Introduction

Early this summer, a friend of mine encouraged me to connect with Mathias Eichinger – the person behind Distinctive Camo Designs. I knew his works from several pictures in the Camouflage Addicts Facebook group, so I thought why not and to my surprise he turned out to be a fellow Austrian. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for us to join forces in a camo field test.

Distinctive Camo Designs

First things first though. It is always interesting to look behind the curtain, so it is also worth looking at some background info before starting the field test. From our exchange and the available info on the internet, I learned that Mathias Eichinger is interested in all things nature, animal camouflage and also military camouflage since his childhood.

This interest in combination with his love for the outdoors, led to studies in ecology and him obtaining an MSc. Since 2015 he is actively designing camouflage patterns which can be found on Deviant Art:

https://www.deviantart.com/mathias1978/gallery/

By now he has a quite extensive portfolio with Trigon Camo only being the tip of the iceberg. This camouflage pattern of his is also the first one, he is actively trying to promote and sell, aiming mainly at the outdoor camouflage market, but also at military and law enforcement, due to its low profile nature.

With that being said I first want to take a closer look at Trigon Camo Woodland. One of his newest versions of this pattern. In another review I will take a look at one of his other patterns: Trigon Camo Multi.

TrigonCamo Woodland

Trigon Camo uses a completely different approach than other camouflage patterns I have reviewed before. By using different coloured triangular shapes, the pattern looks more like digital art at first glance. Especially at close range the initial impression is everything other than military. One might think at various patterns by outdoor brands at first. As soon as you put the pattern in the field however, you immediately realize its effectiveness.

Trigon Camo Woodland in use

The pattern itself consists of triangular shaped midi elements, which by themselves form macro elements. By mixing some of the chosen colours, transitions and shades are being created, giving the pattern various nuances.

Trigon Camo Woodland – the pattern

Interestingly it does not create levels of depth, but rather confuses visual perception and works with disruption.

If there are any perceivable levels, I for myself can only see two. The light brown background with the various greens and dark browns on top. Interestingly the Trigon Camo Woodland pattern is a mix of the already existing Autumn version and the colours of M81 Woodland. The results are a pattern, which has a certain similarity to MARPAT, from a certain distance.

With that being said, let’s start with the field test.

Methodic remarks

As always I want to point out several aspects before starting the review: I do not claim any scientific standard with any of my camouflage field tests. Also, I conduct them with my best knowledge as well as the available resources.

Before I start, please consider the following – as always:

I did not edit the pictures in any special way, except the following:

• Lens correction
• Watermark
• Blurred my face out if necessary
• .jpeg compression to make it web compliant
• I always do a proper White Balance to make colours appear the way they are.

A short explanation to the environment and the procedure:

The pattern was tested in a typical European mixed forest with (if not stated otherwise) a high foliage canopy and some basic bushes, ferns and little trees on the ground. This time I only had a piece of cloth at my disposal, which I used as a poncho. The boonie and the pants are different patterns, which shall not be named here, to stay on topic.

The pictures portray three different positions:

• Standing in the open (to get an idea of the pattern in this particular surroundings and if the colours match it)
• Kneeling (to give an idea of a typical, minimized silhouette)
• The prone position (to mimic basic, up to ideal concealment without using vegetational enhancements)

As always I photographed with a wide angle lens (18mm) at first and then with a 35mm zoom, which mimics the actual picture the human eye would perceive at this distance. The distance to the camera is always 10-15m, the wide angle makes it look further away (which is the point).

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the pictures themselves.

Trigon Camo Woodland – Field Test

Location 1

This first location is the usual one readers might know from previous reviews, providing a reference point to other field tests. It is a typical European mixed forest with a high foliage canopy and some basic bushes, ferns and little trees on the ground. At this site I left out the prone position since you would not be able to see me anyway because of the tall ferns.

The camera is standing roughly 10m away from the human silhouette.

Wide angle shot – standing

Starting with the first image, it quickly becomes clear why I made a reference to MARPAT. The brown base color is the dominant one, while the green macro elements break up the silhouette. These appear like the surrounding branches of the undergrowth, while the base colour matches the trees close by.

wide angle – standing

The effect is even stronger because of me using the cloth like a poncho. As a result most of the human shape is not visible. The colours match the surroundings and perfectly blend into this environment.

Wide angle shot – kneeling

Kneeling down only enhances this effect. First and foremost because of the natural concealment in front, but also because of the matching colours, the missing human silhouette and the disruption of the macro elements.

wide angle – kneeling

35mm, showing the actual distance – standing

Looking at this situation with a focal length of 35mm, the actual human vision can be discussed. While the brown still matches the surrounding trees, the green in the pattern appears to be a bit darker with a bluish tint to it.

35mm – standing

Nevertheless, the silhouette is disrupted and the midi elements come into play, giving the impression of a flecktarn pattern.

35mm, showing the actual distance – kneeling

Going into a kneeling position in this environment is basically concealment in itself. TrigonCamo Woodland does the rest. The base colour matches the surrounding trees, giving the impression of a tree stump, while the green midi elements with the various shades blend into the environment and disrupt the rest of the silhouette.

35mm – kneeling

For obvious reasons I did not include the prone position.

Location 2

The second location is a pure deciduous forest part. It is also a quite open space with a path leading through the middle. So apart from very saturated greens of the leaves on the trees, you have a direct contrast to brown, decaying and dried leafs on the ground floor.

The distance to the camera is again roughly 10m.

Wide angle shot – standing

This location is interesting because it is brighter and more in a clearing. Looking at the wide angle shot you can see how the Trigon Camo Woodland pattern is blending into the environment quite easily. While the midi elements are hard to point out, the macro elements break up the silhouette. In fact, the disruption is so good in the knee area, that the colours blend into the background.

wide angle – standing

What makes me stand out are actually my legs, which are not covered in Trigon Camo Woodland.

Wide angle shot – kneeling

Kneeling down enhances the camouflage effect as always. In this case the silhouette is disrupted completely. The macro elements are barely visible, but do their job in creating a diverse and organic pattern, which blends into the surroundings.

wide angle – kneeling

35mm, showing the actual distance – standing

Again, the actual perceived distance of 10m shows a more detailed picture. The macro pattern is clearly visible, disrupting the human shape. The excellent contrast to the brown base colour works very effective in this location. So while the brown matches the dried floor of leaves, the green of the macro elements, together with the transitions and shades, is providing the illusion of living branches.

35mm – standing

35mm, showing the actual distance – kneeling

This becomes more apparent when kneeling down. What gives the silhouette away in this case are actually the folds of the fabric, creating shadows. On the chest as well as the right knee you actually have the feeling as if you are looking through glass.

35mm – kneeling

The midi and macro elements provide an organic pattern, which is perfectly blending into this environment.

Location 3

Location 3 is already known from the ConCamo reviews. I introduced this place to offer more woodland diversity. It is a mixture of deciduous and coniferous forest. Again you will find strong contrasts between brown and green vegetation with a slightly denser undergrowth and a partly closed canopy, with a clearing on the side.

This time the camera is around 15m away.

Wide angle shot – standing

Looking at the first picture, my previous observations come to mind again. Given the organic nature of the pattern and the choice of colours, at this range Trigon Camo Woodland completely blends into the environment. If not for my legs standing out, one might think you are looking through a barely visible silhouette.

wide angle – standing

The green macro element is again working in sync with the brown base colour, giving the impression of woodland floor and branches.

Wide angle shot – kneeling

This becomes more apparent when kneeling down. Especially with the cloth used as a poncho, the human shape is effectively broken up, while the colours blend into the surroundings. The midi and macro elements do the rest.

wide angle – kneeling

Wide angle shot – prone

This is also the first location where I actually took pictures of the prone position. As you can see, the Trigon Camo Woodland pattern mixes well with the floor, making the person disappear quite easily.

wide angle – prone

35mm, showing the actual distance – standing

Again, taking a closer look with a 35mm focal length, the pattern can be observed in more detail. The contrast between my rather visible legs in comparison to the well camouflaged torso is quite apparent.

35mm – standing

The green macro elements work horizontally as well as vertically. The dotted appearance gives the pattern an overall organic look, despite the triangular shapes (which are not noticeable even at this distance). Colours match the surroundings perfectly.

35mm, showing the actual distance – kneeling

In the kneeling position the “poncho effect”, in combination with the pattern and colours, doesn’t need any comment. The only give away are the folds in the cloth.

35mm – kneeling

35mm, showing the actual distance – prone

The same applies to the prone position. Even though you can see some fabric shine in this particular picture, the performance of TrigonCamo speaks for itself.

35mm – prone

Additional Location

Having such a big cloth at my disposal, I was also tempted to try out different things. On the one hand I put the cloth on a huge tree stump, when I was first experimenting with it; and on the other hand I put it over my backpack and left it standing on the forest road and also in the forest itself.

The following pictures depict the results:

As you can see from the various pictures, the TrigonCamo Woodland pattern has a very natural feel to it, despite looking very arty and design oriented at close range. Next to the road, the pack covered with the cloth looks like a tree stump. In the woods by itself this effect increases.

However, close range (5m +/-) this pattern is clearly identifiable. But this is a different topic with lots of different opinions on ranges of engagement, close proximity etc. I am not going into that, since every pattern is designed with a specific spectrum in mind.

Conclusion

With that being said, I want to come to a conclusion.

As shown in this field test, Trigon Camo Woodland is quite the effective camouflage pattern, which works in coniferous as well as deciduous forest environments. Because of the geometric shapes and/or the design of the midi elements, it is quite obvious at close range. At the same time these elements blur into an effective camouflage pattern at a distance of around 10 to 15m. The association with a sci-fi flecktarn or pea dot might occur, giving the pattern its very own unique touch.

Having this in mind, Trigon Camo is a promising option when it comes to camouflage. Be it for more “civil” applications like the outdoors or hunting – but also military and law enforcement.

The current downside is availability. There are no major manufacturers at this point offering the pattern. The few garments and fabrics available are being offered through Spoonflower and OriginelleFotoGeschenke. You will find the links on the FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/DistinctiveCamo/

These are no MilSpec fabrics however, so only visual camouflage is guaranteed. NIR etc is not an option at the moment. With that being said, talks are underway to get other companies or manufacturers on board. So I do hope to see others picking this one up.

Coming to an end, I hope I was able to give you a decent introduction to Distinctive Camo Designs and TrigonCamo Woodland in particular.

Thank you and take care!