Posted: 11/24/2014 9:39:14 AM EDT
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I work in the oil and gas industry and travel hundreds of miles to work. As a result my Get Home Bag pretty much is my Bug Out Bag. I want to have the ability to hoof it home if everything goes off the rails.
Right now I have a 0 degree mummy style bag in my ruck and a couple of tarps to make a shelter with. Since it's winter up here half the year, I wanted something better for the cold, but I don't want to lug the weight of a tent. Which brings me to my question; what is your opinion of the military sleep system that's currently issued? When I was in the service all we had was the old OD green fart sacks so I have no experience with this newer bag. It will add maybe six pounds to my ruck once I subtract my old bag and one of my tarps. Is the extra weight worth it? Thanks for any answers or suggestions. |
| I have a Kelty version of the sleep system. With the addition of the military Gortex bivy liner, it probably has a -30 degree rating at least. Add in a nice sleeping pad (I have a 2" self-inflating Thermorest) and it's a very comfortable set up in any weather. |
| Some use hammocks, putting a hole in the bottom of the sleeping bag so that you can slide the hammock through the sleeping bag.That will reduce your heat loss to the ground. Hammock is about 2 lbs, then your sleeping bag, tarp and paracord. It's even possible to setup the hammock by standing up two large branches and staking them to the ground then hanging your hammock between them. I saw a picture of a guy doing this with his walking sticks in some place like Greenland. |
| As you might imagine, there are better (warmer and lighter) commercial systems but for the $, the mil sleep system isn't bad. As Covertness stated, when you use the entire system which is actually two sleeping bags (main and patrol) and the Goretex bivy cover it's pretty warm and waterproof. |
| Never been .mil, but I tested one in my GHB several years ago by sleeping outdoors. Low hit about +29 degrees, and I was completely comfortable, with no shelter, no tarp, just me in "normal" clothes in the two bags in the bivy. I think the "-30" rating means something like, "you can get 4 hours of sleep without suffering hypothermia," so take that rating with a grain of salt...but I trust it here in Wisconsin, when combined with a shelter and other warm clothes. |
| USGI, I sleep in the green bag and use the black bag as a mattress, if it gets really cold during the night I just slide it into the black......I know that's backwards the black goes into the green. I've been in some shit cold places and never needed to place the black into the green and snap up everything and place in it the gortex bag. my feet would melt |
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After many a cold night in the field, and temperatures in the single digits, this set up does work rather well. It can be bulky, but I feel it is worth it. It's warm enough to where I strip down to my silk t shirt and boxers, and I am toasty throughout the night.
I'm probably one of the only people that does this, but when I pack my ruck I don't use the stuff sack. I have the sleep system, already set up in the bivy ready to go, and hand stuff it in the bottom section of my ruck. I prefer this way for two reasons. One, when we finally get the ok to rack out, It's pretty nice to just pull out the system and lay out with no set up, especially when it's dark and freezing. Two, I might lose some space, but I feel the hand pack method spreads the weight more evenly vs the solid basket ball size lump with the stuff sack. Just my opinion. |
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It's heavy, and bulky.
If your bag is rated to 0° I would find a bivy and just run what you have, get someone to stich together a fleece liner for your bag if you want to add some warmth. The MSS comfort rating is ambitious and IIRC based on you wearing all your ECWS gear in it. If I didn't get them for free I wouldn't have any and certainly not 3. |
| Using the newest one that I'd Gray/ACU that can be had for a pretty good price I'd also suggest using a poncho liner for your feet. But after the storm we just had in Buffalo I'm going to keep that setup in my vehicle incase I'm stuck on the road or at work. You can always use any unesd portion to fill a stuff sack to make a pillow. |
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Quoted: As you might imagine, there are better (warmer and lighter) commercial systems but for the $, the mil sleep system isn't bad. As Covertness stated, when you use the entire system which is actually two sleeping bags (main and patrol) and the Goretex bivy cover it's pretty warm and waterproof. It's a decent system combined, my biggest complaint is the size and weight of the entire system as a whole. I use the bivy with a lighter cold weather bag.
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I have done winter camping on my own and with uncle sugar. Back in the day I used the cotton/nylon shell Extreme cold weather bag. They normally rocked and laughed at the cold. I only remember one time being cold and that was due to insufficient padding/insulating while sleeping in my suburban's cargo area.
I also have the new system and haven't slept in the dead of winter outdoors yet. My old neighbor a recent retiree says the old extreme bags were a touch warmer than the new bivy bag system. Is that consistent with you folks who have used both systems? I suppose i could test it tonight, we got 8 inches of fresh white fluffy stuff so far. |
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They are very warm but fairly heavy. The stuff sack shrinks them down pretty well. They would be great to keep in a car for emergencies much better than a wool blanket. For the money I think they are a deal. I eventually need to get 5 sleeping bags and expensive commercial sleeping bags are out of my budget. |
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Thanks for all the replys guys! Definitely going to try one out. The weight of the system is a concern, but I should be able to make things work. I don't have to pack as much water as I would if I lived in a dryer area, so that helps with the weight issue.
Once I get my new ruck and sleep system I'll have to take some pics and show my GHB off and get some more ideas. Thanks again for the help. |
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Anyone have links to the Mil sleeping system? Thanks ETA: Is this it? |
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Anyone have links to the Mil sleeping system? Thanks ETA: Is this it? http://www.amazon.com/Military-Modular-Sleep-System-Goretex/dp/B002LLPILC Yep. That's it. The newer ones are in ACU pattern and come with two separate stuff sacks. I don't think they've come out in multicam yet; at least I haven't seen any on the web. |
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Quoted: Anyone have links to the Mil sleeping system? Thanks ETA: Is this it? That's it but they are half that price on ebay. I ordered 2 for $220 shipped and they were in almost new condition |
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Pretty solid. I've slept in some pretty cold, wet windy rainy conditions. Even woke up dry even though I was in a puddle with the bivy sack. The whole system is rated for some seriously low temps but the thing to remember is for the coldest temps, it's assuming you're using a foam mat, both bags (black inside of green, seems counter-intuitive). For a LOT of weather, just using a mat and the green bag + bivvy can get you through some really crap nights and is a lot lighter and less bulky. Green bag + bivy + Poncho + poncho liner = ready for anything. |
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I liked the three bag WC system that's currently surplussed
When they spun up the ACU variant, I dunno if its just in my mind but it didn't seem to be as warm I'd like to have picked up a reasonably priced surplus WC set but I think I missed that train last year |
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Quoted: I liked the three bag WC system that's currently surplussed When they spun up the ACU variant, I dunno if its just in my mind but it didn't seem to be as warm I'd like to have picked up a reasonably priced surplus WC set but I think I missed that train last year The two I bought on ebay this month were WC for about $100 each. I think they had a lot of them |
| I use it to sleep on a cot under the stars in 20-50 degree weather. Usually just the black. The bivy likes to collect my heat and condensate and then my pillow Is usually soaked through. Can still happen with just the black bag but I find that wearing a watchcap at night so I get fresh air and keep my head warm is the best of both worlds, assuming no inclement weather. |
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Tag for further reading. I've been looking at these and considering picking a set up for a couple of years. Don't
know if it's already been said, but Uncle Sam's Retail Outlet often carries them and sometimes has a pretty good sale where you can pick up a set for around $75. Don't know why I haven't ever pulled the trigger on it... |
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my problem with gortex bivys is that the material doesn't vent fast enough for me in the cold. I always end up wet half way through the night. Last winter I wanted to give my MSS a decent cold weather test. On the night of my experiment the temp was hovering at fifteen degrees with no wind, and I was perfectly comfortable initially using just a Thermarest pad and a tarp. I say 'initially' because I climbed into the bag wearing far too many layers, and before long I started to sweat ... a lot. Live and learn 
The following evening I tried again with much better results, because I dressed more appropriately and didn't sweat. My MSS is the older version with the woodland camo bivy, green patrol bag, black heavy bag, and black compression sack. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Something that hasn't been mentioned yet: I'm 6'2" 250 and the MSS is a bit too small for me. I have a hard time getting all the way into the bag, and when I do you can forget about moving around or turning on your side. I think they have different sizes or something. I'm a fatass with super broad shoulders and a 56" chest (well, before I recently lost weight), and the woodland Tennier Industries MSS I got NIB off of Ebay has lots of wiggle room. Now, I'm only 5'09", so definitely no problems there, but the shoulder room in the MSS is better for me than any commercial bag out there that doesn't weigh 15lbs. |
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Something that hasn't been mentioned yet: I'm 6'2" 250 and the MSS is a bit too small for me. I have a hard time getting all the way into the bag, and when I do you can forget about moving around or turning on your side. It's a mummy bag, its sort of designed that way. (6'2 240) |
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I have used the MSS for years. I've used it down to below -15 with heavy wind and it worked fine. It's a little heavy as has been noted but it's warm. You MUST have a iso mat/pad under you to stay truly warm though.
The newer system out is a lot lighter but I don't think it's as warm. I've not had a chance to sleep in it when it's extremely cold though. Remember, eat something before you go to sleep and keep some food nearby to eat in the middle of the night. You'll sleep MUCH warmer with some food digesting in your stomach. |
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I looked on their site and couldn't find the bags I have. Quoted:
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Thanks to all who have helped the OP out I have a follow on question What is the Kelty model name that is the equal to the military sleep system. Thanks I looked on their site and couldn't find the bags I have. Thanks |
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Way too bulky as stated. The goretex bivy is excellent kit though. Pair it up with a commercial lightweight bag and bingo. This. I've used the newer system down to zero for a week or so. Good stuff, kept me warm, but that whole setup (bivy, black bag, coyote bag, liner) had to weigh 12+ lbs. |
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Thanks to all who have helped the OP out I have a follow on question What is the Kelty model name that is the equal to the military sleep system. Thanks I looked on their site and couldn't find the bags I have. Thanks Sorry, I lied. My bags were made by Lumberjack but I couldn't find a modern version for you. Summer bag is gray and fall bag is black if it helps you search. Maybe go to the nearest REI store and see if there are any modern versions made by a reputable company. |
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So after this thread I decided it was time to bite the bullet and pick up one of the surplused WC sleep systems
IIRC they were running about $100 new as newly available surplus a year ago Now it looks like the surplus guys are breaking them up into their components and selling them separately Some new complete systems are out there for nearly $200 for the set I found a used set for $85. I don't care about the weight, as it'll stay in the car My car bag for years has been one of the old OD green temperate bags I figure even as a used bag ( hopefully lightly used ) this will be a step up from the old bag We shall see. |