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Camouflage is one of the most recognisable parts of military life, and one of the first decisions every airsoft player makes. But why do some patterns use blobs while others use pixels, and why did the British Army abandon a pattern it used for 40 years? Here is a guide to the world’s most famous camouflage patterns, and which ones work best on UK airsoft sites.

How camouflage works

The British Army teaches soldiers why things are seen using a simple checklist: shape, shine, shadow, silhouette, surface, spacing and movement. Good camouflage deals with several of these at once. It uses colours that match the environment, but more importantly it uses disruptive shapes that break up the outline of the human body, so the eye does not recognise a person.

Modern patterns also play with scale. Large shapes break up your outline at a distance, and small details blend you into the texture up close. Getting both right is the challenge every designer faces.

DPM: the British classic

Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) was introduced by the British Army in the 1960s and, through several updates, remained in service until 2011. Its green, brown, black and khaki brushstroke-style shapes became iconic, and versions were adopted by dozens of countries. A desert DPM version was used in the Gulf War and Iraq.

DPM works well in temperate European woodland, and it has had a big revival among airsoft players who love its retro look and the cheap supply of ex-military surplus.

MTP: the current British pattern

Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) replaced DPM after the campaign in Afghanistan, where soldiers moved between green zones, desert and urban areas in a single patrol and needed one pattern that would cope with all of them. Introduced in 2010, MTP is based on MultiCam colours combined with shapes drawn from DPM. It is now standard across the British armed forces.

MTP is one of the most versatile patterns for UK airsoft. It works in woodland, open fields and urban sites, and it is the obvious choice for British Army inspired loadouts.

MultiCam: the multi-environment pattern

Developed by the American company Crye Precision and launched in the early 2000s, MultiCam was designed to work across a wide range of environments, seasons and lighting by using gradients of colour rather than hard-edged blobs. The US Army adopted it for Afghanistan in 2010, and a closely related pattern, OCP, became the standard US Army uniform from 2015.

MultiCam has since grown into a family of patterns:

• MultiCam Tropic: lush greens for dense jungle and summer woodland.
• MultiCam Arid: sandy tones for desert and dry ground.
• MultiCam Alpine: white and grey for snow.
• MultiCam Black: designed for law enforcement and night operations, and very popular for CQB airsoft.

M81 Woodland: the Cold War icon

The US M81 Woodland pattern, introduced in 1981, used large, bold blobs of green, brown, sand and black. It was the standard US camouflage for more than two decades and was widely copied around the world, so it is one of the most recognisable patterns ever made. M81 is affordable, very effective in green summer woodland, and perfect for 1980s and 1990s impressions.

Flecktarn: the German dot pattern

Germany’s Flecktarn (literally “spot camouflage”) was developed in the 1970s and adopted by the Bundeswehr in 1990. Its five colours are arranged in small, overlapping dots that create a dappled effect very similar to light through leaves. Many people consider Flecktarn one of the most effective woodland patterns ever made, and its desert cousin, Tropentarn, is equally well known.

For UK woodland sites, especially in spring and summer, Flecktarn is hard to beat, and the supply of German surplus makes it very good value.

Digital patterns: MARPAT and UCP

In the early 2000s, militaries began experimenting with pixelated or “digital” camouflage. The US Marine Corps’ MARPAT, introduced in 2002, was a success: its small square pixels mimic natural texture at close range while forming larger shapes at distance.

The US Army’s Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), adopted in 2004, is a famous cautionary tale. Designed to work everywhere, its grey-green tones worked well almost nowhere, and it was replaced by OCP from 2015. It shows that “universal” camouflage is extremely difficult to get right.

Other famous patterns

Choosing camo for UK airsoft

The best pattern is the one that matches where you play most. Here is a quick guide for UK sites:

Also check whether your site uses team colours or requires certain patterns for each side. Some sites run “camo versus camo” days, while others simply use armbands.

Ready to pick your pattern? Browse our airsoft clothing, camouflage sets, shirts and UBACS and trousers, and finish the look with matching hats and caps and scarves and balaclavas.

Frequently asked questions