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Suit Cont

Regardless to the type of suit you make. be it a crawler or a stalker. The process is the same/

Lets follow some basic steps. For this site I'm going to make a Military type ghillie suit. This means there are a couple extra thing we will need to do/

A warning ( this will take about 25 hours of solid work and it's never really done)

Step 1

Get your stuff together

Gather enough burlap and jute ( if you can get it) to build the suit. Then get about 50% more. Next you will need 2-3 tube of the shoe goo (glue). A couple dispensers of dental floss should do it and needles.

You need netting and a base to put all this stuff on. As a base I'm using a set of BDUs

This has about 1-2" squares. It was bought at the local sporting goods and was billed as a survival netting. you are suppose to tie this into a hammock or some other thing but it was about the right size and there was plenty for the suit shown on this site as well as lots left over.

Burlap

I have two types here that I used. The first was an old sack that horse feed was in. The wrapping around tree roots works too and most garden centers will have burlap. This stuff you shred by just unraveling it. You end up with lots and lots of strings. Sitting in from of the tube and watch something entertaining. Let me recommend a film here. 84Charlie MOPIC. It's an old film set in Nam but if you can find it in the rental shop, it's worth it.

This is the second type of burlap I used and I got it at K-Mart of all places. In comes in a long length so you can cut it into 18X1 inch strips as well as shred for strings. The nice part about this is that is colored several different shades. I was able to stay away from dyeing the burlap this way.

Here you can see where I've pulled a few threads off. Cut this burlap in 18" or so squares and then unravel it. That will give you good length strings to work with.

Step 2

Cutting the net

Cut the net so that it covers the back, the sides, the shoulders and the arms. cover all of the arm or simply cut it off a little bit before the end of it is up to you, Also, we want to have a little bit extra on the shoulder region so it will lays over on the tops of the shoulder. This is rough ( really rough) diagram of how to cut the net for the BDU shirt Use my picture as a guide only. The green is the netting the red is where you sew it and then put the Shoe Goo.

If you cut off a little too much don't worry. You can easily sew it back.

Step 3

Attaching the netting ( see above)

This is suppose to be done with the needles and the dental floss. You will be sewing the netting on the shirt and pants at the points around the edges of the net and then about every 4th or 5th cross of netting in the interior of that panel. You want the net to be loose enough to be able to stick things in it and for it not to take on the exact form of your cloths and therefore you body. BUT, you want it to stay on as it will get a lot of stress as you crawl and move through the brush. Did I say sew the netting on? Sew? !sn't that for wimps? Well I can remember many times when I was glad I could sew. The Army even has a small sewing kit that was always good to have around. Buttons, patches, rips in pants and the occasional deep cut when there was no one else to do it ( yep I've done that more than once) so sewing will serve you well. You will want to put a dab of the Shoe Goo on each place where you have sewn. This is some tough stuff and without it the ghillie suit will come apart. Word to the wise though, when you use the Shoe Goo, take that shirt outside. The fumes are really strong and you WILL feel like crap if you breath them too long. You know that morning headache after a couple bottles too much cheap wine? Well that's nothing compared to the headache you get from this stuff. Takes about 2 days for it to completely cure and stop giving off fumes.

NOTE( I am not covering the attachment of canvas pads to the front of the suit. In a military suit you would do this to help pad and toughen the suit for crawling but this is paintball so I'm skipping it.)

Step 4

Tying on the burlap

Start with with the burlap cut into 1X18" strips. This you will tie on the netting about every other square. There is really no pattern to it. In fact that is exactly what you want, No Pattern. After this start with the shredded ( string) burlap to fill in some and generally make the thing look good. Step back and look at the mess you now have. You will see holes all over it. Move the stuff around a bit to smooth the placement out. Then put the shirt on. Move your arms around and raise them up over your head. Make sure you can move freely. Look in the mirror and see what you think.

As you finish this up you will want to blend the ghillie some. This is easy with a couple cans of camo (flat) spray paint. Just spray it right on the burlap and shirt to cover that white dental floss that might show or to adjust the pattern you now have. Yu can clearly see the mix of strips and strings here.

The pants are done the same way.

Last but not least.

Step 5

Waterproofing and FIRE RETARDANT!!

This suit will get heavy if it soaks up a bunch of water. You will want to spray it with a couple treatments of water repellant. The type used to waterproof tents. Then USE FIRE RETARDANT. Spray the suit several times and do this routinely. Why? Here, read this FIRE

Step 6

Shoot the hell out of the other team and make them wonder what the heck happened and where did that come from.