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WhAmericanCivilianNeedThermalvaionuit
ByBrandonSmith

Whyhasittakensolongforpracticalthermalevasionmethodstobeintroducedtothecivilianmarket?Thereare
multiple reasons. First, many average people unfortunately have little to no concern over thermal vision based
weaponssystems.Theybelievethatalloftheseweaponsresideinthehandsofgovernments,governmentswhich
supposedly have the best interests of the citizenry at heart. Why should they develop or purchase a thermal
evasionsystemwhenthegoodguyshaveallthethermaltoys?Thisisblindfaithinanestablishmentwhichhas
notearnedourtrust...

Sadly,withtheadventofnumerousprivacyandlibertycrushingprograms,itissafetosaythatnotallgovernments
ifanygovernmentshavethebestinterestsofthepublicatheart.Infact,manygovernmentstodayaretrainingto
subdueandcontroltheirrespectivepopulationsratherthanprotectthem.

Also, thermal vision devices are now widely available to any person, almost anywhere. Criminal and extremist
elementscanobtainthermalvisionaseasilyasyouandIcan.Ifyouarenotworriedaboutgovernmentcorruption
andoverreach,thenyoushouldatleastbeconcernedbythegrowthoforganizationslikeISIS.

Second, the learning curve is immense. One must be willing to learn a considerable amount of thermal physics
basics,aswellashaveanengineeringsensewhichallowsforcreativeproblemsolving.Mostofall,patienceis
requiredtocompletetheendeavor.

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Third,thecostofdevelopingawearablethermalsuitcanbeprohibitive.Thermalscopessuitableenoughtotest
suchaproductrunaround$3000minimum.Thecostoftestingvariousmaterialscanalsobeveryhigh,andthe
processistimeconsuming(threeyearscollectivelyforthoseofushereatSnakebiteTactical).Addtothisthecost
ofproduction(thelaborrequiredtofabricateaworkingmodel),fromprototypetofinalsuit,andmanypeople,even
thosehighlymotivated,simplydon'thavethetimeorthemoneytomakethermalevasionpossible.

But,isn'tthereamarketforthis,youask?Wouldn'tsomecompanyouttheresomewhererealizethathundredsof
thousandsifnotmillionsofsurvivaladvocatesandprepperscouldhavesignificantdemandforthermalevasion?
Whyhasn'tanyoneinthebusinessworldpursuedthis?

That'seasythepeoplegenerallyholdingpositionsofauthorityindevelopmentinthebusinessworlddesireniche
markets and easy profits, but, they also benefit greatly from the existing system through government contracts
(stateandfederal)aswellaspoliticalpartnerships.Forthemostpart,thesepeoplehavenointerestwhatsoeverin
inventingordistributingproductsthatwoulddiminishthepowerofthatsystem,atleast,noneofthemwanttobe
thefirsttodistributetheseitems.

Fourth,themajorityofmodernmilitaryhardwareandmachinerynowreliesontheintegrationofthermalsystems.
The fact is, standardized military strategies have abandoned smarter asymmetric tactics in exchange for
technologicalshortcuts.Thegeneralpublicseemstohavelittletonocluewhatsoeverhowdependentthemilitary
isonthermalvisionasweenterthisneweraoftechnowarfare.Often,perimeterandsecuritysweepsappliedby
soldiers in the field are done for the most part with thermal surveillance. No major hotspots, and those soldiers
moveon.

Dronesareevenmorereliantonthermalimagery,beingthattheyoftenrequiretargetrecognitionbysoldiersonthe
ground (using thermal/laser ranging gear), then they must find and strike those targets using their own thermal
devices from vast distances whichnarrowthefieldofviewdowntonothing.Ifadroneswitchesfromwideview
with all the thermal noise involved and looks through its magnified thermal lens (kind of like looking through a
straw) and finds no man shaped hot spots, then there is no target. Period. A drone operator will not waste
ordinancerandomlyinthehopesofgettingaluckyhitonatargetthatmayormaynotstillbethere.

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Ifacompanydoesproduceathermalevasionsuit(afewaroundtheworldhavedonethis,thoughanyinformation
onhowtheirsuitsworkishardtocomeby),thatcompanywillwithoutadoubtsellthedesigntothemilitaryunder
contract.Toreleaseanactualworkingthermalsuitopenlytothepublicessentiallynegatesbillionsuponbillionsof
dollarsinmilitarymachineryandtraining.Thebottomlineis,armiesaroundtheglobeusedtoKNOWthatthermal
visionisadependableforcemultiplier.TodaywiththereleaseoftheThermTacGhostSuit,theyhavenocluewho
is hiding where. They have just been kicked back to the era of Vietnamstyle combat environments with all the
doubt and uncertainty of past wars. Needless to say, most companies and inventors do not have the balls to
undercutandmakeobsoletethetechnologyofthemilitaryindustrialcomplexregardlessoftheextentoftheirprofit
motive.

The question is, is it fundamentally wrong then to make thermal evasion available to common people? If you
understandwhotheenemyreallyis,thentheanswerisaclearno.

RecentdocumentsreleasedconcerningISISshowthatmanyterroristgroupsarefunded,trained,andoftenarmed
bycovertintelligenceagenciesunderordersfromourowngovernments.Thesegroupsarealreadywellawareof
howtoevadethermalvisioniftheywish,whichiswhyourmilitaryhasbeensounsuccessfulinsubduingthemin
foreign theaters. Meaning, our thermal evasion suit cannot aid terrorists if they are already training by our own
government.

The primary application of thermal vision is to undermine asymmetric combat methods. That is to say, thermal
visionwasputintomilitaryuseasameanstocounteracttheadvantagessmallerguerrillaunitshaveofmaneuver
andsurprise.Asymmetricmethodsaretheonlymethodsleftavailabletothecitizenrytostoptheriseoftyrannical
political conditions. If constitutional freedoms were entirely erased tomorrow (as numerous pieces of legislation
andexecutiveordersgivetheestablishmentlicensetodo),thepublicwouldinvariablybeforcedtofightback,and
fightbackusingasymmetrics.

Thermalevasionputsatleastsomepowersquarelybackintothehandsofthecitizenrywhereitbelongs.Atthe
veryleast,itlevelsthefightingfieldtothepointthatadeterminedpopulationhasachancetodefendthemselves.
Withoutthermalevasion,theoddsofsuccessdiminishdrastically.

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The concept of the thermal suit should also be distinguished from existing ideas of thermal tents or tarps.
Shelterstylethermalevasionproductsareusefulforcertainapplications,andSnakebitetacticalplanstoofferitems
likethiswithourowninnovations.However,athermaltarpisNOTusefulforanythingbeyondshelteringinplace,
whichiswhytheyaresoeasytomakecomparedtoathermalsuit.Theseproductscannotbephysicallyhandled
orwornaroundthebody,otherwise,theyheatupalmostimmediately.Theironlypurposeistohideastationary
person who has no direct contact with the tarp, a person who has no plans to move anywhere or do anything
tacticallyproactive.

A thermal evasion suit is designed specifically for those who wish to be mobile, and for those who want thermal
coverageatALLtimesat360degreesofsecurity,includingduringoperationalactivities,notonlyduringrestand
observationperiods.

Athermalevasionsuitisatool,likeanyothertool.WeatSnakebiteTacticalintendittobeatoolfordefense.We
believe fully in the cause of liberty for all peoples, and we believe that thermal evasion is just as essential in
maintainingthatlibertyastherighttobeararmsis.Wehopethatthiscontributiontothelibertymovementasa
wholewillhelpturnthetideoftyrannyback,andgiveAmericansachancetorejuvenatetheconstitutionalprinciples
thatoncemadeoursocietyhonorablyuniqueinthepagesofhistory.

MakingThermalvaionPoile
ByBrandonSmith

Thermal vision capabilities have over the past decade been held as a kind of holy grail for the technologically
dependent military apparatus, along with laser targeting, drones, and the overall digitization of the battlefield.
Governments today want ultimate situational awareness, or full spectrum awareness of every minute detail of a
combatzone,believingthattheycanpredictenemyactionsusingrealtimecomputermodels.TheJADE(Joint
AssistanceforDeploymentandExecution)inJADEHELMbeingaprimaryexampleofthecomputerizedresponse
machinerelieduponbytheDepartmentofDefense.Theyarealsoacutelyawareofthesurveillanceadvantages
thatheatsignaturetrackingaffords.Withoutthermalvision,avastarrayofmodernweaponsaregreatlyreducedin

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their current effectiveness. Without ensured observation and targeting, technoaddicted armies and adversaries
areforcedtofaceaproblemtheyoftenassumetheyhavetranscendednamelytheproblemofdoubt.

Thepoweroftechnologicallyadvancedmilitarytoolsandsocialcontrolsisapowerthatwillinevitablybeabused.
Infact,itisalreadybeingabused.ThetemptationtousethermalimagingorFLIRasleveragetodominaterather
thanprotectisextremelyhigh.

To be clear on the importance of such tactics, thermal evasion derails the concept of total observation and
surveillancedominance.Itlevelstheplayingfieldingreaterfavorofpeopleandpopulationsthathavebeendenied
accesstomodernmethodsofselfdefense.Effectiveproactivethermalevasionisagamechangerinfavoroffree
peoples.

In releasing theThermTac Ghost Suit, we at SnakebiteTactical are well aware of the future implications, even if
somepeopleouttheredonotyetunderstandwhysuchathingisnecessary.

Thermalevasionsuitsorghillieshavebeeninventedbyahandfulofprivatecontractorsalready,butthesesuits
and the secrets behind how they work are tightly kept. Thermal evasion has been restricted to the hands of
governmentsandkeptfarawayfromthegeneralpublic,tothepointthatpeoplenowseemtoassumethatthermal
visionisanallseeingeyethatcannotbeundone.Thefactis,governmentshavehadtheabilitytodefeatthermal
visionforsometimenow.

MilitaryThermalEvasion

In my personal research on military grade thermal evasion suits, I am sorry to say I found very little of use. My
workbeganoverthreeyearsagoindevelopingasuitconcept,andnogovernmentorcontractorhasyettorelease
muchmorethanfainthintsastohowevasionispossible.

Icansaythattheydohaveaccesstomaterialsaswellaschemicalandpaintcoatingsthatwedonothaveaccess
toandprobablyneverwillhaveaccessto.That'sfine,wedon'tneedthem.

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IcanalsosaythatthestandardsofmilitarythermalevasionsuitsarenotmuchdifferentfromtheThermTacGhost
Suit.Inreality,fromwhatIhaveseenofmilitarysuitsinaction,theirstandardsarelowerthanours.MilitarySuits
have a tendency to be either bulkier and more restrictive than the ThermTac, or, they tend to have reduced
effectivenessinhidingsignature.Thegoalofthermalsuitdesignersappearstobetomerelybreakupthehuman
thermalsilhouettetoaparticulardegree.Perhapsa50%to60%breakupofthethermalsignature.Theyconsider
thistobegoodenough,andforthemostparttheyareright.

Anyone who has used thermal imaging extensively knows that any field of view will contain numerous hot spots
fromtreestorockstoanimals,etc.ThehumanshapeisVERYdistinctiveinthermal,so,ifapersoncanbreakup
histhermalshape,orchangeittobelessrecognizable,thenhehasgonealongwayinavoidingdetection.Our
goal at Snakebite Tactical was to not only break up the thermal image but to blend the suit and wearer into the
thermalqualitiesoftheterraina90%orgreaterreduction.Webelievewehaveachievedourgoal.

ThermalSuitConstruction

Inmystudiesintothermalthreeyearsago,Ifeltthatthebestpathwasusingextremereflectivitybothontheinside
and outside of any thermal evasion suit. Inside the suit, thermal energy would be reflected back as much as
possible,slowingthetransferofheattotheoutsidelayer.Ontheoutsidelayer,thelowemissivityofthematerials
would make heat dissipation very quick and efficient. From the inside of the suit to the outside of the suit, you
wouldhaveabalanceofheatin,andquickdissipationofheatout,sothatthepersonwearingthesuitwouldendup
insyncwiththetemperaturesoftheenvironmentaroundhim.

Lowgradethermalblanketsdonothaveenoughreflectivecapabilitytopullthistrickoff.Manyofthemhaveareal
reflectiveratingofaround80%.Highgradethermalblanketscanwork,butendupbeingtoobulkyandimpractical,
makingtheevasionpartoftheschemedifficult.IeventuallyfoundamaterialwhichIbelievedwoulddothetrick
RadiantBarrierMaterial,akindofaluminizedfabric.Thesematerialshadarealreflectiveratingofaround95%,
andanextremelylowemissivity.Ofcourse,atthattime,Ididnothaveaccesstothermalvision,northefundsto
purchaseit,sothesuitwentonthebackburner.

Eventually,OathKeepersannouncedtheirintentionstoputtogetherathermalevasionsuit,andIwasabletowork
closelywithStewartRhodesandothersinfinallytestingtheideasIhadinmindyearsago,alongwiththeideasof
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otherOathKeepermembers.TheThermTacGhostSuitistheculminationofthatjointeffort.

OuterCamouflage

Thebiggestproblemindevelopingathermalsuitisnottheproblemofheat,buttheproblemofvisiblecamo.The
radiantbarriermaterialsworkbrilliantly,butaddingoutercamo,fromfabricstopaints,causedanimmediateheatup
ofthesuit.Theouterlayerofanythermalsuitmustremainlowinemissivitysothatitdoesnotretainresidualheat
through physical contact and transfer. Adding fabrics or paints on top of the outer layer destroyed its ability to
dissipateheat.

We eventually decided to create yet another layering system, using light weight ripstop nylon, then camo netting
andlightweightleaffabrics,allofwhichwerepolyester(polyesterseemstobethebestmaterialformatchingthe
temperatureemissivityofmostenvironmentalconditions,andworksamazinglywellwherethereisvegetation).We
foundthatthelightweightmaterialsinalayeredcombinationwereenoughtogivevisiblecamouflagewithoutgreatly
interruptingthethermalqualitiesoftheradiantbarrier.

TheNormalRulesOfFieldCraftStillApply

TheThermTac Suit is a tool like any other, and must be used correctly in order to be effective. It is not a magic
cloakthatmakesapersoncompletelyinvisible.Yourmovementcanstillbeseenatclosedistancesoroutinthe
open,thoughyourshapewillbedifficulttoidentifyinathermalscope.Movingthroughanopenfield,forinstance,
would still be a foolish violation of field craft and the rules of evasion. Sticking to cover and concealment is still
necessarywiththeThermTacSuit.

Thesuitalsoinmanycasesmustbegiventimetoacclimateitstemperaturetotheenvironment.Forexample,a
person using the ThermTac cannot throw the suit on inside a house or vehicle that is 75 degrees F and jump
outsidetoa45degreeFenvironmentandbeimmediatelyinvisible.Normally,threetofiveminutesisrequiredfor
thesuittomatchthetemperatureoftheenvironmentitisexposedto.Inthemeantime,somehotspotswillappear
onthesuit.

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Directsunlightduringthehottertimesoftheyearisalsoadanger.NoondaysuninmidJulyinanopenareacan
indeed cause hot spots on the TherTac, and it is recommended that a person stick to shady areas during such
circumstancesinordertogetthemaximumthermalreduction.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatthehotterthe
day,themorethermalnoisewillbepresentforthoseattemptingtouseFLIRtofindyou.Atdistancesbeyond30
yardsduringhotdays,athermalimagecouldbecomesoclutteredwithheatspotsthatyouwouldbeimpossibleto
findaslongasyourshaperemainedbroken.

WeusedaFLIRPS32forthefilmingoftheThermTacvideo,andthescopeworkedverywell.Thesensitivityofthe
redscaleoptionmadetestingverychallenging.Ifwewantedtocutcornersandmakeasuithalfasuseful,we
wouldhavestuckwiththewhitescaleoptionoftenusedinthermalevasiontestsbycontractorsandothers,which
makeslessermethodsseemmoreimpressive.

We found during testing that at distances as close as ten feet, the suit did its job, but was most effective at
distancesof15yardsormore,wherethesubjectbecamenearlyinvisible.Ataveragerangesofcombat,30yards
to50yards,thesubjectisimpossibletoseeinthermalimagingevenwithmagnification.Thesuitwasalsotested
using military grade thermal imaging equipment, which operates on all the same principles as thermal imaging
availabletocivilians,andthedesignfunctionedasexpected.MilitarygradeFLIRdoeshavesubstantialzoomand
focus capabilities, but I would also remind everyone that when a military grade thermal device on a drone, for
instance,zoomstofocusonatarget,itisusuallybecauseithasidentifiedahumanshapeatawiderangle,or,units
onthegroundhaveidentifiedahumanshapeandlaseditasatarget.Thatistosay,withoutanidentifiablehuman
shapeatawiderangle,thereisNOTARGETformilitaryFLIRtorecognizeandzoominon.

ThermalTestingAndVideo

During thermal testing be sure you UNDERSTAND what you are actually looking at and why, otherwise, none of
yourobservationswillbevalid.Forinstance,thePS32hastheoptiontoincreasetheredscalesensitivitytopick
upverysmalldifferencesintemperature.Whenweusedthisoptionwefoundthatheatpocketsappearedonthe
suit,butthismadeperfectsense.Thesuit'stemperaturewasslightlydifferentfromtheairdirectlyaroundit.When
webackedawaytoaround10yardsormore,thesuit'sabilitieswereevenmoreimpressive.Asweincreasedthe
sensitivity of the red scale, the suit heated up at the same rate as the trees around it, meaning the suit was

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matchingtheemissivityoftheenvironmentcomparabletotheheatofthevegetation.Evenathighsensitivity,the
subjectwasimpossibletopickoutintheimage.

Anytestingthatapersonundertakeswiththermalshouldbedoneatvaryingrangesinordertogetabettergrasp
onhowasuitisworking.Ahotspotthatcanbeseenatfivefeetoftendisappearsat25feet.Again,understand
whatyouarelookingat.Ifthehumanformisgone,thenthesuitisworking.

Forthosewhocannotaffordtopurchaseathermalscopebutwishtotesttheirthermalevasionsuit,Irecommend
the rental option. This option did not really exist when I first began work on building a suit, but today there are
multipleonlinevendorsthatrentthermalimagersfordaysorweeksatatime.

Ialsocannotconveythesizeofthelearningcurveinvolvedinshootingandrecordingthermalvideofootagewithout
an$8000scope.ForsomereasonFLIRneverreleasedanattachmenttoallowforvideorecordingonthePS32,
andIwouldliketothankthegoodpeopleatCademiaforshippingmeoneoftheirFLIRhotshoesquickly.This
littledevicemadeallourthermalvideographypossible,alongwithsomecleverrecordingoptions.Imaydoavideo
onedaysolelyonrecordingthermalimages.

WewouldalsoliketothankalloursupportersatOathKeepersandAltMarketfortheircontinuingpatronageand
support. We hope that the ThermTac Ghost Suit will stand as a valuable contribution to the continuing fight for
liberty.

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