nice guide bro, with this, we can setup any place we like ^^!
Fitch's Guide to a Basic Belly Hide
17
Hides. They are often overlooked when sniping, but if used correctly, they can provide a sniper with large amounts of stealth and concealment, plus protection from fire if one is discovered.
This is a guide on how to create a simple belly hide. Nothing huge or complicated, just a basic hide. It is simple and fast to construct, it brings your silhouette down, and it can be broken down and fit into a backpack. There will be 4 parts to this guide-Things to consider, Materials and Tools, Construction, and
Camouflage.
Part 1- Things to consider
There are many aspects to think about when you are looking to create your hide.
The Mission- This drives the entire build. Is it to provide recon, interdict a target, or prevent the use of an area by periodically engaging the enemy? Once you have finished reading this guide, and know how to simply build the hide, you can make personal changes to tailor to your mission.
The Enemy- Who is your enemy? What are they capable of? How well disciplined and trained are they? What advantages do they have over you? Do they have a counter sniper in place looking for you?
Terrain- Consider the terrain at your location, the enemy's intended location, and everything in between. If there are buildings, are they tall or short, close or spread out. This will determine how much the eye will be drawn to them, and subsequently, your location.
Friendly Assets- Are you alone, with a spotter, or do you have standard forces to back you up? If you do have support forces, who are they and what are their capabilities? How fast can they provide backup when you so desperately need it?
Time- What time of the day is it? The location of the sun is important. If it is low and to your back, enemy observations of your location will be difficult, as the sun will partially obscure everything below it. Is the sun to their back? If so, you will have a harder time and scope glare is a possibility that you need to take into consideration. The time of day may affect the enemy's combat ability, as they may be tired, or they may be well rested and energized.
We can use the acronym COCOA to remember aspects to consider when creating a hide.
C-Cover from view and fire. Not being seen, and if you are seen, being able to survive being shot at, are important things to consider.
O- Observation of Approach Routes. The entire point of having a hide is being completely concealed. That goes right out the window if they see you moving into the hide
C- Covered Approach and Exit routes. If you do happen to become compromised, being able to make it out in 1 piece is pretty important. More obvious and accessible entry and exit points aren't always the best. However, on the other end of the spectrum, excessively camouflaging and hiding your routes may cause suspicion too.
O- Observation Arcs- If you can't see the enemy, you sure as heck can't shoot them.
A- Alternate Positions. If at first you don't succeed, try again. If your first location doesn't work like you hoped, move to the next.
Tracking-
Tracking may be important, as you can reverse the fundamentals to prevent it happening to you!
Here are a few questions you can consider when moving in the AO or tracking a target.
- What has the weather been like lately? Raining and muddy, conducive to tracks, or dry and sunny?
- Was there dew? Dew will deteriorate tracks
- When did the sun rise? Looking towards the sun when studying tracks will show contours and shadows better
- What is the ground like? Soft ground will aid in making tracks, but they will also deteriorate faster.
- How windy has it been? Wind will blow debris over tracks, covering them.
- How deep are the tracks, and how long is the stride? This can give insight as to how fast the target was moving, how much weight they are carrying, and how tired they are. Loads will mean shorter steps, and a more tired person will meander and fluctuate from their path.
- What direction are the tracks pointing? This one is painfully obvious.
I'm sorry if you've fallen asleep during the above portion, but that's over now. Now we move to building the hide, after we have considered all of the aspects of it.
Part 2- Materials and Tools
This is a simple list of all the items you need
- At least a 7x7 foot piece of netting (This is your roof)
- 6-8 PVC ground stakes (See below for construction)
- 2-4 black trash bags (waterproofing)
- An axe, E-tool, machete, or knife (digging and pounding the stakes)
- Mesh (optional, this covers up the small front opening)
- Spray paint in whatever colors work for your environment (Finishing touches)
- Branch clippers (Optional, for cutting additional loopholes for observation)
Building the ground stakes-
These ground stakes will hold the netting above your hide for you to lie under.
1- You will need at least 6 feet of ½ inch PVC pipe. I got 10 ft. for $1.69 at Lowes.
2- Cut the pipe into approximately 12 inch sections, and cut as many as you want
3- Make an angled cut about 2 inches in, so that you have a sharp end to drive into the ground. No, we are not making Vietnam Era Punji Stakes.
4- Hold onto the little end piece you get after you cut, these serve as mini stakes for little adjustments.
5- Cut a notch into the top of the pipe (non-sharp side) so that you can hang netting from it when you stab them into the ground.
6- Paint them a nice forest floor brown or green to match your environment.
7- Repeat until you have at least 6-8
Part 3- Construction
Once we have all our materials, we can begin to build our hide.
1- First, we must move into the area and clear the brush where we will build our hide. Sweep the brush away to the edges of your hide area, and hold onto it, you can use it for camo later.
2- Once you have cleared it, draw the outline of your hide with your cutting tool. This will help to keep you enclosed in your hide when you dig.
3- CHOP! Chop the ground inside your hide outline. Make angled cuts one way until you cover the entire outline, then make angled cuts the opposite way. This is the most difficult part, but it is very important as it brings you below the surface level.
4- Once you have loosened up the ground like some ground beef, get dirty! We are snipers anyways, who cares about the dirt. Use your hands (or E-tool) to move the dirt from the insides to the edge, so that you get a depression on the inside, and a little wall on the outside. It may not seem like much, but when you get lit up, every inch counts.
5- Drive 4 stakes into the ground, 1 in each corner. Push them 3-4 inches past where your sharp point ends to lower your silhouette, and to ensure stability. Axes are nice here, as you can use the flat side to hit the stakes in.
6- Hang your netting over these stakes, putting the small rope of the net into the notches. Be sure to leave overlap on each side for additional stakes and to make the netting slope to the ground, not drop off.
7- You can now use your additional stakes and the mini stakes to pull the sides tight, to the ground, and make adjustments.
8- Now, take your trash bags and lay them over top of the netting. This will help to make the hide waterproof in case you are playing in very rainy conditions, or you don't want your precious BDUs to get wet (please don't let that be the reason why)
Part 4- Camouflage
Once we have our base, we can cover the whole thing in veg. Take the veg from the initial clearing and lay that on top. Then, move around and grab more veg.
Don't grab it from 1 point, as that will leave an empty spot that is painfully obvious. Also, vary your location and veg so that you get a diverse supply of veg. Cover as much as you can before the roof sags too low and it becomes obvious, then you can use spray-paint to add the finishing touches and cover tiny open areas.
-You may want to add mesh to the open front area to prevent a black hole that screams "HERE I AM! COME KILL ME" and touch that up with paint as well.
After this, your gorgeous hide is finished, and you may enter from the front to begin your work.
Thanks for reading guys, sorry it was sorta long winded. Please leave comments on what you think below.
-Fitch
This is a guide on how to create a simple belly hide. Nothing huge or complicated, just a basic hide. It is simple and fast to construct, it brings your silhouette down, and it can be broken down and fit into a backpack. There will be 4 parts to this guide-Things to consider, Materials and Tools, Construction, and
Camouflage.
Part 1- Things to consider
There are many aspects to think about when you are looking to create your hide.
The Mission- This drives the entire build. Is it to provide recon, interdict a target, or prevent the use of an area by periodically engaging the enemy? Once you have finished reading this guide, and know how to simply build the hide, you can make personal changes to tailor to your mission.
The Enemy- Who is your enemy? What are they capable of? How well disciplined and trained are they? What advantages do they have over you? Do they have a counter sniper in place looking for you?
Terrain- Consider the terrain at your location, the enemy's intended location, and everything in between. If there are buildings, are they tall or short, close or spread out. This will determine how much the eye will be drawn to them, and subsequently, your location.
Friendly Assets- Are you alone, with a spotter, or do you have standard forces to back you up? If you do have support forces, who are they and what are their capabilities? How fast can they provide backup when you so desperately need it?
Time- What time of the day is it? The location of the sun is important. If it is low and to your back, enemy observations of your location will be difficult, as the sun will partially obscure everything below it. Is the sun to their back? If so, you will have a harder time and scope glare is a possibility that you need to take into consideration. The time of day may affect the enemy's combat ability, as they may be tired, or they may be well rested and energized.
We can use the acronym COCOA to remember aspects to consider when creating a hide.
C-Cover from view and fire. Not being seen, and if you are seen, being able to survive being shot at, are important things to consider.
O- Observation of Approach Routes. The entire point of having a hide is being completely concealed. That goes right out the window if they see you moving into the hide
C- Covered Approach and Exit routes. If you do happen to become compromised, being able to make it out in 1 piece is pretty important. More obvious and accessible entry and exit points aren't always the best. However, on the other end of the spectrum, excessively camouflaging and hiding your routes may cause suspicion too.
O- Observation Arcs- If you can't see the enemy, you sure as heck can't shoot them.
A- Alternate Positions. If at first you don't succeed, try again. If your first location doesn't work like you hoped, move to the next.
Tracking-
Tracking may be important, as you can reverse the fundamentals to prevent it happening to you!
Here are a few questions you can consider when moving in the AO or tracking a target.
- What has the weather been like lately? Raining and muddy, conducive to tracks, or dry and sunny?
- Was there dew? Dew will deteriorate tracks
- When did the sun rise? Looking towards the sun when studying tracks will show contours and shadows better
- What is the ground like? Soft ground will aid in making tracks, but they will also deteriorate faster.
- How windy has it been? Wind will blow debris over tracks, covering them.
- How deep are the tracks, and how long is the stride? This can give insight as to how fast the target was moving, how much weight they are carrying, and how tired they are. Loads will mean shorter steps, and a more tired person will meander and fluctuate from their path.
- What direction are the tracks pointing? This one is painfully obvious.
I'm sorry if you've fallen asleep during the above portion, but that's over now. Now we move to building the hide, after we have considered all of the aspects of it.
Part 2- Materials and Tools
This is a simple list of all the items you need
- At least a 7x7 foot piece of netting (This is your roof)
- 6-8 PVC ground stakes (See below for construction)
- 2-4 black trash bags (waterproofing)
- An axe, E-tool, machete, or knife (digging and pounding the stakes)
- Mesh (optional, this covers up the small front opening)
- Spray paint in whatever colors work for your environment (Finishing touches)
- Branch clippers (Optional, for cutting additional loopholes for observation)
Building the ground stakes-
These ground stakes will hold the netting above your hide for you to lie under.
1- You will need at least 6 feet of ½ inch PVC pipe. I got 10 ft. for $1.69 at Lowes.
2- Cut the pipe into approximately 12 inch sections, and cut as many as you want
3- Make an angled cut about 2 inches in, so that you have a sharp end to drive into the ground. No, we are not making Vietnam Era Punji Stakes.
4- Hold onto the little end piece you get after you cut, these serve as mini stakes for little adjustments.
5- Cut a notch into the top of the pipe (non-sharp side) so that you can hang netting from it when you stab them into the ground.
6- Paint them a nice forest floor brown or green to match your environment.
7- Repeat until you have at least 6-8
Part 3- Construction
Once we have all our materials, we can begin to build our hide.
1- First, we must move into the area and clear the brush where we will build our hide. Sweep the brush away to the edges of your hide area, and hold onto it, you can use it for camo later.
2- Once you have cleared it, draw the outline of your hide with your cutting tool. This will help to keep you enclosed in your hide when you dig.
3- CHOP! Chop the ground inside your hide outline. Make angled cuts one way until you cover the entire outline, then make angled cuts the opposite way. This is the most difficult part, but it is very important as it brings you below the surface level.
4- Once you have loosened up the ground like some ground beef, get dirty! We are snipers anyways, who cares about the dirt. Use your hands (or E-tool) to move the dirt from the insides to the edge, so that you get a depression on the inside, and a little wall on the outside. It may not seem like much, but when you get lit up, every inch counts.
5- Drive 4 stakes into the ground, 1 in each corner. Push them 3-4 inches past where your sharp point ends to lower your silhouette, and to ensure stability. Axes are nice here, as you can use the flat side to hit the stakes in.
6- Hang your netting over these stakes, putting the small rope of the net into the notches. Be sure to leave overlap on each side for additional stakes and to make the netting slope to the ground, not drop off.
7- You can now use your additional stakes and the mini stakes to pull the sides tight, to the ground, and make adjustments.
8- Now, take your trash bags and lay them over top of the netting. This will help to make the hide waterproof in case you are playing in very rainy conditions, or you don't want your precious BDUs to get wet (please don't let that be the reason why)
Part 4- Camouflage
Once we have our base, we can cover the whole thing in veg. Take the veg from the initial clearing and lay that on top. Then, move around and grab more veg.
Don't grab it from 1 point, as that will leave an empty spot that is painfully obvious. Also, vary your location and veg so that you get a diverse supply of veg. Cover as much as you can before the roof sags too low and it becomes obvious, then you can use spray-paint to add the finishing touches and cover tiny open areas.
-You may want to add mesh to the open front area to prevent a black hole that screams "HERE I AM! COME KILL ME" and touch that up with paint as well.
After this, your gorgeous hide is finished, and you may enter from the front to begin your work.
Thanks for reading guys, sorry it was sorta long winded. Please leave comments on what you think below.
-Fitch
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
Woah, sweet write up. Really informative 
I might just use this during the next fulda
I might just use this during the next fulda
Great guide! I want to put this in our gamesite and tell no one about it
Well, this in my opinion is a fast hide. So you can set it up wherever you need it to be. Not just keep it in one areaGreat guide! I want to put this in our gamesite and tell no one about it
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
