Video: Helikon-Tex Polish Woodland NIR Signature

Helikon-Tex offers a wide range of color options and camouflage patterns – but this month, the focus is on the “Polish Woodland” camouflage pattern. This pattern is actually printed using NIR-compliant dyes and therefore meets military requirements for camouflage in the near-infrared spectrum. I covered the whole topic using Helikon-Tex products as examples in a Reel.

As an addition to the Reel, I also want to share some photos from that night here. I took them with a DSLR through a THE14. I’ll write a separate article about the setup with the lens and adapter. As you can see here, the pattern provides excellent contrast under night vision.

Here is a direct comparison with the Apex Lightweight Combat Shirt in RAL7013, which does not use NIR-compliant dyes.

Here is the Supertarp Small in Polish Woodland. I simply threw it over myself and crouched down next to the bushes. Many tarps commonly used for bushcraft feature camouflage patterns, but they generally do not use NIR-compliant dyes.

And here is the Supertarp in Woodland – without any NIR-compliant dyes.

Of course, camouflage performance in the NIR spectrum always depends on the surrounding environment. But you can clearly see that the camouflage pattern does indeed have the kind of NIR signature you would expect from modern camouflage patterns.