A Night of Stealth

A Night of Stealth

We will be coming back to the issue of Get Home Bags and Everyday Carry in a few days. Over the weekend I participated in a “stealthing exercise” and believe some of the data may be helpful to others. In wilderness survival you may get some exposure to stealth movement when hunting. However, few people ever discuss stealth travel in urban or suburban areas. You will find plenty of discussions on how to defend yourself against attackers that you may run into on the street when it may have been easy enough to not be seen in the first place!

This is the point in conversation where most people start thinking about cammo. Guess what, you probably will not be in the woods – though there may be some park or green areas. Just think about how much you are going to stand out as you walk down a city street dressed in full cammo. That is much worse than wearing a woodland pattern in the desert! Color and style is probably going to be more important to you in an urban area.

Color

Somehow we immediately think of black clothing when we are going to hiding in the shadows. A person dressed in black in a shadow creates an extra dark shape in the shadows. You actually show up pretty clearly. You are much better matching to a slightly dark version of the predominant color in the area. Most cities have a lot of concrete. Hence, a basic grey hoodie may be your best choice, especially if it is a little grungy to add more shadow to your shape. Those odd blue/gray or green/gray colors are really good too. If you are seen, witness descriptions will be very inconsistent! Generally stay away from the straight primary colors which are always identified clearly. Similarly, you should avoid having some easily remembered/identifiable pattern on your shirt!

The area I was working in this weekend had a lot of darker brush and light colored ground. The individual I was with was wearing an OD green top, khaki BDU pants, and black boots (put on what gear was available at our location in his size). When he was near the trees and plants, his upper body hardly showed up in the dark but his pants looked pretty light. When he was stretched out on the ground, the pants virtually disappeared while the top was quite distinct. I actually thought he could just sit up against a bush with his legs stretched out and hide pretty well – except for those black shoes which showed up no matter where he stood! Sure, some cammo pattern mixing light and dark colors would have allowed him to conceal better in this terrain, but it would have looked out of place when we were not in the terrain.

Blending

Here is where planning becomes challenging. Cammo does work good for hiding around bushes and most outdoor terrain. Often in a suburban or urban setting you will want to stop “hiding” and begin “blending.” This is where you just try to look like you belong there. Ideally your clothes would look location appropriate so that you don’t stand out in any manner. On Wall Street, a nice suit may actually make you virtually invisible. Other places it will make you stand out and become a potential target. In our scenario this past weekend, hats and hoods were worn while working through the brush. But when we needed to get through a neighborhood versus circumnavigating it, the hoods and hats came off. We simply walked casually down the street as if we belonged there. Blending.

If you are putting together an advanced kit for this purpose, a reversible shirt or jacket is great to have. This can be full cammo on one side and some other color on the opposite side. Simply turn it inside out to match the immediate need. I like slightly oversized long-sleeve shirts for this purpose. You can push the sleeves up when walking down a street when it is warm out, yet pull them down to protect and conceal your arms when appropriate. Again, confusing eyewitness accounts: “He was wearing short sleeves.” “No, he was wearing long sleeves!”

Light / Shadow / Shape

During the day (or a bright, full moon like this past weekend) you will have very distinct areas of direct light mixed with shadows. Hiding beside or around some item is pretty normal and you can find plenty of articles about assuming shapes. Yet, most people are not aware of the shadow they are casting! This awareness can greatly increase your ability to hide (or find someone who is hiding without this awareness). At one point I needed to traverse an open area between trees. Happened to notice a power pole casting a long shadow in the direction I was heading. Moving along that line greatly limited the ability for others to perceive my movement. The message here is to always be aware of the interplay of your image within the surroundings.

Be Quiet!

Obviously you will not want to have conversations and make lots of noise when trying to avoid being seen. Hand signals should be used when possible. More importantly, always walk quietly (unless purposely creating a distraction or setting someone up). My Sensei told me years ago that I should always try to walk quietly. Make it a game to see how often people are unaware of a large man walking up to pass them. It has become a habit. Didn’t give it a whole lot of thought until this weekend when my stealth partner was walking beside me on the street (blending time). I actually stopped and asked him what was on his boots. Wasn’t a boot problem, he was just clunking his feet down. Things got quieter after that.

Sound Masking

Sometimes you just can’t move quietly. Some of the areas I was working in had been filled with crushed barnacles and palm fronds. These surfaces continually crunch with every step! I was able to control some sound by placing my feet in car tracks which helped pre-crush the surfaces. When faced with situations like this where you simply cannot be quiet enough, look for masking sounds. We waited for air conditioners turning on or louder vehicles moving down the road to mask the sound of our movement.

Going Forward

When you are driving or walking through the areas you may have to pass through after a local disaster, pay attention to how the people are dressed and where the obvious sight barriers are. Consider keeping hiding/blending clothing in your Get Home Bag. Everyday make it a game to see how quietly you can walk at full speed without using some odd gait that is going to make you stand out. Keep adjusting the length of your stride and how you place your feet onto the ground until you develop a more discreet style of walking. Watch people around you and take note of how the colors and clothing they are wearing make them stand out or blend in more. Where is your shadow? Building that awareness now will allow you to transition quietly and discreetly when needed.