If you’re a hunter, you know how many different types of camouflage clothing are on the market. You also understand that many brands are designed for fashion more than practicality (Fun though they are, no-one’s going to wear pink camo pullovers on a duck hunt).
The best hunting clothes allow you to blend into the background, breaking up your outline, so your prey never sees you. Brands such as Tri-Mountain, Gamehide, White Bear, and Port Authority use a range of camo patterns, so finding the right one can be tricky. To make your search easier, we’ve put together an overview of the best camo types available today.
Types of Camo
Out of all the types of camo to choose from, four stand out when you’re looking for the best hunting patterns: Realtree, Mossy Oak, Digital Camo, and Kryptek.
Realtree
The Realtree camo pattern mimics heavily wooded areas. The camo pattern uses an abstract three-dimensional background overlaid with realistic images of grass, leaves, and branches. Highlights and shadows on the Realtree pattern break up the outline of the hunter.
Realtree comes in a range of related patterns, the most popular being Realtree AP. Realtree AP offers all-purpose camouflage for hunting in woodland settings and works well as a duck, turkey, and deer hunting pattern. The Perspective Camo Top from Tri-Mountain is a prime example of this versatile Realtree camo pattern, which also sees use on t-shirts, hats, and shell bags.
Mossy Oak Camo for Hunting
The Mossy Oak camo pattern originated in the 1980s, when the company founder, Toxey Haas, saw the potential for new camouflage in a handful of dirt, leaves, and twigs. The company’s most popular camo pattern, Mossy Oak Obsession, is designed for brightly colored surroundings and is the official camouflage pattern of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Typical examples of Mossy Oak camouflage clothing include the Port Authority Waterproof Mossy Oak Challenger Jacket, the White Bear Mossy Oak Camo Pull-Over.
Kryptek Hunting Brands
Kryptek is a lizard-like camo pattern that relies on background shading and sharp geometric shapes that don’t look as natural as Realtree or Mossy Oak. The blend well across distances, breaking up your outline with as little as 33 feet between you and your target. Kryptek is a popular choice for trucker hats and face covers.
Digital Camo
You’ve probably seen digital camo on members of the armed forces. Somewhat reminiscent of bulky video game graphics, digital camo patterns have a pixelated look to them. This strange digital look combines large patterns for blending in over long distances with small patterns that blur your outline up close. Digital camo is popular among hunters but has also found its place in everyday garments, such as the ACU Digital Max Hat.
Realtree vs. Mossy Oak
While Kryptek and Digital camo are gaining popularity among hunting brands, Realtree and Mossy Oak are the two most popular types of camouflage. The Realtree vs. Mossy Oak debate is ongoing, with individual hunters arguing for their favorite brand’s superiority.
The truth is that both camo types are well-designed and versatile patterns, but they have several distinct differences. Realtree mimics heavily wooded landscapes and is the better choice for deer hunting camo when in thick cover. Mossy Oak blends better with open, scrubby, and tall grass environments, making it ideal for turkey hunting.
No single camouflage pattern works well for all environments. Thanks to the Realtree vs. Mossy Oak rivalry, you can choose between the best camo pattern for woodland game and open-area bird hunting. If you’re an avid hunter, chances are you have a variety of camo patterns in your closet, just waiting for the right time and place to increase your chances of a successful hunt.