Posted: 1/14/2009 4:23:28 PM EDT
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I am looking to purchase, a brand new genuine ECWS sleep system made by Tennier (spelling may be wrong) I was going to pay 119 dollars, It comes with all pieces including the stuff sack. Just curious what people think who have actually used them.
Thanks Robert |
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i have one issued to me, there are better and smaller compressing sleeping bags on the market. but i've used the ecws system in under 10 deg weather and it kept me warm and toasty. i actually woke up sweating and had to unzip a little...
oh, eta...i've never used both the black and green bags, just the black one and the bivy sack |
| I have one and my only complaint is the weight and bulk. I try to backpack with the least possible amount of gear/weight,but I have not found a comparable civilian setup.The ECWCS sleep system is its own shelter in a stuff sack. I use mine in the middle of the winter under a tarp or in a hammock and have never been cold or gotten wet. |
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I've got 2 of the MSS which is the current issue cold weather sleeping system. Purchased both brand new from Ebay. Great quality, everything goes together nicely and buttons up tight. Lots of room for my 6'3", 280 lbs. I usually carry mine with me in the winter when I am on the road, same for the wife if she has need to travel by car in the winter. I've never had to spend the night on the roadside in mine but I have no doubts I would be quite comfortable. As mentioned, the bulk and weight of the full MSS/ECWSS is a drawback. Not something I would like to pack very far.
I recently picked up 3 of the gore-tex bivys on Ebay. Paid less than $20 total for the 3 including shipping - they each have torn up zippers the rest of the bag is fine, used condition. Am planning to use these with our standard backpacking sleeping bags for lighter alternatives for the GHB's. Great quality gear. |
| I've used mine down to 8 below. It was a little tough when I didn't have the baffles right and cold air slipped down the bag, and at those temps you definitely need some headgear to stay warm and a good sleeping pad on the ground, but otherwise it worked just fine. They're a pretty good bag for the money, and I've seen them new selling for about $250, so I'd say it's a good deal for the complete system. |
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I have the full system and I'll echo what others have said already....it's heavy and bulky but it's good gear. There are better alternatives for the bags on the market, but I got my whole system for less then $100 so I won't complain.
The gore-tex bivy is really what I bought it for, I've not gotten rained on with it yet but it looks like a nice stout piece of gear. It's much thicker/stiffer then other gore-tex bivy's on the market and thus heavier, but I don't feel like it will tear quite as easily as those others on the market...and sleeping systems is one area where I'm willing to take a size/weight penalty to ensure I get a good night's rest. I typically just use the green bag and the bivy. The black bag is a bit to heavy for my liking and I have an older 15degree bag that packs down smaller and is lighter then it...so if I need a lower temp bag I use my old one and the bivy. I don't go out when it's balls ass cold so I'm usually fine with that. |
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Seems like this will sound redundant but it is a great system, well made, and bulky. I've been out in mine in -5 F temps and was a bit chilled, but I didn't properly warm up before sleeping so it's my own fault.
I think it would be very hard to beat the quality and components for the price. |
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Ok, I've got several buddies that have the MSS and seem to really like them, but here are my issues with it.
One, its heavy. Very heavy for the temp rating of the whole system. Two, its big. Bulky. You need a large pack to carry one. The CFP90 bottom compartment is designed for it, which is good, the Kifaru EMR will also fit one. Longitudinal stuff sacks from kifaru would help a LOT with this I believe. Three, the best deals on them are surplus on ebay. The problem with that is that they have likely spent years stuffed up and crushed, thus losing much of their loft potential. I don't know, I've got a eureka 15deg mummy bag, and combined with a thermarest and a bivy, I'm comparably comfortable on very cold campouts to my friends who carry those big heavy MSS's. |
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Three, the best deals on them are surplus on ebay. The problem with that is that they have likely spent years stuffed up and crushed, thus losing much of their loft potential. Synthetic bags don't suffer from this nearly as much as people make them out to be. Besides...after seeing what the loft looks inside of these bags I'm surprised they rated them as they did. |
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Three, the best deals on them are surplus on ebay. The problem with that is that they have likely spent years stuffed up and crushed, thus losing much of their loft potential. Synthetic bags don't suffer from this nearly as much as people make them out to be. Besides...after seeing what the loft looks inside of these bags I'm surprised they rated them as they did. I think you are right. We have two Wiggy's bags we keep packed very tight and two of the vacuum packed special order bags. We have been assured that when exposed to air and moved around they will work as designed. Vacuum packed bag Red |
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Great system, I bought a second one! The goretex bivvy takes the place of a tent for me quite well. Best system for the money you will find. Go for it! in heavy rains that bivy will soak through, make sure you have some sort of tarp over you....lol ask me how I know. Also if you start sweating inside of your sleeping bag you're going to wake up wet....lol also ask me how I know. gore-tex isn't nearly as breathable as some people make it out to be...it's more breathable then straight nylon but it's not anywhere near as breathable as say a cotton sheet. |
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Great system, I bought a second one! The goretex bivvy takes the place of a tent for me quite well. Best system for the money you will find. Go for it! in heavy rains that bivy will soak through, make sure you have some sort of tarp over you....lol ask me how I know. Also if you start sweating inside of your sleeping bag you're going to wake up wet....lol also ask me how I know. gore-tex isn't nearly as breathable as some people make it out to be...it's more breathable then straight nylon but it's not anywhere near as breathable as say a cotton sheet. Your correct about it not breathing as well as advertised, but non-compromised gore-tex won't seep through either. Normally what is taken as seepage is your sweat condensing on the cooler fabric. If the DWR has worn down the outer fabric will become cool and the sweat that doesn't make it through makes it look like their is seepage. |
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Your correct about it not breathing as well as advertised, but non-compromised gore-tex won't seep through either. Normally what is taken as seepage is your sweat condensing on the cooler fabric. If the DWR has worn down the outer fabric will become cool and the sweat that doesn't make it through makes it look like their is seepage. that DWR layer doesn't last very long if you actually use your gear. A good analogy for it is when you buy a new rain jacket the water will bead up and roll off for probably a month or two, then it starts to bead less and less, and eventually it starts to soak into the fabric more and more. It will still repel 99% of the water but it will eventually soak through and start to seep as you said. They make products to replenish that DWR layer but you have to make sure you get gore-tex specific ones. Though in my experience...it's not really worth your while to bother with the stuff. Even when I've had a slightly dampened bag from seepage it's never been so bad that I've had a wet bag the following night. Then again if it's raining all day there's a good chance everything you have will be damp just from ambient moisture. This is completely an OT tangent, but if you've got gear that is damp attach it to the outside of your pack and let it dry as you move, so long as the weather co-operates. If you're taking short breaks every hour you should be able to completely dry the outside of sleeping bag/bivy/tent fly in about 2-3hours |
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Does anyone have a source for these besides ebay? Robert: was this bag new or used? Dave, I purchased the bag new off of (it looks new seller said it was issued but never used) craigslist. I paid 100 dollars for it, the bag is complete with stuff sack. I am so glad to see all of the responses, I do agree the bag is bulky, but its a nice system. I will have to get off my butt on post some pics. |
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Great system, I bought a second one! The goretex bivvy takes the place of a tent for me quite well. Best system for the money you will find. Go for it! LOL, this post reminded me how I got my Gortex Bivy Sack and its a good one. Tj Story Time A member here and one of the Southeast Survival Crew, ex-Ranger with enough credentials to impress most folks, decided he was going high tech on his gear. He bought the best Gortex Bivy sack and Down bag he could find. We did this winter camp on the shores of a lake in the Smoky Mountains. Due to the topography, our choice of sleeping spot was sheer cliff or flat as a pancake. It was a nice first day, temps about 40 and the guys spent the day repelling down cliffs. That evening a blue northerner came through pounding the valley with rain and high winds as temperatures plummeted. It was a hell of an experience with all kinds of neat mishaps like trying to keep our large tarp common shelter from blowing away, the fire high enough to fight off the pouring rain, a massive canvas walled TeePee style expensive tent coming down on the hot stove inside, but best of all was watching my friend trying to sleep in the Bivy sack in a down right flood. They were just never intended to work in a couple inches of standing water. Enough water, your only choice is be above it. Anyway, that Gortex sack wasn't a boat and that down bag soon was soaked like a log. Next morning I got the deal of a lifetime. BTW, That trip, for once, I got lucky. I was using a 7x7 low profile so the wind wasn't a major problem, sleeping on three ground pads so above the water level, and had a Heater Buddy so warm as toast. Normally its me in the puddle going, "Boy, that didn't work." 
Tj |
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Now I noticed there is a velcro flap on the face opening of the bivy sac. Are you guys closing that up when you sleep, or is that a no-no because of moisture retention? I leave mine open...however I always have at least a poncho tarp shelter setup over me so i don't worry about getting rained on. |
my Hennessy Hammock.