More On The Testing Of A Wiggy Bag By Natick Laboratory

The April 2013 newsletter is titled “THE USMC AND NATICK LABS HONOR ME” and notes that they are working with a company in El Paso, TX that is attempting to make a sleeping bag utilizing a sort of lamination of the continuous filament fiberfill as Mountain Hardwear has their bags made in China called Lamina. Of course Mountain Hardwear does not use the continuous filament fiberfill but rather chopped staple fiberfill. The El Paso Company is using the continuous filament fiberfill because number one the Marines will not accept chopped staple, and over the years Natick has realized that the continuous filament fiberfill is the best form of insulation. Both also agree a lamination construction method is best, no cold spots.

I was recently going through a folder and came upon some correspondence I had with a person employed at Natick who works in the area of textiles and insulation for sleeping bags and clothing that is very interesting. It deals with CLO values.

It goes back to July 2009. I was told that the Marines through Natick were looking for a minus 30 degree capable sleeping bag. I made contact with the proper person at Natick and gave them all of the information pertaining to my Ultima Thule sleeping bag which was already listed with a national stock number issued by the U.S. Navy and had a minus 35 degree rating as per their tests. This person then ordered one for testing. It is those test results that I found in the folder.

The standard issue Modular Sleep System that is currently issued to all troops who otherwise do not get the Wiggy system has a weight of 9.4 pounds and the CLO rating of it is 6.05. The Ultima Thule as a stand along bag has a weight of 5 to 6 pounds depending upon size. The size I sent to them was the regular length regular width with a weight of 5 pounds. The CLO rating they came up with in testing on their copper manikin was 6.29 and they added if the bag had been tested at KSU it would have had a 0.3/0.4 higher CLO since the KSU manikin is about one half the weight of the Navy manikin. What that has to do with the capability of the bag to perform I don’t know but I accept that finding.

Considering that my bag is about 40 percent lighter than the issue system with a higher CLO rating I can only imagine that the CLO rating would be 40 percent higher if the over bag were added to the Ultima Thule and tested. Of course I rate the Ultima Thule FTRSS for use as cold as minus 60 degrees.

This brings me back to the question as to why, if they have available to them a sleeping bag that meets all of their criteria with continuous filament fiberfill for insulation, lamination construction method, and it meets the temperature rating they are seeking they don’t further pursue that product? The product also comes from a company that has a 25 year history of supplying the military.

The reason they will not work with me I believe is because they didn’t invent it. I also believe if they were to adopt what I do it would effectively end all further need to try and develop an insulating medium or construction method.

Such is life.