British Army issue IPK Kit

[RAPPLEBY2000]

ok heres the deal i want to make a cheap tarp :Thinkingo .

these seem ok:

British Army issue IPK Kit

could i have some opinions of people that have actually used them?

what are they really like?

what's the sheet made of?

could i sew through the sheet to add tapes?

could i join one to another with poppers?

cheers

 

[Nemisis]

Is that the personal protection kit? a sheet cord and pegs?
Dave.

 

[Great Pebble]

Aye, That's what it is allright.

They'd be small compared to a basha but you could certainly rig something with one (or two).

You'd probably go better putting in eyelets and using P'cord or bungies than trying to stitch on tapes. The material is a hefty-ish plastic with a roughened face.
Can see stitching pulling through it.

If you're getting them cheap, they're worth the purchace, especially as they come with loads of quality cordage. But at the £5 plus I've seen them go at on Evil Bay of late you'd be better putting the cash towards something designed for the job.

 

[Nemisis]

The one I had it was a very thin sheet some sort of nylon faced with pvc I fitted eylets but had to reinforce the holes with leather patches either side, the cord was bog standard white guy line but I did like the aluminium tubular tent pegs supplied. Would need too much work adding tape to all sides to take loops poppers etc. I would save your money and buy a proper poncho instead stronger, bigger and already set up.
Dave.

 

[Brian]

RAPPLEBY2000

The sheet is designed to be laid on top of the rope and then have earth put on top of it. I'm not too sure if the material would be very good if you tried to put too much tension on it the same way as you would a basha or shelter sheet. I have a feeling that the material isn't very good once you put a hole in it, I think you would need to re-inforce any incision you made quite a lot. I'm away from home until monday, but I'll have a look at one for you and see if it likes being stitched, hiw big it is and what its like under tension if you like.

Hope that helps

Brian

 

[Toddy]

I picked up two of these at Blochairn car boot sale for a fiver. Everything within the kit is fine for it's intended use, but for bushcraft....
**The cloth is a bitty neat for a basha unless you're pretty small, and it will need re-inforcing if you intend to attach tapes or insert eyelets, but most fabric would need that anyway. If all else fails it's a good groundsheet.
**The white cord, though strong, is an eyesore.
**The tubular pegs are really good, and worth the cost of the kit all on their own.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Ogri the trog]

Rappelby2000,
Yes you probably could use one as a cheap tarp, but you'd probably get wet when it rains. So you might buy two, and some pop-studs to join them together. Add to this the cost of some paracord, tape, sewing supplies and other sundries and you'll have the money to buy a normal tarp anyway.
If you really want to go for the cheapest option, try one of the "polytarps" sold in garden centres for covering outdoor furniture through the winter. In the wind they are as noisey as h*ll and after a few nights of no sleep you'll be willing to pay anything to get a real one.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Batfink]

I would (and previously have) bought cheap IPK's just for the pegs! The sheet itself isn't great. I believe it was originally designed for trench building or something similar. I've never used it like that, but have attempted to sleep under one - once, and decided within 3 hours that it would be an experience I'd never repeat!!!!

The pegs are the only real asset to these kits.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

i bought some! this morning it seems pretty good stuff!
i already have:
MoD dpm basha(with the handles),
US army poncho
Aussie hootchie.

problem is unless i fork out loads to standardise my kit they don't join together or match up sufficiently to have a group meeting under.

on top of that each has it's own qualities that i like,
ie
MOD light, huge + stretcher.
US poncho, coat, sleeping bag (with liner).
Aussie i like the colour, ultra light, better made than poncho.

thanks for all the advice i shall tell you how i get on.

 

[addyb]

I have a US army poncho, and it makes a decent shelter with many different configurations: http://www.basegear.com/ch5.html (That's out of the US Army Field Manual) I haven't had the chance to use that sort of shelter yet, but I certainly intend on doing so this summer, barring that I flunk my psychology final. (Yeah, there's no chance of me doing that.)

Are the UK and Aussie bashas bigger or of a thicker fabric than US/Canadian ones? I'm curious!

Adam

 

[wingstoo]

Hi Folks,

These kits were designed for a slit trench/firing pit for Infantry Soldiers.

A trench about one third the width of the sheet is dug about 4ft deep and then the para cord is set out across the trench to a specific layout.

The sheet is then spread over the cord and the spoils from the trench are then put over the sheet, starting from the outside and moving inwards.

If constructed properly it is possible to drive a wheeled vehicle straight over the top without it collapsing.

These were withdrawn from the military for quite a while because they were not being used properly and the soldiers were having collapses on top of them, sometimes fatal.

As the adverts say..............

"British Army issue Survival IPK Kit
Genuine British Army Individual Protection Kit (IPK) as issued to the British troops for the construction of NBC Shelter.
A strong cord, tightly criss-crossed and held in position by stakes, supports a tarpaulin which in turn supports an earthen ceiling of up to 27 inches.
The KIT weighs under 2lbs.
Completed correctly, the shelter is strong enough to withstand a Landover driving over the top of it.

The kit comes complete with six strong lightweight 10'' aluminium pegs for anchoring and 55ft of nylon para cord.
Groundsheet measures approx. 9ft x 5ft.

Ideal for manufacturing a 1 man bivvi, use as a make-shift tent to ride out rain, to provide emergency shelter, covering your foxhole or for collecting water."

Dave@ludowsurvivors

 

[innocent bystander]

Not sure how well they age though. Mine seems a bit crumbly at folds... Fragile in places to say the least..

 

[wingstoo]

Hi Folks

These kits were designed for single use only, so I guess that they are meant to be used once then left behind.

Dave@ludlowsurvivors