If someone were to ask you to imagine camouflage, the pattern known as “Woodland” would most likely come to mind first. Originally intended to conceal Army Forces from the 1980s to mid-2000s, this design has since become a fashion staple garnering numerous reiterations and customizations. But, color-tweaking and design modification was not the approach we took with our newest exterior…

We felt it was important to educate ourselves, and our consumers, on Woodland’s legacy. As such, here is our summarization of how the newest OGIO exterior, Woodland Camo, came to be.

Where It All Began

Camo as we know it was first introduced during the World War II era. Nicknamed “Frogskin” by military members, camo’s first iteration was reversible. One side was dedicated to jungle environments consisting of variations of greens, the other side was for beach environments, comprised of variants of tan.

Later, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) designed a general-purpose jungle camouflage. Taking inspiration from the environment, the camo consisted of green and brown organic shapes with black “branches” against a lime green background. This pattern was most notably present during the Vietnam war after its 1967 service launch.

It wasn’t until 1981 that the US Army began to modify the original ERDL design. Modifications included redrawn splotches with a 60% scaled enlargement and a more varied splotch distribution. This pattern was applied to Battle Dress Uniforms across the board, including hats, blouses, pants, field equipment, protective wear and more. Per Camopedia.com, this modified pattern “has been one of the most duplicated and modified camouflage patterns ever designed”.

OGIO and Woodland

Camouflage, in its purest sense, is NOT the intention with our newest exterior. Instead, our Woodland Camo pays homage to Woodland’s illustrious past by applying it to the industry’s most durable, performance-enhancing bags. With a true-to-form aesthetic application and powerful execution, Woodland Camo exemplifies OGIO’s mission: To turn ambition into achievement.

Woodland Camo is now available on select ALPHA Convoy products.

Sources: Camopedia.com, USA Today, Itstactical