Issued Sleep System-Use and Temp Range

[Jarnhamar]

I'm not on BMQ, I'm fully qualified, and as for what we were told to bring, we were only given a brief kit list. All it states in terms if sleeping bag is bring whatever works for you. I've used the outer sleeping bag on other winter ex's and it was alright. I was wondering if the inner was warmer though, that's all. But thanks for the info, I'll probably bring both.

Life sucks when you only bring one sleeping bag on a winter ex and some idiot soaks your sleeping bag by accident or something else happens to it 

 

[Journeyman]

Just accept that you'll be spooning with your Signaller; chubbier Jimmies throw off more body heat in the winter.  :nod:

 

[Brigitte]

Life sucks when you only bring one sleeping bag on a winter ex and some idiot soaks your sleeping bag by accident or something else happens to it 

Good point! Alright well looks like I'm bringing both then. Thanks for te info everybody!

 

[daftandbarmy]

An Old Ranger saying: Travel light, freeze at night.

Take both bags, and the bivvy bag to chuck it in, and an air mattress and a roll mat if you can too.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I'm not on BMQ, I'm fully qualified, and as for what we were told to bring, we were only given a brief kit list. All it states in terms if sleeping bag is bring whatever works for you. I've used the outer sleeping bag on other winter ex's and it was alright. I was wondering if the inner was warmer though, that's all. But thanks for the info, I'll probably bring both.

Fully qualified yet, you don't know how basic kit works.  *Qualified* doesn't = experienced, which if you really were you wouldn't be here asking questions. 

Think worst case scenario, conditions where you will be.  Tents rip, catch on fire, kit gets wet, whatever.  I've slept in a snowbank, in the sleeping bag complete, on top of my air mattress, all of it inside my bivy bag and was toasty warm; it was about -25 that night.

For outdoor stuff (civie side), in the winter I go with the rule "It is better to have and not need, then to need and not have".

:2c:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I'm reaching back a long ways and the ration water and aluminum pots may be getting in the way but, IIRC, the complete bag is good to -40. With a black betty (the new issue mattress is crap for winter) and a bivy bag, you should be GTG.

 

[prairefire]

Take both... as said earlier you neveer know what will happen. In the early 80's I was deployed with A Coy 1VP on exercise in Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. We were working with an American Inf Bn. Day time High was -40C and the low was -55C without the windchill factor. On one of the days the winds started gusting up to 60kph and visibility went to shit so we had to stop haulling sleds and establish camp for the day. It was 2pm and the sun was already setting but the winds were so high we could not set up tents. Instead we burrowed into the snow and set up our sleeping bags and air matresses and were toasty warm with the inner, outer and liner(hated the thing because I always got tangled up in it). We improvised shelter and survived the storm until 3 am when the winds finally stopped. CSM kicked us all out of bed to set up tents and then kicked us back into bed for forced rest and drying out.

One Private brought only one piece of his sleeping bag. He was charged under 119 and fined on return to Calgary and his Section Commander got two weeks of extras for failing to properly inspect his section was ready to deploy.

If you are deploying to the Arctic or on Arctic Training I do hope they have issued a required kit list for deployment.

I have accumulated some 20 months of Arctic Training and deployments when I was in and every training exercise and deployment started with a detailed kit list. The Arctic and Old Man Winter are very unforgiving..............

 

[SupersonicMax]

Just spent 1 week sleeping outside in Resolute Bay.  Ambient temperature at night hovered around -43 and windchill went down to -50.  Bring both bags.  And make sure you bring some insulation from the ground (the air mat is good, but in extreme cold weather, it doesn't inflate well.  If you blow it (so to speak), you add moisture and reduce its insulation potential.

If you are going to be working, I found a t-shirt with long johns, fleece (top and bottom) and rain jacket & pants was ideal.  If you are not doing much (ie: eating), parka and heavy weight bib pants instead of the rain jacket/pants.  I really like the mukluks for footwear.  Just make sure you keep them dry and bring extra insoles and duffle sock.

 

[blackberet17]

Just got back from a week in Goose Bay. Temp dropped to -37 overnight. We had the lantern and the stove going. I had both inner and outer, bivy, and ranger blanket. Brr.

Take the kit, don't take the chance.

 

[The_Falcon]

Merged several threads about sleeping kit into one.