Would a black plate carrier blend into forest?

[Dean]

I'm considering getting a black plate carrier, rather than an OD plate carrier simply because of its looks and versatility (hopefully). So I was wondering if a black plate carrier could blend into a woodland/forest environment very well. By no means am I trying to conceal myself completely, but I just want to know if I would stick out like a sore thumb or have nearly the same effect as OD would. This may be a dumb question, but I need the answer. Thanks.

[Carnage]

After using a black plate carrier in Milsim Operation Island Thunder in May, I honestly think it makes you stand out more. Not only is there more green and brown colors but how many times do you see torso sized black spots in woodland terrain? You rarely see it, if at all. So as far as blending in better goes, get OD or CB (Coyote Brown; darker than tan). Both OD and CB blend in well with Michigan's woodland environments and they work better with camos.

Oh, on a side note, while wearing my black plate carrier at Operation Island Thunder, it attracted a lot of unwanted heat because black obviously attracts the most heat.

[Dean]

You're right. Thanks Carnage ;D

[Carnage]

Sept 1, 2011 0:12:57 GMT -5 Dean said:

You're right. Thanks Carnage ;D

No problem. Before I started asking questions about what to get, I got that black plate carrier and I regret it. Now I have the Condor ETV as a temporary before I get CB gear from Pantac.

But nonetheless, glad I could help.

[Dean]

Yes, I still have not decided bewteen the ETV and a plate carrier, (OD, now that I have knowledge ) but I suppose from this point its personal preference and budget that will be the ultimate decision for me

[Carnage]

Well both are good choices so whatever you decide, hopefully it will be for best.

[Knief]

I have this long schpeel about wearing black that I seem to repeat over and over, so I'm just going to copy and paste it for you here. Remember, this was originally directed at somebody else, but the information applies to you too:

I noticed that both of the vests you linked to are black. Trust me, a black vest is a mistake. Head out into the woods and look around. How much of what you see is pure black? The answer is nothing. Short of volcanic rock, of which there isn't a ton in Michigan, black is a color that just doesn't appear in large patches in nature. And in fact, because it's so dark and so bold, it actually stands out almost as well as brighter colors like reds and blues. Black in nature stands out prominently to the human eye because we naturally know that it's out of place. So if you get a black vest, you will be spotted and targeted very quickly and easily. If you had a green or tan vest in the same situation, you might have gone completely unnoticed.

Maybe you're planning on using it for CQB, so you think you don't need to worry about that. But the same holds true indoors, even in low light situations. Even in low light, black stands out as darker than the surrounding walls, where as just about any other color would blend in much better. The only situation in which black doesn't stand out is if your environment is painted black as well. Or I guess if your enemy is blind. Most of the CQB fields I've seen have concrete or block walls and plywood bunkers. Very little of CQB most fields is actually black. That's why most police forces and SWAT teams use navy uniforms rather than black uniforms. Navy, because it's a lighter, disappears in low light.

If you're interested in a black because you think it looks cool, I would venture to say that that's likely because a lot of movies and video games dress their characters in all black. But they do that because it looks good in film. Black is a strong color, and a large force of soldiers in all black with high tech gear is a great cinematic demonstration of power. Those black uniforms are a cue to the viewer, which is why they keep using that cliche. They also use a lot of camera and editing techniques to make those soldiers in their all black uniforms look stronger, faster or cooler than they would if they just set the camera up at eye level and did the whole thing in one take. On the airsoft field, that's a lot closer to what you and others see. Black gear doesn't look strong because we're not viewing it through a medium designed to make it look strong. It looks hot and obvious. And more often than not, it's a dead giveaway that the buy wearing it is a complete newb. Experienced players have learned long ago that black is awful on the field, so they've moved away from it.

This is in response to somebody asking about tan vs. OD:

Yep, tan. Coyote Brown might look a smidge better than khaki with the darkest of green camos like M81 Woodland, but otherwise, both look solid with anything.

With ACU and Arid MARPAT*:



With M81 Woodland*:


With Woodland MARPAT up front*:



With Multicam:



Those are the big ones, and they all look pretty fuckin' nice to me.

*Credit to the first half of the first post of the ODA gallery thread. I knew I could count on you.

Go with a Tan vest over OD. It looks better with every thing, and won't stand out in the woods any more than OD does. There are a lot more browns in the woods than your eyes pick up on.

[Dean]

Well Knief, I don't have much to say after reading that brutally honest quote. ;D

But seriously though, I thank you very much for the pictures and the post. I can now see first hand that Tan/Coyote brown will look the best and will be most practical. Now I almost can't believe I considered a black plate carrier.

[Knief]

I suppose I can offer a comparison. Here's black not doing anything to help these guys:

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust038.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust044.jpg

(Not a vest, but its the same idea)
i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust045.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%207-10-11/NoLimits7-10-11051.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%207-10-11/NoLimits7-10-11083.jpg

All right, that last one is just a sweet shot of O-Zone going through the water that I ran across while I was digging these up. Ignore that.

[thedeisel]

Sept 1, 2011 13:19:46 GMT -5 Knief said:

I suppose I can offer a comparison. Here's black not doing anything to help these guys:

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust038.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust044.jpg

(Not a vest, but its the same idea)
i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%208-14-10/NoLimitsAugust045.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%207-10-11/NoLimits7-10-11051.jpg

i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/Kniefjdl/No%20Limits%207-10-11/NoLimits7-10-11083.jpg

All right, that last one is just a sweet shot of O-Zone going through the water that I ran across while I was digging these up. Ignore that.

Haha they stood out as much as someone wearing a reflective vest. ;D

Carnage has used a black vest, and it was a very bad choice. He tried to temporarily paint it tan, which was even worse.
If you want a vest that will bend in with most camos/environments, go for CB.

That last picture was purely awesome.

[Carnage]

Why must we bring up my terribly painted black PC? (don't actually respond to that) I sold it (surprisingly) and got tan Condor gear for now.

Anyways, Knief is spot on.

[Dean]

Wow, those guys look disgusting. Thanks for saving me a lot of humility, Knief. Thanks again for the pics!

[Thor]

Hey, it's what we're all here for. You aren't the first new guy to pose this question, and you certainly won't be the last. Maybe I need to write up a Noob Gear Color Guide to bookend my Noob Camouflage Guide.

[Dean]

If you are serious about that, Thor, that sounds like a great idea to me. Perhaps pictures showing how well different camouflage patterns blend into environments. This may be an obvious idea, but maybe include pictures of someone in different camouflage patterns in different environments, just to get an idea what you would look like if you wore X camouflage in a Y environment (If how I wrote it makes sense).

[thedeisel]

If memory serves me right, I think there's a camouflage guide on AO that talks about all that.