ban chopped staple fiberfill

BAN CHOPPED STAPLE FIBERFILL BATTING FROM USE IN SLEEPING BAGS OR EXTREME COLD WEATHER CLOTHING!

The following e mail came to me from Marc Taylor proprietor of Wiggy’s Alaska retail store.

Last week a gentleman walked through my door at Wiggy’s Alaska.He was obviously military by his demeanor.He was carrying a top-down compression sack that I thought would contain a Wiggy bag, so I thought he may be having trouble with the bag and need some customer service.

We established that he is a Platoon Commander at JBER. (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson)

He started by asking about our Bivi BQ.I stated that I do not carry the Bivi BQ in Alaska as I do not ascribe to its use in our climate as it would inhibit the movement of moisture out of the sleeping environment, especially in winter, when a Wiggy bag is used.He related a recent experience he had on a Cold Weather Arctic Exercise in northern Alaska in the third week of March.Temperatures hovered around -65 degrees F and his bivi sack did not fit him properly, being tall.I asked him why he used it at all and he stated because he was issued it and carried it therefore he was going to use it.I then explained how it limited moisture from leaving his environment in the extreme cold.He stated that he “froze his ass off” in the bag he had. I then enquired what bag that was, since it appeared to be about the size of a Wiggy’s Ultra-Light +20 degree bad.He stated that it is a ***** -30 sleeping bag or system, I honestly cannot remember which as my brain shut off at the mention of *****.He claimed that the bag was from his “LRS” days.I assume this to be “Long Range Surveillance”.

We went over the various challenges he faced and how a Wiggy’s bag would have made his experience a much more satisfying one, as it sounded like he did not get much needed rest during the exercise.

I asked if there were casualties, and he stated that there were and they were mainly frostbite extremity in nature and that the soldiers had to be force-medevac’d and did not complete the exercise.Further challenges were that the radios that he and his men carried were useless due to their inability to transmit / receive in the extreme cold weather.

The Soldier left without purchasing a sleeping bag, determined to make the one he had “work”.

Marc Taylor

Wiggy's-Alaska!

8225 Old Seward, A

Anchorage, AK 99518

(907) 336-1330

During the early days of the Gulf war there were many casualties that were further complicated by the fact that many of the soldiers were wearing polyester shirts against their skin and it melted into their body from being hit by IED’s and bullets. Once a surgeon recognized what the problem was ALL polyester underwear was banned from being worn in the field. The use of the polyester underwear was a further danger to the soldiers so it was BANNED.

In 1969 the original continuous filament fiber then branded as Polar Guard was being produced for the military. The specific reason the military changed from chopped staple polyester fiberfill was because they were getting at that time poor quality fiber that was actually manufacturing rejects slated for other uses and sold off for use in fiberfill. Today at least for use in sleeping bags the continuous filament fiber now trade named Climashield is the only fiberfill that is used by the military because it has proven to outperform ALL of the available chopped staple fiberfill products that are still made with poor quality fiber rejects This holds true only when the procurement agency at DLA in Philadelphia puts out an solicitation for the government developed sleeping system or cold weather garments. However, when a unit needing sleeping bags purchases those bags they can buy whatever they want regardless where it is made so long as the dollar amount is less than $150,000.00.

The problem that has been created is simple, the bags are not made in the USA and therefore since they are made in China where continuous filament fiber is not made, it would have to be sent there from the USA, these companies that sell to the military use imported sleeping bags. Therefore, the imported bags are made with chopped staple fiberfill.

The problem with the chopped staple fiberfill used as insulation is how poorly it works. IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE WHAT A COMPANY CALLS ITS CHOPPED STAPLE FIBERFILL; IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHAT THESE COMPANIES CLAIM ABOUT THEIR PRODUCT TO INSULATE IT IS A LIE!

Many years ago I read in the Ranger Joe of Columbus, GA. catalog in the year of 2001 about a sleeping bag rated to -58 degrees F. I called and asked if they had proof of its ability to perform at that temperature since they serve the army base at Fort Benning. I was concerned that any soldiers who purchased this bag would as far as I was concerned, they would be in deep trouble using the bag at that temperature. They were non-responsive.

So I wrote to the Governor’s office of Consumer Affairs and leveled my complaint. The office contacted Ranger Joe’s about my complaint. The attorney for Ranger Joe’s reported the following to David Boucher at the Governor’s office on May 1, 2001 with the following comment and I quote; “In our last communication. I advised you that I would contact my client in an effort to have both the foreign manufacturer and the USA distributor of the referenced sleeping bag support the claims set forth in the Spring 2001 catalog for Ranger Joe’s. I have received correspondence from both the manufacturer and distributor in response to my request for supporting/testing documentation of claims contained in their promotional literature. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is either unwilling or cannot support the claims for the promotional statements contained in Ranger Joe’s catalog”.

The reality is that not one company selling sleeping bags that utilize chopped staple fiberfill as their insulation can substantiate, prove that their bags can actually perform at any temperature they assign to their bags below 50 degrees F.

I have heard the same thing from hundreds of soldiers that the bags procured for their units other than Wiggy’s “suck”, their word. Why because they are freezing. Sure the bags pack down 30 percent smaller than a Wiggy’s bag for that temperature and they not only do not perform at the temperature they are told just like the Lt. in Alaska was told. The result as far as I am concerned is that the soldier is put in a potentially dangerous situation. Imagine going into a combat situation which as you can imagine is very dangerous to begin with and now given personal equipment that does not work; therefore his situation is even more dangerous.

In all of the years I have been in the sleeping bag business and even longer in the insulation business I have never seen any chopped staple fiberfill product work even remotely close to continuous filament fiberfill. That is because the nature of the product does not allow it to work very well to begin with. Chopped staple fiberfill when resin bonded or low melt bonded just collapses; if un-bonded it has almost no loft. If water gets into the fiberfill it stays there. While when dry it does not work very well, but when wet it becomes as useless as down. Down is also purchased occasionally and it too is as obsolete as chopped staple fiberfill and just as if not more dangerous.

In my opinion; number one all of the bags purchased by the military to include the individual units should be made in America. Number two the insulation should always be continuous filament fiberfill since it has a proven track record of performing!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only conclusion that I have come to is that chopped staple fiberfill should be BANNED from all sleeping bags sold to the military since it is a danger to the soldier if used in temperatures below 50 degrees F. there is a reason that continuous filament fiber is the only fiberfill that is specified today by DLA when they put out solicitations for insulated products such as sleeping bag and outerwear; it works!

By the way even the consumers will benefit.