Ghillie suits

[Tajue17]

I want to get a Ghillie suit for September early deer from the ground,  what are the best ghillie suits for a stickbow shooter who commonly cants the bow.  

I want something that isn't cheap and will last, something that isn't made with poly or nylon fabric so its very very quiet the 1st time wearing it.

[Nantahala Nut]

I am looking for something similar.  There are a lot of ghillie threads on here that will give you some good background.  Lots of guys seem to like rancho safari.  
I am leaning towards more of a leaf suit to decrease my chances of snagging branches or my string.  I don't have a design yet but I am thinking of using ghillie netting and surplus wool blankets cut into leaf shapes.  It won't be as bushy as a jute ghillie but should keep me concealed enough as long as I move at the right time.
Anyone else do anything similar or have some ideas?

[Pete McMiller]

I've had the Marc Anthony - sold by Bushrag.  Love it.  I've had so many close encounters I can't count them all.  Most recently while sitting on a chair turkey hunting I had three Toms and an old boss hen at 8 yards.  They were more worried about my decoy than me and left before I had a shot BUT they never busted ME.

[Mud_Slide_Slim]

I have been considering the same dilemma.  I will be interested in what others say but I am seriously considering the long coat ghillie from 3 rivers.  The reviews are all good from what I have found.

Bill-

[DennyK]

I got the Bush N A Bag from Big Jim. Very well constructed, lightweight and portable. You won't be seen.    Denny

[dhaverstick]

I've been wearing ghillies for a long time and here are some pointers that I can pass along.

1) Buy one that uses the synthetic thread for the camouflage as opposed to something like burlap. Ghillies can be oppressively hot to wear so you want the lightest one you can get.

2) Get a pack that you can stuff your ghillie into and put the ghillie on when you get to where you're hunting. A ghillie is like wearing one giant piece of Velcro and you will find yourself spending more time getting untangled from stuff than you will hunting.

3) Buy one that uses the 3/4" netting for its base. These allow the wearer to easily replace the ghillie threads as they wear over time and it also lets you add local vegetation to the suit. A lot of ghillies on the market have a bug suit base with the ghillie threads sewn directly to that. You can't repair those suits very easily.

4) Don't waste your money on a "bowhunting" model. That is where the manufacturer trims the suit on the side where you hold your bow. You can trim it yourself with a pair of scissors and do it to your satisfaction. It also saves you a lot of money.

5) Wash your ghillie outside in a bucket of soapy water and NEVER, NEVER, EVER put it in a clothes dryer to dry. Speaking from experience, your ghillie will come out of the dryer looking like a big green-and-brown poodle.

6) I prefer the pants/coat/hood model as opposed to the long jacket model. If you go that route, two brands you need to look at are Rothco and Bushrag. You can find both all over the internet so shop around for a good price. The Rothco suit can be found for under $100 and I bought my Bushrag pants and jacket for $115 delivered to my door. Both suits make use of the 3/4" netting but Bushrag sews the netting onto a bug suit for added durability. Bushrag, overall, is a better product. However, it costs more. One thing that Rothco has over Bushrag is that its hood is not attached to the jacket. Wearing the Bushrag jacket with the hood up, you can't see anything but the inside of the hood when you turn your head because the hood doesn't turn with your head. I solved this problem by simply cutting the hood off the jacket and making it a separate piece.

Hope this helps!

Darren

[ChuckC]

From another point of view.  I don't even want threads, I want swatches of fabric ( see Rancho Safari Longcoat).  I also don't do well with hoods and prefer the Boonie supplied with the longcoat.  

I also have long time experience wearing it while hunting and my findings are very similar.

You really can't fall out of a tree if you aren't in one, and you can hunt in SO many more places where the perfect tree does not exist.

There is room for all of our opinions, we each like something and that something may be different from some one else's something.
ChuckC

[Russ Clagett]

An additional viewpoint from a former military sniper..I have extensive experience with G suits...and do not use one.

The idea is great..which is why I struggled with it for years...but there were problems, and they're the same problems mil guys face:

The suit is oppressively hot...you will become a heat casualty in the wrong temps..

The suit is hugely heavy, especially when packing into a ruck and carrying it around.

The suit restricts movement...a no go for a bowhunter.

Then one day I was in a large outdoor store here in central TX and I found the "leafy suit"...

Problems all solved. The suit is light, packs up easy, and does not restrict my movement. It is cheap, and is not affected by rain or heat. It is so light it slips on over my shorts and t shirt for early season hunting in 80 degree weather.

I have had deer and turkeys CLOSE...and that presents another whole problem...when you get them that close now you can't draw your bow...

The leafy suit doesn't cost much either. Jacket, pants and a little headnet work great and take up no room at all in my butt pack...

It's all I use. In the end, camouflage is still all about how you position yourself as opposed to what you are wearing.

[Pine]

All predator calls . Good prices and wide variety .

[fujimo]

i. like Russ, love my asat leafy suit.
i have had many deer at 5 yards look right thru me( one in particular that i missed- and it just looked thru me, then around me, and just carried on about its business)- when on a hunt in s.africa, i had a grey duiker walk past me sitting on my little stool , no more than 3 feet away- the breeze was just right, and it never knew i was even there!

now that i am on the west coast- in the coastal rain forests- i thought that the colour was all wrong for the bush here- doesnt make one iota of difference- it is still just as effective.
last season i had a small hawk land on my head, sit there for about a minute- then took off again when it wanted to move on- i never spooked it- i could feel its claws thru the hood, into my scalp- was a crazy, awesome experience!!!
i love everything about the suit!!!- no complaints at all!

[bucksakemmer]

What Russ posted is right on the money, get a leafy suit, g suit is NOT worth the trouble.

[Pete McMiller]

Question for you guys that use a leafy suit over a ghillie.  What brand do find most conducive to wear when you are moving though the woods?  While I really like my Bushrag Marc Anthony ghillie when sitting, I can't still hunt in it without getting hung up on every little twig in my path.

[fujimo]

i like the asat best- i have been using mine hard for 8 years now, and for the last five years we have lived in an area where we have a 9 month hunting season- so i get out a lot.
also used it in south africa- where we hunted pretty much every day for a month straight!

the "leaves' are stitched to a mesh backing- it is tough!- and i prefer that- as then i can wear under it whatever the conditions require.
with a leafy suit stitched on a garment- getting too hot could be a problem.

i watched a video- where 2 guys are walking down a hillside cut line- one in asat , one in mossy oak- the mossy oak fella looked like a giant blob- almost like a huge bear ambling along, the asat guy was almost indiscernible.

i never use mossy oak etc etc ( oh oh- i'm in trouble now!!). that asat pattern is amazing.
even not in the leafy suit- it has a high concel/break up factor to it.

remember most camos are designed to catch the hunter- its what we think might look best out there- not saying asat is the only good pattern- there are lots- i just prefer asat- based on experience.

but back to your question( sorry!) the asat is very quiet and comfortable- i havent trimmed anything off for an "archers fit".
the mesh is a huge advantage- and when it gets wet, it doesnt get heavier, or less effective- just wear your rain gear underneath.
and it doesnt seem to get hung up more than anything else- like i said i used it in south africa- where everything has burrs, stickers and thorns on it, no problems.
g'luck- with whatever you choose
cheers
wayne

 https://www.google.ca/search?q=image+of+asat+leafy+suit&rlz=1C1CHMZ_enCA406&espv=2&biw=1455&bih=726&tbm=isch&imgil=fx65yQGaNvLwvM%253A%253BIZbz4_pFFBI9IM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%252 52Fwww.huntingnet.com%25252Fforum%25252Farchery-gear%25252F266377-asat-vanish-pro-3d-leafy-suits-free-shipping.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=fx65yQGaNvLwvM%253A%252CIZbz4_pFFBI9IM%252C_& usg=__mgFTllu2bdmb6E8eN2lVuRD0lbk%3D&ved=0CDoQyjc&ei=ERZOVeewK8b2oATU3IGoDA#imgrc=fx65yQGaNvLwvM%253A%3BIZbz4_pFFBI9IM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.huntingnet.com%252Fforum%252Fupfiles %252F86928%252F646C5A7B1A194101901C5ADA838A1B24.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.huntingnet.com%252Fforum%252Farchery-gear%252F266377-asat-vanish-pro-3d-leafy-suits-free-shipping.html% 3B576%3B452

[Pete McMiller]

Thanks Wayne.  I'm a fan of ASAT already but will look into the leafy suit.

[Sam McMichael]

I have 2 suits. One was made with burlap by my mother a number of years ago. The burlap is attached to an under layer of camo material cut out in the style of a bath robe using Velcro fasteners. She also made burlap gaiters in case I need more leg coverage in thinner brush. My son had his made without a hood, preferring to use a sniper veil which provided better side vision. The other, according to the guy I bought it from, was made of stringy stuff (jute?) by a former military sniper. It has a separate top and bottom. Both will hide you really well, but both are very hot. That is why I don't hunt in them as much as I would like. It just doesn't get all that cold here.

Not trying to start an argument, but I don't think the particular pattern of camo is especially significant as long as it BLENDS rather than CONTRASTS with surroundings. While testing the burlap model, it was highly invisible at distances as short as 10 feet - providing we sat STILL. But as fujimo pointed out, when you don't blend in well, you stand out like a flashing beacon. Gauge the selected pattern based on the foliage and amount of light in the location you will be sitting more than what it looks like out in the open.

Neither one is at all suited to walking in the woods. They snag every burr and briar in the forest and need to carried in a bag until donned once in the hunting location.

[ron w]

I have used a Rancho Safari Long coat the last few years.......I have had deer so close that I could not shoot. When they sneak in and catch you with your bow on your lap at 3-4 yards it's really kind'a neat. The coat is a bit heavy, it can be a bit warm on a nice day......but it works. I have a leafy suit......not half as good. I also cant my bow so I had to trim my bow arm a bit......just on the inside so things don't get in the way.

[fujimo]

i looked long and hard at the ghillie suits- and i know they are good- no issue there.
 but with the asat leafy suit, i put it on when i leave the truck, walk in it all day- and take it off at the end of the day.
my method of hunting; i  still hunt- till i find a likely spot- choose a good position in front of some good cover- call for a while, and then move on after 45 mins to an hour- i can cover a lot of miles in aday- and the suit is great in june and july- when our season opens!
the berry bushes and the stickers dont worry me at all.


just my experience- for me , in my neck of the woods for the way i hunt        

cheers, and good luck!
whatever you choose will be great!

[galadriel]

If you're a DIY'r, I made my own leafy jacket as a prototype. It was great,  only at that time I made leafy strips of from cotton camo pattern and hand sewed each one onto a cotton jacket.. Cotton doesn't work for many obvious reasons. But the camo part did make me disappear.  Now I am making a new leafy pattern type using netting from a garden store and adding cut out leaf patterns from a synthetic camo material that matches the fall colors.  It's work yes.. But I get a lot of satisfaction out of it

[DaveT1963]

Personally I like and use the Kill Suit from All Predators dot com.... they make a terrific suit, at a great price that actually works to break up your human outline.  Leafy suits, for the most part, from a distance do not work as well to break up the human outline - IMHO

[Al Dente]

Darren's post is spot on.  I made my Ghillie from a kit I purchased from BushRag.  At the time, only burlap was available, so my suit is heavier and hotter than ones made from synthetic fibers.  I used a leafywear jacket as my base, since it is made from netting and already had camo strips sewn onto it.

I only use the jacket, no pants.  For a head covering, again, Darren is correct in saying that a hood will totally blind you out when you turn your head.  I took a boonie hat and tied netting onto it, and then proceeded to tie on the burlap jute strands.

Modify it as you use it.  Cut off and trim it if it catches on anything or obstructs you from drawing or seeing clearly.

Face paint and partial mask, and you are invisible.

Bush Rag would be my choice.  I made mine well over a decade ago, and have gotten many miles out of it.  If I feel the need to replace mine, I would get theirs.