Care of Camouflage Clothing
by Jim Crumley Outdoor Families, Inc.

You must take care of your camouflage clothing, and that means learning to wash it properly so it doesn't fade. You must realize that the camouflage pattern is printed onto the fabric much like a photograph is printed onto a page in a magazine. The fabric is not made up of individually colored fibers!

"If you put your camouflage clothing in a washing machine on regular cycle and hot water, and then put it in a hot dryer; you will literally beat the color out of the camouflage. Unless you are hunting in a silver birch or light-colored aspen-when that clothing gets faded and white looking it is no longer effective camouflage.

"How can you keep your hunting clothing clean without throwing it into the washing machine? If you have the luxury of owning a couple of camo suits, put one suit of clothing in a five gallon plastic pail or "mud bucket," and then fill it with cold water and dissolved baking soda. Let it soak overnight, and then let it drip dry the next day. If you do this your clothing will never show any wear from washing. The only shiny spots will be the seats of the pants from getting in and out of your truck!

"If your camouflage hunting clothing gets really dirty and you must toss it into a washing machine, use only cold water and a gentle cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove the clothing and let it drip dry. If you ever have to put it in the dryer; first turn it inside out. That way the printed color side of the fabric won't beat up against the inside of the dryer and fade.

"What should you do if your camouflage clothing does not exactly match your hunting background? Unless you have a second set of camouflage in your daypack, you are probably dead in the water. Your only hope is to get your tree stand up high enough so you won't be spotted.

Another option is to always wear three or even four different camouflage patterns.

A dark pattern a light pattern with leaves a bark pattern and a more open pattern will help you cover all the bases.

"If you are bowhunting out of a tree-stand, try an open pattern on top and a leafy pattern or bark with leaves pattern on your pants. Remember; your goal is to not look like a human. You want to break up your human outline."