camo shirt

Whether your favorite camo shirt is your constant companion for fashionable purposes or it helps keep you concealed in the field, there’s only one truly effective way to pack it for transport or an extended stay: ranger rolling.

If you’ve never heard of that before, buckle up – here’s what it is, and how to do it.

What Is Ranger Rolling, and Why Should You Learn How to Do It?

Ranger rolling is a method of rolling up a shirt so that it takes up minimal space and can be easily and effortlessly packed into a bag, pack, or duffel. When properly done, a ranger rolled shirt will be so compact it will fit into most pockets.

Learning how to ranger roll a shirt is fast and easy, and doing so will make maximum use of the space in your bag. Moreover, ranger rolling is superior to folding because when done properly it will not come undone.

Also, if you complete the basic process properly, your shirts will be wrinkle-free when you unroll them.

How to Ranger Roll Your Camo Shirt

Learning how to ranger roll a shirt is a quick and simple process to master. For the purposes of this tutorial, let’s keep it to short-sleeved camo shirts (though it will also work with any other short-sleeved shirt). Here’s how to do it.

First, lay your shirt out on a flat surface and smooth it out. Take the hem of your shirt and invert it such that there are between 2” and 3” of a cuff around the bottom hem of the shirt. This step is crucial.

Then, fold each sleeve over toward the middle of the shirt and smooth it out flat. Take one side of the shirt and fold it over one-third of the way towards the center. Repeat the process on the other side such that the overall width of the shirt is reduced by two-thirds.

Next, start rolling the short from the top down towards where you have inverted the bottom of the shirt around the hem. Once you have rolled it all the way down, take the far end of the inverted hem of the shirt and roll it back over the rolled up shirt, to tuck in what you’ve rolled up.

Stretching the fabric in this way will elastically secure the rolled shirt in that position.

That’s all there is to it – you just learned how to ranger roll a shirt.

• Note: if your camo shirt has a logo or printing you would like to preserve, you can turn the shirt inside out before you roll it. All other steps in this process remain the same.

Where to Stock Up on Camo Shirts

Here not because you wanted to know how to roll up a camo shirt, but because you wanted to refresh your inventory? Now that you have a new way to store them, you can save on space – but the place to get them is online at Fatigues Army Navy. They carry a wide range of patterns, too; visit their website to check out what they have today.

For more information about Prepper Supplies and Alice Pack Please visit: Fatigues Army Navy & Surplus Gear Co.

Your camo shirt – and pants, and pack, and gear – can help keep you hidden in the woods, especially if you are conscientious about matching the pattern to your surroundings as well as the time of year.

But the cold hard truth is camouflage is actually relatively insignificant when it comes to keeping you concealed. The eyes can pick up more than color and pattern, and game animals have more than eyes.

So by all means, choose your camo shirt wisely. But if you really want to remain hidden in the woods, make sure you observe the following four bits of advice.

Keep Quiet

Noise will betray you as readily as an exposed face, and only a little bit of it will spook game.

The sound of zippers, velcro, shifting your pack – all of this can give away your position. Be cautious about sneezing, clearing your throat, and all of that.

Moreover, even the act of incautiously removing an arrow from your bow quiver or aggressively clicking off the safety can give you away. Move deliberately and be conscious of every sound you make in the woods.

Stay Still

Staying still goes right along with keeping quiet, and being still will do as much – more, really – to keep you concealed as camouflage will.

When you must move, move very slowly and very deliberately. Avoid sharp, harsh movements that will stick out like a highlighter under cover.

If you need to move your head to get a look at something, do it very slowly and with purpose, and in small increments if possible. No sharp, jerky movements here. You will get busted.

Cover Your Shiny Parts

Even if you went head to toe in camouflage, there are two parts of your body that will stick unless you have covered them as well: your face and hands.

To predators, as well as to gamebirds like turkey and waterfowl, exposed skin will glow like a brand. Hunters call exposed skin “shiny” and it sticks out terribly.

Cover your hands with gloves and your face with a hood or a mask, and if you don’t like that prospect use facepaint.

Alternatively, you could carry a cork and a lighter, char the end of the cork, and use the char to disrupt the outlines of your face and hands.

Mind Your Scent

Lastly, if what you’re hunting is mammalian, be aware of your scent cone. You will broadcast a downwind scent cone that will give away your location before you get a chance at a shot.

Rather than trying to eliminate your scent (which is effectively impossible anyway) just try to minimize it, and keep a sharp lookout.

Avoid relieving yourself in the woods, and if you’re predator hunting, expect them to approach from downwind.

Put These Tips Into Practice Today

As you can see, a lot more goes into keeping you concealed in the woods than just whatever camo shirt and pants you pick out.

Be conscious about these suggestions. They can help keep you concealed in the woods and may improve your successes while you’re hunting.

For more information about Prepper Supplies and Tiger Stripe Camo Please visit: Fatigues Army Navy & Surplus Gear Co.