I dont have one of these yet, but in my search for something to go to ground with i got to thinking about getting an army bivy and the summer sleeping bag.
anyone think that the sleeping bag portion could be used as a TQ until better comes along? any opinions at all really would help.
Give a man fire and he's warm for the night.
Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. Dante
If it's the same one I'm thinking of be careful in your hammock. The zipper pull is huge and kind of sharp. Don't stab a hole in your hammock or start a tear.
Any TQ suited for the temps works great in a bivy bag, you don't need a sleeping bag for ground work. So just get the bivy bag and a pad, since I assume you have both TQ and UQ?
Plus, when you're on ground (and here I suggest an insulated inflatable pad, Exped Downmat ftw), your UQ gets freed up, giving you that much extra fluff for TQ if it gets colder at night.
A sleeping bag is just a lot of extra work getting in and out compared to a quilt.
- Tanstaafl.
- Whoever said "No smoke without fire" never went camping.
- It's just badass to have a yak.
PM sent with TQ information.
"No whining in the woods"
REV,
I have the entire ECWS system. I find it quite comfy for ground use. I have used the bags in my hammock as a TQ, very effectively. I was a little concerned about the huge zippers at first, but I just double check they are at the footend and never had any problems. I've used it that way maybe a dozen times.
The problem with those surplus Army bags, I've found, is they aren't cared for very well. The insulation gets smashed and losses most of it's loft by the time they reach a civilian market. They will keep you warm still but forget -20*F; mine is more like 0*F maybe.
I've been working to convert the green (summer) bag into a psuedo-pod. The foot end wasn't too bad. (get out the seam ripper) It's the head end I'm aprehensive about opening up.
If weight & size isn't much concern to you. I think they are a great inexpensive way to get into camping/backpacking.
YMMV
-A.A.
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." -Plato
And comparatively, most mil issue sleeping bags are considered to be pretty heavy by most civilian hikers.
I don't have the new system, but still have my ICW bag from way back in the day. Slept in it several times in my hammock, and it works great. It's just heavy by most modern day standards.
I have the intermediate bag (-10 rated) from the newer 5 piece MSS system and ACU Goretex bivy that I got at the local Army/Navy store. I unzip that combo all the way down and use it as a TQ like Shug shows in his video. It has worked great for me. I have had it down into the mid 30's with a down sleeping bag I converted to an UQ, and I was half past toasty! I like having that water resistant bivy in case I have to go to ground or the weather turns nasty too. I don't have the lighter bag in the system yet, but will probably get that sometime.
I got one of the MSS (Im pretty sure its the exact same thing as the ECWSS). Its really not to bad. The bivy is 20 or 22 oz, the patrol bag (32*) is 38oz, and the intermediate bag (0*) is 56oz. Ive use the patrol bag with my JBR nest and been comfortable down to 26*.
my old set up was just an old canvas brazillian style hammock with my army pad and ECW mummy bag from the late 80's. It is a beast and weighs in around 7 pounds but it is roasty toasty. I actually cut the zipper out and just used the snaps. I am a warm sleeper and that helps me vent at night when I get too warm.
I used that rig in well below zero and no complaints. It is the bag my son is using this weekend.
We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it. -- Robert Baden-Powell
That's all I use. I don't own a TQ. Summer Green bag for summer and Black bag for winter. Might try modifying my Bivy for an UQ wind cover, but haven't decided yet.
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