(In Airsoft, no. If you’re in a combat zone, for god’s sake keep it on, I’m not being responsible for deaths).

Ghillies in Airsoft. I know I did an article some months back on ghillies being cosplay or utility, talking about how many people wear them to look the part rather than knowing how to use them correctly. Today’s debate, however, is whether you even need one at all. Unless your Instagram name is “Ghillie Sniper Girl” or something, then you probably feel obliged to deliver for the masses. Or you might be trying to sell them.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a sniper event, and surprisingly the guy who won the competitive part of the event chose not to wear a ghillie. And yet, it clearly didn’t affect his chances, because he beat the rest of us. Just to reinforce that, it was a sniper vs sniper event. Ghillied snipers. Good ones.

So, what happened?

Well, from what I’d seen through the course of the weekend, nobody played a particularly bad game. It was a large, mostly urban site so there was a lot of cover available, although the more organic look of the ghillies will stand out more in an urban environment with all its clean lines more than it will at home on the forest floor. Although heavily urban environments offer more in the way of solid walls to block out noise and movement, any movement is highlighted by flat surfaces and sharp edges, more easily catching the eye, so it’s not necessarily easier to stay undetected in. Loud pistols echo when fired due to the solid walls and surfaces, attracting a lot of attention nearby. The few occasions I did spot other snipers was when they broke cover, or opened fire but that would be the same with or without a ghillie.

The guys stayed hidden by remaining still and using cover rather than just their concealment. It’s the same at any airsoft event, and I’ve seen a lot of good ghillies used incorrectly, and a lot of non-ghillie players suddenly appear out of nowhere.

If you’ve read Concealment and Cover, or have prior knowledge of the two concepts, then you’ll know the difference between

• Concealment – basically, your camouflage
• Cover – Objects and things you hide behind

So, without a ghillie (concealment) it’s obviously possible to get by using just cover. Airsofters are renowned for being unobservant anyway, usually due to being very absorbed in chatting away and having a laugh etc, so a good hiding place used correctly can keep you hidden even if you’re just in jeans and a t-shirt. Use the terrain to keep you covered and you’re as hidden as a good ghillie out in the open, with the added bonuses of having hard cover against incoming fire, which will also hide any reloading movements. Working with your environment is a more detailed previous article on making the most of what’s around you.

I’ve already covered how to set up in and use cover so I won’t bother repeating it all here, but the idea of not needing a ghillie as a sniper allows the use of bdu’s and more combat-useful equipment at the expense of not being able to hide in open spaces (assuming the ghillie is done correctly) or escape close scrutiny, although at that point you’ve usually done something wrong to attract attention to that very specific spot. Additionally, this increases mobility which is important when you’re playing a more physical role that requires being able to move bigger distances at speed to get behind enemy lines and into unexpected places. I can recall instances playing in just basic BDU’s where I’ve shot players and they’ve said “I didn’t even see you there”.

Sniping is more about positioning than it is about posing for photos in a very carefully crafted ghillie on social media. Everything is a trade-off for something else, it’s just a case of working out what is most beneficial in a given environment.

It’s certainly a discussion I think Airsoft snipers need to have and I’ll certainly be going back to my team with it. What are your thoughts?