For many, many years/beers now, I’ve sat and watched camouflage evolve, particularly in airsoft. From bdu’s, to hunting clothing, to stringy suits, to leaf suits, back to bdu’s and onto Haloscreen. I’ve seen Amazon suits, ribbons, plastic leaves, twine, polystyrene and even people glueing half an aquatic plant centre on their ghillie. It’s certainly come a long way. But I’ve decided the pursuit of camouflage is no longer for me.

It’s time for a change.

I realise at this point I’ve got 250 articles about all sorts of things but mainly centred around camouflage and tactics. So there’s a lot of material there and I’ve worked hard on game days, special events, endless messenger platforms and phone calls to try and help people improve what they have, to be more effective in the field. It has to be said, some get it but many do not. In both cases though I can still pop down to my local airsoft site and point out enemy snipers straight away. Honestly, most of the time I can just walk around site and go “there’s a sniper, there’s a sniper, there’s one over there” etc. Why aren’t snipers undetectable?

The problem with/for a lot of snipers is the assumption at the start that you need to buy;

• A rifle
• A ghillie

And that’s it, you’re good to go. The ghillie will keep you hidden at all times, and the rifle will allow you super duper long range shots that hit like a missile. Every sniper group I see on Facebook focuses either on ghillies, or we have various gun platform groups to discuss tech and upgrades.

That’s pretty much it. A+B, the only two elements involved in being an airsoft sniper. Makes it all look really simple. You just buy the loadout and become enabled.

The truth in airsoft is, that the camouflage is actually doing very little, and yes it makes my job easier as a counter sniper, and I could just keep everything to myself, but that’s doing the community a disservice, because I’m here to help. So why is it that with some really fantastic camouflage available, you’re still very visible during a game? And this applies to a lot of snipers, from seeing guys at my local to watching “big” YouTubers, largely out of curiosity.

I think in part we’ve changed the way we play and the way we behave. A long time ago, when I first started, airsoft was played on quiet sites without any social media backup. There wasn’t much in the way of electronics and gadgets, bar a radio or a battery in the back of your AEG. Photography just wasn’t a thing. Fast forward to 2023, and it’s as if photography and media is the only thing. It’s all hashtags, sponsors, video releases, professional photographers, raffles and prizes. We’ve become obsessed with gear and freebies, and posing for people we don’t know in return for a thumbs up. Of course, nothing wrong with that if that’s your game. Make a quick buck, shout around for attention, maybe score a 10% BB discount.

It’s not my game though.

As a sniper, you get out what you put in. If your goal is to buy the kit, then just walk around trying to pick off the odd player and at least look the part, then that’s fine but you’ll be limited to just walking around picking off the odd player. If you want to really sink yourself into the stealth role, there’s a lot more to do to make it work. And attention is definitely not the currency here.

So, the first part of this is attitude.

The second part is the concept of camouflage. And this is the bigger component. Camouflage to the airsoft sniper is the layer of fabric we wear to disrupt our shape, blend into the terrain, or hide our silhouette. That’s it, it’s a very flat concept and it’s something you can buy or craft into an even better suit or ghillie. It’s a bit like the CQB players when they go out and buy a helmet, a plate carrier, and some digital night camo, then pose for a few photos with dramatic lighting and then think that they’re top class CQB players, because they have the kit.

What I want to introduce, as a concept, is that camouflage on its own is no good. I remember a guy called Jack who used to turn up to my local. He no longer plays; his life now is hunting, and it was before which showed in his approach to the game. And there was something he said after a game once that stuck with me.

“The camouflage doesn’t actually matter. Half these guys would be invisible if they just learned to stay still”

The camouflage that you buy, or make, is a part of a system. It doesn’t give you 100% stealth, it might give you 50% at best. What I want to discuss then is the rest of the system, beyond your clothing choices. Looking at stealth as a combination of things rather than some product you can buy off a shelf.

So, forget the idea of camouflage as a complete solution, and replace it with evasion – your overall ability to evade detection.

Nothing revolutionary, but perhaps old ideas that need dusting off. Stealth is a study, a religion, a way of being. Sniping on the whole is I guess, but that’s something for a different article. Anyway, I’ll go through all the points listed above, and link to articles where I’ve covered topics previously in more depth.

Reflectance – (article here) Basically, how naturally your camouflage reflects light. Looking like a plastic sheet in nature, even if it has an amazing camouflage pattern on it, is going to get you seen. Natural materials like cotton, raffia, jute and coconut rope will work far better than plastic leaf strips and silky ribbons. Shiny things will get you spotted very quickly.

Movement – (article here) How well you move around the site, in terms of doing so slowly and quietly, and from cover to cover. You have to move around the site to play the game, but all movement attracts attention. Stay still where you can, be aware of who is around you and avoid alerting them. Pick your routes through the site carefully, avoiding commonly used paths. Firefights are bad, and a dead sniper does nothing. Be patient.

Noise discipline – (article here) Sound travels. Be aware of your footsteps, don’t talk unless you need to, and try not to snap branches or twigs as you move through vegetation. Also, make sure your kit is tied down, loose things are secured to avoid any rattling, and don’t be afraid to tape things that make sound. Even your sling mount hitting itself is enough to give you away because it’s an unnatural sound in the woods. If you run a radio, use an earpiece rather than a headset.

Firing positions – (article here) Your firing position is where you’re going to do your sniper work from. All well and good moving around undetected but at some point you’re going to find a location to lay in to either engage targets, or do some spotting and recon for your team. It’s probably the toughest part of sniping, because far too many airsoft snipers go for very obvious positions. Enemy players are drawn to obvious positions first (behind hard cover, places where site snipers are usually judged to be).

Discipline – (article here) Know your limitations – the sniper is a glass cannon. Effective offensively, ineffective defensively. Don’t get excited at the thought of shooting players for the sake of it, be patient and choose your shots wisely, and wait a minute inbetween shots rather than trying to just take a whole squad out in quick succession. You want to remain undetected more than you want a high kill count, otherwise you may as well just run around with an AK47. Discipline is a tough one. Think of playing sniper as “being in character” almost, then make sure you maintain that character all day. There are moments where it seems quiet and you just think “ah, fuck it” and go running off just to fire a few shots, but at that point you’ve undone the work you put in.

Camouflage – (section here) Of course, camouflage still helps you out, if you’ve done it right. But it isn’t everything; you could just go out in jeans and play if your tactics and preparation on everything else was good. It remains a key component in your stealth arsenal, but isn’t the final solution many think it is.

Effective loadout – Is your kit going to help or hinder you? Do you have what you need and where you need it, without carrying loads extra? More importantly, when you look at your camouflage, are you going to be able to see/hear/move in it? It’s a lot easier playing and moving in simple BDU’s than it is a heavily loaded ghillie, so why go with more than what you need? The same applies to gadgets, accessories, and extra weapons.

Your evasion depends on a lot of things, your job as a sniper is to master them all. Whether it’s taping something up, or looking at the site from a sniper’s point of view rather than a normal player. The attitude of a good sniper is to constantly learn, to develop kit and tactics, to master positioning and movement, to live and breathe stealth.

A bad sniper just wants a few Instagram likes, maybe set up a TikTok, and try and make some money off it.

Evasion mindset. Sniper lifestyle.

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