Creating a camouflage that can be worn in any environment, regardless of location, is considered to be the “Holy Grail” of camouflage design – but many people are of the opinion that it as a fantasy.  As an illustration of this view, any pattern which works well in the desert is clearly not going to work as well in a woodland environment.  Even Crye admit that their MultiCam – considered by many to be the current state of the art – is not as good in some locations as its terrain-specific competitors.  On the other hand, another multi-terrain pattern -“Desert All Over Brush” – was judged best overall in the Natick Soldier Center’s “universal camo” trials in 2002-2004.  In the end though, the significantly inferior “Universal Camouflage Pattern” was adopted by the Army instead.Stepping in to the fray after the adoption of UCP, Bulldog Tactical Equipment developed the Mirage Camo pattern, which integrates an extensively-researched mix of monochromatic colours from all over the world.  Previously very secretive about the Mirage Camo pattern uniforms, Bulldog has now kindly provided Strike-Hold! with some further information and photographs never before seen by the general public.Mirage Camo is a pixilated, digital pattern of browns, greens, grays and clays combined in various amounts, shades and shapes.  The complexity of the pattern and the selection of colors is intended to allow the uniform to work in many environments;  including desert, woodland and urban terrain.  The uniform closely resembles the US Army’s ACU and was designed with the help of direct soldier feedback.  Improvements to make the uniform more durable than the ACU include re-designed pockets with enhanced dimensions, positioning and ease-of-use, and the use of top-notch thread and new stitch placement, in order to reinforce inherently weak areas.  The first version of the uniform also included cutting-edge abrasion-resistant fabric (Superfabric) on  the elbows, knees, seat and shoulder areas of the uniform.New Vented Uniform:Bulldog recently introduced a new version of the uniform which incorporates a ventilation system and the elimination of the Super Fabric reinforcing patches.  Feedback received from units using the first version of the uniforms determined that creating an air flow system throughout the jacket and trousers was essential in order to reduce heat build-up.The latest version of the Mirage Camo uniform was tested in use during immediate action drills and obstacle courses at Fort Benning, GA. This testing was performed in June and July 2008, with the temperature index ranging from 95-110 degrees Fahrenheit.In order reduce heat retention, the following recent modifications have been implemented:

• removal of any material that was double layered on the jacket and trousers
• knee and elbow regions once covered with Superfabric or 500 Denier nylon are now covered with Nyco 50/50 in order to reduce heat build-up and retention
• five mesh vents have been added to the jacket: front, underarm, mid-seam, rear gussets and spinal region
• eight mesh vents have been added to the trousers: front crotch area, crotch area, rear pocket area, inseam, knee region and calf region
• crotch area is reinforced with a new design and layout
• knee pads were redesigned to reduce weight and heat retention

Since the decision to remove the Superfabric /nylon reinforcement patches, and adding the vents, the feedback from troops has been very positive.     Bulldog also offers the option for users to have the uniform tailored to their unit’s or organisation’s needs and requirements for a specific arrangement of pockets. This provides far greater flexibilty and fitness-to-purpose for the down-range operator, and minimises the need for additional time or funding for carrying out modifications and alterations to standard-issue uniforms.Mirage Camo uniforms have been tested overseas, in areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan and, according to Bulldog, have had tremendous success on the battlefield. For more information on Mirage Camo uniforms and pricing visit www.miragecamo.us  (note: you must have a US military .mil email address to be able to view the site, and sales are exclusive to the U.S. Military). Bulldog Tactical Equipment specialises in designing custom products for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Special Forces and the Department of Homeland Security. Their full product list of over 100 items includes include barrel bags, quivers, weapon slings, weapon bags, ammo bags, backpacks and other tactical gear.  For further information, visit their website at: www.bulldogequipment.us