by Serra

Everyone knows what camouflage is. That is the easy part – or should be. In real life, there are many misconceptions.

Let's begin with the goal of camouflage: getting the task done.

That could mean wearing red and yellow garments and sporting a regimental tie. Or it could mean being the country boy in a Huge-City mall – buying new urban garments. You know, new in town and eager to start a new adventure at Acme Inc., 45th Street.

Let's get practical

John Doe has a problem: some bad guys are robbing and terrorizing the area where he lives. You know, in some parts of the world, criminal gangs use these methods to reduce local populations into submission and obedience. At any rate, those are dangerous and armed guys. Maybe they get information from someone living in the area, who knows?

The police are nowhere to be seen. Maybe they are too few, maybe there has been an earthquake in the neighboring Shire – you know, John Doe is a Hobbit.

Our hero – John Doe – lives in the countryside (either in late Spring, Summer, or early Autumn), and it is not going to rain. Moreover, John is a customer of a camo shop – at least today. That means no ghillies or other special paraphernalia.

By the way, John doesn't own—or is not allowed to own or bring along—a firearm. This means going undetected is of paramount importance.

John's goal is to locate the black hats and obtain information on their movements—maybe to sound the alarm and save lives.

The first question John Doe asks himself is: Who could be interested in spotting me, and what means could he use?

Drones? Not probable, but one never knows. Okay, then what kind of drones and with what sensors—daylight camera, IR, FLIR? On this occasion, commercial daylight-camera drones are the worst scenario, but wars have been lost just because one never took one step more during planning. By the way, criminals are making use of drones in some countries, so John is going to be ready for drones with IR equipment.