Even though the dirtier your ghillie suit gets, the better it performs, all the dirt, grit, snags, and mud can take a toll after awhile. Running through the woods and crawling on the ground can tear threads, snag the webbing, and wear down the suit material. Prolonged sun exposure will cause the colors to fade over time, to the point that it reduces the effectiveness of the camouflage.

Washing a Ghillie Suit

Although die-hard ghillie fans might tell you different, it doesn’t hurt to wash your ghillie suit once in awhile…and it might make your suit last longer. Most of the new lightweight synthetic ghillie suits are machine washable, and even traditional jute ghillies can be washed by hand. One of the best ways to wash your ghillie suit (synthetic or jute) is to lay it out on the ground (preferably on cement, asphalt, or other hard surface) and hose it down. Then allow the suit to air dry.

Storing a Ghillie Suit

Let your ghillie suit dry completely before storing! Don’t just ball up your suit and throw it in a corner. Listen to your mother’s voice telling you to hang up your clothes. Mold and mildew thrive in moist, dark places, such as your ghillie suit on the closet floor. If you want your ghillie suit to last, take the time to hang it up where it can air dry completely.

Repairing a Ghillie Suit

Occasionally you will find torn strings or leaves on your suit. To fix the suit, remove the torn string or leaf and tie a new one in its place. You can also replace strings with different colors to match new terrain or add more strings or leaves for thicker camouflage coverage. If your ghillie suit is beyond repair or if you’re ready to upgrade to a better suit, you can always buy a new ghillie suit.

How do you know which ghillie suit is the right one for you? Here are a few basic questions you need to answer before deciding which ghillie suit to buy.

How much coverage do you need?

One of the first questions to ask is how much of your body the ghillie suit needs to cover. Some ponchos cover only the top half of your body, allowing for free movement but requiring tall vegetation to camouflage the lower half of the body. Other ponchos extend to your knees or even down to your feet, offering more coverage. A sniper suit includes camouflage strands on only the back side of the suit for coverage while lying down and crawling across open areas. A jacket, pants, hat (or hood), and gun wrap offer the most coverage possible.

How freely do you need to be able to move?

The next question to ask is what you will be doing while wearing the suit. Are you walking through dense brush? Crawling on your belly across an open field? Running from tree to tree? The style of the ghillie suit will determine how easily you can move while wearing it. A poncho suit that comes down to your feet will get in the way if you need to crawl or run. A jacket and pants set gives you more freedom of movement, letting you run and move faster than you could while wearing a poncho. A sniper suit has no strands on the front, which allows you to crawl without getting snagged on anything.

Speaking of getting snagged, another thing to remember is that if you are moving through dense brush, jute strands will pick up leaves and stickers and catch on branches more easily than synthetic strands. If you will move through dense brush often while wearing the suit, look for a suit with synthetic strands.

How lightweight do you want the suit to be?

Depending on the type of strand material used, the type of suit material used, and the thickness of the strands. Natural strands, such as jute, are heavier than synthetic strands. If you wear your suit in hot, humid weather, consider choosing a ghillie suit with synthetic strands. If you prefer the natural strands for their lack of odor (such as for hunting) or you wear the suit in colder weather, you may want to consider a suit made with jute strands.

Note that the more strands (artifical or natural) that are tied to the suit, the heavier the suit will be. For a lighter suit and thinner camouflage, remove some of the strands from the suit.

What kind of camouflage do you need?

The color and pattern of the strands should match the area where you will most often be wearing the suit. There are ghillie suits designed to match woodland terrain, mossy areas, deserts, areas with heavy foliage, and more. Find a color and pattern that most closely matches your environment. Then customize the suit by adding or removing strands as needed to perfectly match the landscape.

There are two basic types of materials used to make a ghillie suit: jute strands and synthetic strands. Jute is a natural material, and synthetic material is man-made. Both types of ghillie suits are popular, and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

What Is the Difference between Jute and Synthetic Ghillie Suits?

Jute	Synthetic
Made with natural jute strand material Heavier weight keeps you warmer in cold climates Traditional ghillie suit material, proven as effective camouflage Must be coated with flame retardant	Lightweight or ultra lightweight Keeps you cooler in hot and humid climates Softer material doesn’t make your skin itch and requires only the thinnest layer of clothing Nonflammable

So Which Is Better?

Although up close you might see minor differences between the two types of materials (jute strands tend to be straighter and synthetic strands slightly curled), synthetic and jute ghillie suits are equally effective at blending in with the natural environment.

Some hunters prefer synthetic ghillie suits because of their light weight and their ability to keep the body cool in hot, sticky climates. Other hunters prefer the traditional choice of jute material. The choice between the two types of material is primarily a personal preference and not because one provides better camouflage than the other.

New Ultra Light Ghillie Suits are now available at KillZone Hunting! These camouflage suits come in 3 patterns: woodland, desert, and mossy camo. The suits are constructed with lightweight synthetic strands sewn on to a mesh suit. An ultra light ghillie suit is perfect for staying cool in warm temperatures and roomy enough to slip over layers of clothing in cold weather.

All of KillZone’s Ultra Light Ghillies are water resistant, rot and mildew resistant, and hand washable!

The 4-piece Woodland Camo Ghillie Suit is available in 2 sizes (Large and X-Large) with either a zipper-style or snap-front jacket. This set comes with a jacket, pants, hood, and gun wrap.
 
Special Price: Starting at $89.99!

The 4-piece Desert Ghillie Suit is available in 2 sizes (Large and X-Large) and is perfect for hunting, paintball, airsoft, and wilderness photography. This set comes with a jacket, pants, hood, and gun wrap.
 
Special Price: Starting at $84.99!

The 2-piece Mossy Camo Suit is available in 2 sizes (Large and X-Large) with a hooded jacket and pants combo.
 
Special Price: Starting at $84.99!