Sniperhide

Hides are an effective way of camouflaging yourself from your chosen quarry. A roll of camo netting and some bungee cords and/or hide poles used to do the trick, however, they can be a pain to set up and don’t offer any protection from the elements! Luckily, things have moved on and there’s now a wide range of tent-like, camouflageclad, pop-up hides available.

On test is the Sniperhide, which is portable, lightweight and waterproof. It differs from other hides because it is designed to be used while lying in the prone position, making it ideal for rifle shooters and longer range ambush shooting. The outer shows an effective camouflage pattern, which when combined with the low silhouette of the design, makes it very hard to detect.

Setup

It comes in a waterproof bag with compression straps and a handle on the outside, plus it’s sealed using a toggle and drawstring. It weighs approximately 1.4kg and only measures 14 x 7 x 7”.

Simply remove it from its bag and undo the two pieces of camo cord. Next, unroll it to expose two smaller bags made of the same material. One contains tent pegs, while the other houses two collapsible poles.

Once assembled, insert the poles into the ‘sleeves’located at the main entry point, then slot the feet into the appropriate anchor straps (see instructions).

This is done under tension and forms the ‘dome’ of the Sniperhide. If required, you can then secure the whole thing with the tent pegs.

Features

Once deployed, the hide measures 210x82x59cm (LxWxH). The front flap includes a zippered slot for a rifle barrel and is opened using a zip. It hinges at ground level and once open, exposes a mesh screen. Once this is unzipped, you have access to the hide. All the zips include orange paracord pulls and there is a cord/ toggle arrangement to adjust the peak/hood over the entrance.

Inside, the taped seams complement the Gortexlike material that makes the hide waterproof. All the zips can be operated from within, including the one that opens up the rear of the dome for ventilation/ access (more mesh). There is also a zip that runs down the side of the main accommodation area and this provides a much larger access point to the hide. Stud fastened storm flaps protect these zips.

In use

The amount of space inside is obviously dependant on your size. I am 6ft- 6, so space was a little tight for me, however, for normal people, there is plenty of room for them, a rifle and some food.

I found that the material used for the hide does generate some noise but this is to be expected of waterproof materials. Any sound created while moving inside would be drowned out by poor weather, which is probably one of the main reasons you are in the hide anyway!

Overall, the Sniperhide does exactly what it is meant to do. It’s portable, takes just a few minutes to put up, the quality is good and it’s waterproof, windproof and breathable, plus the design suits prone shooting. Just wish it was as easy to get it back in the bag as it is to get it out!