Thermal Camouflage: The Jäger Rig by Mike VonSteuben
Last week I posted an article about thermal camouflage. In that article I mentioned the use of mylar GI Casualty blankets to hide a static position. However, this is more than simply draping the blanket on top of you, there is an technique that must be applied. Today I will show you my method of rigging a mylar blanket so that it meets my requirements in the field, as listed below:
- It must conceal my thermal signature from air and ground sensors, regardless of how long I’ve been underneath it.
- It must be visually camouflaged from air and ground observation.
- It must not cause me to overheat when spending several hours under it.
- It must be easy to set up and tear down quickly (under 5 minutes).
- It must also serve as a shelter from wind, rain, and cold if necessary.
The following technique is the result of my personal experimentation over the last couple of years. The finished product you see here has been tested thoroughly against handheld and airborne thermal cameras.
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Nice! I was attempting to explain this to a friend the other day and he didn’t want to listen or believe anything I was saying, So I’ll be forwarding the link to him. This is definitely a good habit to get into and use as often as possible.
I have picked up a few of the Arcturus blankets in multiple sizes. The “Woodland” camo blanket has a fiber like cloth backing on it instead of just the shiny plastic side like their solid colors, seems a little more sturdy and more quiet (But it smells kind of funky). Something on the tarps and gromets, I know they always tear in the wind and with use. I had picked up 10mm nylon balls (Sold as Ball Bearings) off amazon to sew into the seam of a tarp for lashing, may need larger diameter nylon for the thermal blankets. If one has sewing equipment and wanted to go that route. The tarp that already has gromets I will glue around them with some E6000 glue (Eclecticproducts.com) that I’ve had really good luck with on a bunch of applications. They sell that stuff everywhere. I’ve been using it on fetching my arrows because it’s been holding up better on actual feathers than my fetching adhesive.
You can also take a smooth small rock, bunch the tarp around it, and then tie or cinch your rope/line around the tarp right behind the rock. It works well, is fast and easy, and doesn’t require grommets, or any mods to the tarp.
It works really well with the “Royal Marine Rig” that Mike posted about a year or so ago.
Good old improvised grommet. I actually had to do that with one corner of this very tarp when the actual grommet ripped out. Yet another reason to always keep a “fix it kit” (zip ties, paracord, and duct tape) in your pack.
There is a local guy who skins deer that way- he ties it off to a truck with a golf ball in the hide, ties the legs to a tree or post, and eases the truck forward so the skin pulls right off.