REVIEW: Ultra Light Ghillie Suit (Long Jacket)

Not going to lie, guys, this is near total self-plagiarism from a facebook note I published three years back but I hope you find it useful here in public space! This is a link to the product in the review, purchased from sealsactiongear.com: https://www.sealsactiongear.com/catalog/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=573

Product Shot

       When they say the suit is ultra-light, they aren’t kidding. I happened across the box on my deck early in the morning as I walked home from a class. My first thought after bringing it into my house was “My god, I’ve been had, its empty.” Quite the contrary, upon opening I found it was packed full of ghillie goodness and it took a lot of fluffing to bring it to full size. The material is tied on the same way most of us attach jute to the netting (and netting is all it is, there is no underlying fabric) and there is tonnes of it. It’s like putting on a pullover and being that there is no fabric beneath the net, one still feels quite cool wearing BDUs beneath which is great in the cases of hot summer days. This jacket set up is excellent. The top is much like hoodie and the bottom is like a poncho; nearly down to my ankles but it has slits along the leg so that I can move with great ease. Running is entirely possible in this full length body jacket though vaulting a fallen tree is inadvisable as the net may snag and you may have a face full of hurt afterwards. Let’s take a look at some distinct pros and cons now.
PROS
        Very Durable, at least it would seem this way, I pulled at the netting in many places and nothing pulled apart or snapped and the wrenching motion of my hands is more punishment than this ghillie will likely ever take at once. Very high quality net, I wish I could find some like it to make a home made ghillie or two.
        Very big, I’m a big guy and got the Medium-Large version (it also comes in XLs) this fits very well, the hood covers my head easily, the arms go down to my wrist and when my arms are extended they don’t ride up to the elbow like some tight clothes do. The bottom of the jacket does end half to a full foot above my legs but this seems to be advantageous, I hate crawling and find sometimes when spotted in paintball or airsoft I need to take flight. Getting up quick from a prone position is never much fun) This design allows me to do so easily without getting material tangled in my feet. It’s also very spacious in the body section.
There's plenty of color variation. Lots of greens, browns, and hints of blacks and grays. Any problems with the color could easily be rectified by localised dyeing or misting with a spray can 2 to 3 feet away to alter the hue.

That Handsome Wookie is Me!

CONS
        No underlying material. As nice and light as it is, it would be nice to have some kind of cloth material on it, especially for the upper body. The netting is tough like a chain link fence but its coarse and not pleasant to the skin. Bear arms beware. it would also benefit from being attached to something to reduce the amount of gaps that sticks can pass through and get you hung up in the bushes on. Ghillies should always have only about 1 inch of slack between the net and material beneath, with this all-net design there's nothing but slack.
        The suit could use some more ghillie, I find it’s a little bit thin in some places but anyone wearing BDU’s would find it looks like a bush, not the case when you have a white T and jeans on beneath so it’s not something you can just throw on and have at it with, you will need something dark on beneath or you can un tie material and reattach in other places as you see fit.
        The neck, and this what annoyed me the most and by most I mean not much since I love this suit: The suit is in need of some kind of neck cinch to bring it up around the chin rather than down by the chest, I have this whole bare section there now and am in no mood to wear a camoflage balaclava in the summer. I do stoop when I’m stalking about in the woods so perhaps this will disguise the issue.
      It's a great suit for those new to ghillies, the durable construction means it'll last and since it's pre-made it saves the new guys the frustration that comes with building one from scratch, remember though, real snipers always make their own suits! Some day, and I hope it's soon, I hope to show you what works great on a ghillie suit and even do a step by step guide with a give away of a home made ghillie from Eight Pound Ops.