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Fieldcraft Defeat thermals

Old Soldier

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 3, 2014
66
51
North Pole Alaska
What are your technics to defeat thermal optics? I have known guys who used a space blanket, and said it worked. I sewed a white sheet on the non reflective side of it, to help them hide in the snow. What have you tried, and how did it work?
 
Its like defeating eyesight. Directly, you can't.

Thermal blankets block/reflect thermal but then you basically look like an easily identifiable outline in the thermal.

There is thermal camo netting that can help blend you into your background; which is the other thing, either try and find backgrounds you don't highly contrast or be blocked by natural terrain, buildings or vehicles.
 
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Thermals are both really easy and really hard to hide from. Especially if overhead. Best you can really hope for is a very long section of invisibility followed by some swapping around to change your identity as possible or get out of the field of view. Both have marginal effectiveness depending on the ROE.
 
Blending into the back round here is easy. Dig into the snow, then cover with something like a space blanket. One could also put out some decoys, say MRE heaters or those air activated pocket warmers. Those were some of my ideas. Never having worked with thermals, I don't know their range or how sensitive they are. I know it varies. Hand held units are less effective than those mounted in a tank or chopper. I imagine when the air and trees are -10 or colder, as it is here much of the time one need not be too warm to stand out.
 
Its like defeating eyesight. Directly, you can't.

Thermal blankets block/reflect thermal but then you basically look like an easily identifiable outline in the thermal.

There is thermal camo netting that can help blend you into your background; which is the other thing, either try and find backgrounds you don't highly contrast or be blocked by natural terrain, buildings or vehicles.
Unfortunately I missed that group buy and it sounds like it won't be happening again (as of a year ago). Do you have a current source?
 
I think it was BAE or someone that was working on a version of Thermal Camouflage where like they were trying to make the tank look like an SUV through thermals or something.
 
Crap. This is the second time I've clicked on this thread, but I swear there's been another 12 times I almost did.

""Defeat Thermals", never heard of that brand." Since I'm in the market for some warmer winter hunting base layers.... :rolleyes:
 
Are the deer using thermals to find you? Why are you needing to hide from a thermal?
 
Are the deer using thermals to find you? Why are you needing to hide from a thermal?
We used to get tasked to try and outrun the “ghetto birds” from 160th. Them thar whirlybirds are haaaaaaard to run from. Believe the mantra, if you run, you’ll only die tired
 
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The night and inclement weather are the best times to attack, period. Anytime it would suck to stand guard outside is the best time to attack. Anything that gives your guys the advantage at night or in poor vis is a massive force multiplier.

The only correct answer to countering thermal is to get a thermal of your own and negate the advantage.
 
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So a bunch of conspiracy theorists? Got it.
At the very least:

CHINA.gif
 
Think of places where you could build a hiding spot where there might be other sources of heat 24/7 whether they're objects that hold heat or similar animals or whatever in size to humans wandering around that would make it a hassle to pick you out from the clutter.

In the end you need to blend in, you're all thinking about this the wrong way. "How do I hide from thermal in the woods"

You don't.

You hide in plain sight in a crowd of people when your heat signature looks like everyone else's.

I realize people live in rural areas, what I'm saying is, if you think thermal is going to be an issue, pick another battle ground.
 
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Funny how that movie still is a better watch than the new ones
That is the truth. The original had some soul. You felt as though they actually cared about making it and getting you into the story. The new ones are complete garbage and lack the story telling and feeling of of the first.
 
I swear I posted this in a similar thread before.
Me and a good friend were out scouting/hunting with our thermals. I had a lightweight jacket with a hood that had some light jute sewn into it cause I just wanted to break up my head and shoulder lines. My buddy had one of those ghetto ass ebay full ghillie that looked like a walking sticker bush.
Well to my surprise his full ghillie gave enough insulation that my thermal had a very hard time detecting through. There were enough layers of that shit he had on that all he had to do was go near similar brush and if I were scanning his position without knowledge of his exact position, I would glass right over him. So the lesson learned that day was pile enough material to buffer your body and equipment from the optic. And surprisingly those cheap thick ghillies do work.
The 2 Thermals we had were a Trijicon IR Hunter and a Pulsar XP50