US Woodland: Exploring a Camo Shirt’s “Vintage” Pattern

If you’re looking at a camo shirt’s vintage pattern, there’s a good chance what you’re looking at is US Woodland, even though US Woodland isn’t even really that old.

It goes back to 1981, which means it’s actually not even as old as Tiger Stripe camo, but all the same, it is a very popular vintage pattern that produces a similar effect.

This pattern is not just appealing from a stylistic perspective, though. It’s also a highly effective camouflage pattern, at least in situations in which it is well-equipped to help conceal you.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes it such an effective pattern, and what you can do with a vintage camo shirt.

Behind the Efficacy of US Woodland

US Woodland consists of a variety of four-color markings of irregular border; green, brown, black and beige (or sand) are the four colors that constitute the classic US Woodland pattern.

Unlike other modern camouflage patterns, this one doesn’t consist of conventional “macros” and “micros,”; rather, it’s just an assembly of irregular disruptive markings of roughly the same size, though not the same shape.

US Woodland is similar to, and in fact based partly off, the ERDL pattern that was used in the Vietnam War. However, ERDL was more predominantly green and also consisted of smaller elements.

US Woodland made some significant changes to ERDL; chiefly, the colors were adjusted to provide for higher disruptive contrast, and the markings were increased in size to make it harder to detect the pattern at closer ranges.

This camouflage pattern also exhibits a fair degree of shadow elimination, pattern disruption, and, critically, color matching to temperate forests - hence the name.

For what it’s worth, US Woodland can be a highly effective pattern in temperate woodlands, and the truth is that it can be fairly effective in other wooded areas, too.

The interesting thing about this pattern is despite the fact that it looks like a fairly dated, simple, and low-tech pattern, and despite the fact that it utterly lacks the super-realistic details of some modern patterns like Kryptek and Realtree patterns, it is very effective in environments to which it is well-suited.

That being said, it’s not particularly effective in the snow, in dry scrub, or in desert environments. But what it does, it does very well.

Behind the Appeal of US Woodland

In addition to the fact that US Woodland is a fairly effective camouflage pattern in wooded areas, it also possesses a unique appeal that not a lot of other camouflage patterns do.

It’s popular among those that like street-inspired fashion as well as militaria, and it has a decidedly vintage look and feel, hence the whole topic of this article.

It also pairs better with other clothing than most other types of camouflage. For instance, if you try to wear Realtree Edge on the regular, you’ll either look like you’re overdoing it or you just came in from hunting. US Woodland is more forgiving and more amenable, and far more versatile.

So, on that note, let’s take a closer look at some ways you can work a camo shirt’s vintage pattern into your rotation, especially if it is US Woodland.

How to Pair a US Woodland Camo Shirt

There are lots of ways to style with a camo shirt, especially a vintage cam shirt. Here are some high-level notes:

• Be conscious of compatible colors. US Woodland, because of its four-color pattern scheme, works pretty well with forest green, black, brown, and sand. For whatever reason, US Woodland also tends to pair well with white, even though it doesn’t feature any white itself. Consider choosing the other elements of your outfit according to this advice.
  
  
• Don’t overdo the camouflage. If you’re wearing a camouflage shirt, it’s a generally good idea to eschew camouflage elsewhere in your ensemble. Too much will really overdo it and you’ll look like you should be playing paintball or something rather than just dressing to look good. A shirt, or a jacket, or pants in this pattern will look good, but not all three.
  
  
• Layer over the shirt. A camo shirt on its own might look just fine, but one thing you can do is layer over it. Get a jacket, denim or canvas work great here, and pair that with the shirt. The cool thing here is that the jacket will cover some of the noise of camo so it isn’t overwhelming, which can happen if you wear it openly.
  
  
• Other patterns will tend to clash with the camo. It’s important to recognize that many other patterns will clash with US Woodland pretty hard. You’re going to want to avoid pairing other clothing with your US Woodland camo shirt. This also goes for graphics. A simple brand or logo won’t be that big of a deal, but avoid other graphic clothing. For instance, if you get a camo jacket, don’t wear a graphic tee under that. It probably won’t look good.
  
  
• Pair it with a good pair of combat boots. Lastly, US Woodland camo goes with a solid pair of combat boots or jungle boots like bread and butter. So it may be true that this pattern wasn’t developed till after the Vietnam War, so technically pairing Vietnam-era jungle boots with US Woodland is somewhat anachronistic. But who cares? They look so good together. And, if it’s that big of a deal to you, get a good pair of logger boots or shiny leather work boots and wear them instead. They’ll also compliment this pattern perfectly.

Here for a Camo Shirt? Vintage Might Be the Answer

If you’re looking for a camo shirt, vintage is a great option, and we carry a whole lot for you to check out. To get some ideas for inspiration, check out that previous link and then get in touch with us if you’re looking for something that you don’t see listed. We’ll help you find what you need, even if you just have a few questions about styling with camo.