The History of Fishnet Base Layers

I once reprinted a letter I received stating the possible danger of waterproof/breathable-designated materials. It took a while for me to get to speak with the author, Randall Osczevski. The Canadian government employs Randall in the Defense and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine, located in Toronto. He is very well versed in the field of cold weather products. He wrote a paper, "Trial by Adventure," a snow-machine trip that took place between 1986 and 1989. It was a self-supported trip for 1,000 miles, from the southern end of James Bay north. He experienced temperatures as low as -58 degrees (still air). Over the course of the three years of experimentation he found that the higher the quality of down used in a sleeping bag the greater the ice build-up. The down clusters of 700 or better fill power down can absorb more moisture than 400-fill-power down. For those of you who aren't familiar with "fill-power," I'll explain. 400 fill-power down means that one ounce of down will occupy an area of 400 cubic inches, and one ounce of 700-fill-power down will occupy 700 cubic inches. The greater the fill-power of the down, the more costly the down. During the trip, accumulation of ice in a down bag was typically one pound of water, after eight nights. From the report: "Most of this was probably condensed water that had evaporated from the skin, or from the breath. The outer shell collects frost, especially at the head end, which melts and soaks into the bag."

He also noted that more heat was lost through the bottom of the bag, on an air mattress, than through the top of the bag. The reference to an air mattress is misleading, as they were pads, possibly Thermorest or some other brand. They did make bags with a built in pad that utilized fiberfill in the pad. From the report; "This proved quite successful, although it was still a little bulky for dismounted infantry. On another trail we used it comfortably in an unheated and uninsulated tent at a temperature of -58 degrees F." I have been making ground pads that utilize "densified fiberfill" since 1988. They have proven to be much better at insulating against the cold ground than foam pads. Here is further proof of that fact.

Here is a letter I received from a customer who read Randall's e-mail to me. "Hi Wiggy, Back in January of '99, I wrote you a letter of my trip to Mt. Fuji the previous April and the great success I had with one of your "sweaters" after losing my wind jacket during a night storm. What I did not mention was my experience that night in a "waterproof/breathable" bivi bag. I had the "exciting" thrill of waking up at 10,500 feet shortly after getting to sleep, with that typical "suffocating" sensation because I had closed the bivi zipper, leaving only a few inches open. Until then, I had simply "assumed" because the bivi bag could be closed against the weather, it was safe to do so, and the fabric would allow adequate CO2 and O2 exchange. To my knowledge, the manufacturer did not advise against closing the bivi completely. It's about time someone got the word out concerning this very real hazard. Dave Nicholson

Editors note: In this case the words are coming from Randall and Dave, and I am just publishing their findings. I never really gave it much thought, but it does appear that closing a bivi bag made with waterproof/breathable material around your face can be a problem. I have been manufacturing a military-style bivi bag for years without having a problem. After reading these accounts of the discomfort and possible danger, I have modified the hood section of mine. The area that would normally cover the face is now made with a completely air-permeable fabric. In addition, when pulling the draw cord to close the hood around the face, it will leave an opening which is six inches in diameter.

FISHNETS, THE HISTORY

Recently I received from a person who wishes to remain anonymous, information which they received from the Brynje Company. Brynje is the only other company in the world besides Wiggy's that manufactures fishnet underwear. Brynje has been a knitwear manufacturer since 1887. They are located in Larvik, Norway.
They have been manufacturing "Stringunderwear" since 1953. The first "Stringvest" was handmade by a captain in the Norwegian military, Henrik Brun, around 1933. He presented it at a meeting in the Norwegian Officers Club, attended also by the Norwegian king Haakon VII. It was said to be a revolutionary addition to the soldier's outfit. In 1950 Brynje took over the rights and the trademark. Since 1953 they have supplied all branches of the Norwegian military.
"Captain Brun believed in the layer of air next to the skin working as a thermostat, keeping the body cool in summer and warm in winter."

I believe we who wear the fishnets will concur with the captain. I want to thank the person who sent the Brynje information to me as I found it very interesting. I had a most interesting experience in the winter of 1995. I was hunting near Gunnison, Colorado, during third season, the first week of November, and got lost for three days. While lost, it snowed about five feet. I was between 11,500 feet and 13,000 feet. According to my guide I was not supposed to survive in the mountains in these conditions. I did not have a sleeping bag, tent, or food. I had plenty of water from the many streams. I told him I never experienced being cold the whole time. I am sure the reason was the fact that the first layer of clothing was the fishnets. I encountered two boys, about 20 years old, who were also lost. They also were without sleeping bags, tent, or food. They are lucky to be alive; they were wearing poly-pro long underwear, which retained their perspiration. They couldn't get warm, no matter what they did. They couldn't get dry.