badgerw, well said.

I would say a great percentage of those who wear camo in the midwest are not wannabes....they're outdoorsmen, who don't have a huge wardrobe. Polo shirts are a real upgrade for a lot of midwesterners. You want to blend into your surroundings in the midwest....bring your camo and some old flannel shirts and leave your polo shirts at home.

As I said, YMMV.

Here in South Texas you see camouflage clothing on a few specific groups:

1. Construction workers favor woodland BDU trousers. Most don't rate a second glance.

2. Homeless men in woodland BDU trousers and/or jackets. To Joe Citizen they are invisible. To cops they are checked over. To VCAs they are potential victims.

3. Good Ole Boys are often in woodland BDUs (trousers, jackets, or both), various styles of civilian (hunter) camo, or combinations thereof. To other country boys, no issue. Joe Citizen of the 'burbs tries to figure out which ones might be the basis for "Deliverance." Cops are all over the place on this one.

4. Well-to-do sportsman are often seen in jeans and a hunter camo shirt with a collar, placket front, and long sleeves with button cuffs. They are usually driving 3/4 or 1-ton Cowboy Cadillac pickup trucks. Rarely rate a second glance by anyone.

5. A few wannabes in woodland BDUs, almost always between 15 and 25. Mostly invisible, except perhaps to the cops.

Were I to wear camo, I'd probably appear to be in one of those groups. It would depend upon my choice of item and pattern.

Bill

While not camo-pattern, I'll confess to wearing a field jacket from time-to-time when the weather gets a little chilly (much to my wife's chagrin). In doing so, I'm not making a statement. This field jacket is an old friend, issued back in '63, and has, literally, been through the war with me (and it looks like it <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ). We're not about to part company any time soon.

In this day and age, I'm not so sure it's what you wear, as it is how you wear it. My daughter recently pointed out to me that a couple of American Idol female contestants were wearing camo pants. They've become a fashion statement.

Dan

As long as you are not wearing accompanying camo face paint, probably wouldn't give you a second look. Of course, I've always lived in areas that had military bases close by.

I did hear that some place prohibit the wearing of Camo/BDU's off-station.

If I were to wear my tiger stripe camo bdu's in Ohio [which no longer fit anyway] , I would probably get really weird looks and get arrested or at least investigated. On the other hand, I don't think solid color bdu's would rate much of a look from cops or the public, except maybe in a white-collar workplace.

For those who really want to wear camo, and with impunity, I have one word: enlist.

Dan

Like I said - I sometimes wear my hunting Goretex, and never get a comment

Interestingly - the OLD "pre cammo" Field Jackets are fairly common here in NYC - I've never gotten a comment on my OD field jacket - that, and a pair of "Loden" colored chinos - hey - good to go

Thing is, I'm not looking for Cammo - I'b be perfectly happy if the jacket had some pattern - Make me a field jacket that doesn't LOOK like a field jacket - I'd be happy - I get lonely without all the pockets - pockets are a GOOD thing