobby has the stuff, its old recycled fish nets that comes in 5'x10' for $10. They aslo had jute cord in light green and tan. I then ran to wally world and got some synthetic yarn in 2 other colors of green, actully a O.D. green and some camo stuff with all the colors I'm looking for.

As I get the suit together I will post pics.

I was also thinking about some sort of leaf material, the fake plastic plant stuff. Not much of it just a few peices.

I will let you all know as soon as I get somewhere with it.

[toddster]

Brent-  I made quite a few in the Marine Corps, as a stint as an 8541.  We would get some netting from either hammock or vehicle camo netting.  Would stich and shoe goo this on the back of woodland camo.  Then would take green and brown rolls of burlap 2-3" thick.  and cut then 8-10" and string them through the netting and overlap, starting from bottom to top, usually three pieces per square, (this takes a whole night).  Once done we would flip it over and sew and shoe goo canvas to front for are belly stalks, likely not needed.  The big misconception is that this is it.  The Guille helps break up your outline as any good camo, but the real trick was, we would add vegatation from the area and this would allow us disappear.  for bowhunting have to be real careful for the string not to get hung up.  Will be at the UBI banquet if you are there, say hi.

[ilarcher]

toddster, I wish I could make the UBI banquet but I will be workin the Deer & Turkey Classic that weekend for my club(air gun range). But I will be at the next UBI function.