As mentioned in this thread, I recently bought one of the Dutch army modular sleep systems from fu-kit.com (no affiliation)
After an agonising wait of 5 days, it arrived. The 3 parts (inner bag, outer bag and stuffsack) were packed separately.
I put everything into the stuffsack to see how compact it would get:
The compressed package is 28x36cm, so not terribly large. It weighs about 4.5kg (although my fishing scales said 8lbs) - not a featherweight system but then it's not really designed to be. The stuffsack is a nylon bag with very rugged end caps (we called it a donkey's bra in the Scouts!) and thick webbing with big loops so you can get plenty of tension on it. The webbing goes all the way around so although it's a bit fiddly getting started, it's not going to come apart in a hurry.
First up, we have the inner bag:
This is essentially the same as a Carinthia Tropen - it's a lightweight summer/jungle bag. This one is made by Fecsa, a Spanish defence contractor and I've no doubt it's the same standard. The zip is down the left hand side and the bag is pretty roomy. I'm 6'3" and can pull it over my head. That said, it's not as long as my Lidl bag, which isn't actually a bad piece of kit:
Washing instructions are in Dutch but say not to dry-clean and to only use low temperature/spin:
A nice feature, however, is the built in mosquito net. This is behind a small flap, held down with metal poppers:
I'd imagine in the cold, these might cause problems but as mentioned, it's not a cold weather bag.
The mosquito net works by zipping it up - this zip is a nightmare, catches everything - and finishes with a Velcro tab to keep everything snug:
Due to the size of the bag, it doesn't feel claustrophobic
Next up, we have the outer bag, again a Fecsa made Carinthia Defence 4 copy:
This is a mummy bag and is heavier but much more restrictive. It's long enough, but only just - I can't really snuggle down inside it, especially when I'm inside the other bag as well. When done up, there is only a small breathing hole - it's not a bag you can have open at the top. My Lidl bag has the same problem but not to the same extent
It has a centre zip, with a flap to keep out the cold:
As can be expected from surplus kit, it's often surplus for a reason. This one had been repaired but it's been neatly done and I'm sure it will hold up fine:
The bags have various loops, I presume for holding them together, although by what means I'm not sure - probably some sort of ribbon would be best so you don't get lumps.
Although in a hammock this bag will be great, being narrow with the centre zip, trying to get into both of them inside an Alpkit Hunka XL bivi-bag, with a Thermarest already inflated inside, was a bit of a challenge. Taking a photo was even more difficult!
Planning on sleeping out tonight under the stars - the only place in my garden that isn't covered in dog poo is next to the pond so I'll need the mosquito net! If I survive, I'll report back tomorrow!
After an agonising wait of 5 days, it arrived. The 3 parts (inner bag, outer bag and stuffsack) were packed separately.
I put everything into the stuffsack to see how compact it would get:
The compressed package is 28x36cm, so not terribly large. It weighs about 4.5kg (although my fishing scales said 8lbs) - not a featherweight system but then it's not really designed to be. The stuffsack is a nylon bag with very rugged end caps (we called it a donkey's bra in the Scouts!) and thick webbing with big loops so you can get plenty of tension on it. The webbing goes all the way around so although it's a bit fiddly getting started, it's not going to come apart in a hurry.
First up, we have the inner bag:
This is essentially the same as a Carinthia Tropen - it's a lightweight summer/jungle bag. This one is made by Fecsa, a Spanish defence contractor and I've no doubt it's the same standard. The zip is down the left hand side and the bag is pretty roomy. I'm 6'3" and can pull it over my head. That said, it's not as long as my Lidl bag, which isn't actually a bad piece of kit:
Washing instructions are in Dutch but say not to dry-clean and to only use low temperature/spin:
A nice feature, however, is the built in mosquito net. This is behind a small flap, held down with metal poppers:
I'd imagine in the cold, these might cause problems but as mentioned, it's not a cold weather bag.
The mosquito net works by zipping it up - this zip is a nightmare, catches everything - and finishes with a Velcro tab to keep everything snug:
Due to the size of the bag, it doesn't feel claustrophobic
Next up, we have the outer bag, again a Fecsa made Carinthia Defence 4 copy:
This is a mummy bag and is heavier but much more restrictive. It's long enough, but only just - I can't really snuggle down inside it, especially when I'm inside the other bag as well. When done up, there is only a small breathing hole - it's not a bag you can have open at the top. My Lidl bag has the same problem but not to the same extent
It has a centre zip, with a flap to keep out the cold:
As can be expected from surplus kit, it's often surplus for a reason. This one had been repaired but it's been neatly done and I'm sure it will hold up fine:
The bags have various loops, I presume for holding them together, although by what means I'm not sure - probably some sort of ribbon would be best so you don't get lumps.
Although in a hammock this bag will be great, being narrow with the centre zip, trying to get into both of them inside an Alpkit Hunka XL bivi-bag, with a Thermarest already inflated inside, was a bit of a challenge. Taking a photo was even more difficult!
Planning on sleeping out tonight under the stars - the only place in my garden that isn't covered in dog poo is next to the pond so I'll need the mosquito net! If I survive, I'll report back tomorrow!
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