Webtex Concealment Vest Review
By Phantom
Over the years I have made several ghillie suits of all different designs. However after the millenium I noticed commercial ghillies and that they were beginning to include mesh types. I decided to buy one but held off on the real tree mesh suits I examined. However, I saw the webtex concealment vest and instantly knew it was worth buying. Then I noticed the price, £30. I could not believe it, as it is a bargain of a garment.Concealment Vest is not very descriptive as the garment is more like a robe or cloak. It has an adjustable waist belt and 2 clips on the upper torso. The hood is rimmed with numerous elastics to help conceal the tell take "edge" and hide the wearers face. However, I do suggest you wear a peaked cap under the hood to keep it out of your vision. A peaked cap (that doesn't impede peripheral vision) is an essential item anyway, to keep sun and rain from your lenses and eyes.
The garment has plenty of loops on it to add foliage and the key to the entire thing working is to add foliage to every loop. This however takes time to collect large quantities of local cam. Be Sure to not take foliage from just one small area, as you will damage the plants and habitat. Move around in a loop gathering material on your travel. Use some of the largest leaves (ferns are ideal) if in summer months. Otherwise limit foliage to mainly grass in later autumn months. Be sure to stuff each loop, until it is tight and position foliage so it will be upright. Cover the back of the vest completely, then hang the garment from a branch if available to aid you cover the arms and front of the suit.
Putting it on over field kit is difficult, but in all circumstances it favours you to have a partner to make such tasks easy. In the pictures I am wearing webbing or assault vests underneath the vest and carrying sleeping bag, stove, meals, 3ltr water etc. The garment inhibits drawing from a hip holster unless you unclip the fastex belt, although drop leg holsters do work as per normal. I myself like my pistol higher up, so put it, in a front ammo pouch on my SAAV (abdomen area). I find the pistol draw is just like normal and easy enough wearing the full rig.
If you have a partner, you should both have these vests, then, you both cam each other up, while wearing the vests. Expect to spend thirty minutes adding foliage, sometimes more. You will get more efficient at adding the foliage, the more you use the item. Anytime in game, when moving to different terrain, both players should stop and add some immediate local cam, some times you may even need to remove some foliage that is no longer growing in the new area you are entering.
The item itself is the perfect base for adding more ghillie material, such as jute or hessian, if you want to use it in winter and early spring. However remember, adding this material will make the garment more bulky and retain water more in the rain. I have used my vest for 2 years and it's still bog standard, as I do not try to use it in the barren months. I like the fact it all folds up and goes inside the small pouch provided. This certainly helps on a long 5 day event when carrying kit becomes an issue.
Here is a lowdown of the vest, on video:
As you can see the garment is made using similar mesh material to that used on PLCE yoke systems and various UK load bearing equipment. The olive drab mesh is very strong and is excellent at allowing heat to escape, unlike conventional ghillie materials. It is a shame the garment is only olive and not some disruptive pattern or even tan. It covers upper arms to elbows, shoulders, back, neck head, sides of torso, hips, back of legs to knee. This for me is fine as I am a player who uses movement to my advantage and do much stalking rather than just pure ambush or crawling. For my style of game, the garment is pretty much ideal, as it allows better silent movement (lower legs not having ghillie or foliage) and is easy enough to crawl in.
