Jacks going to be cold....HELP

[Jack]

Morning folks.

I am looking for some help and advice here as I am off to Bastogne in a couple weeks for 4 days.

It is a big WW2 reenactment/commeration of the Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive - the most bloody battle American Forces experienced in WWII. We will be travelling in 10 Halftracks and many WW2 support vehicles.

The barking mad bit is that we will also be sleeping under shelters attached to the vehicles :yikes: it will be around -4 with snow on the ground. So here is the question:

What kit do you recommend to keep me flipping warm during the day and at night bearing in mind that I have to wear a WW2 uniform but it doesn't matter what I wear underneath and what is a great sleeping bag and a great way to keep warm in it??

Yours beggingly.

Jack.

 

[Toddy]

I like re-enactors; they're completely nuts, but good fun

Knitted silk longjohns and long sleeved teeshirts underneath.
http://www.patra.com look under Sport, ( no connections or kickbacks, just a satisfied customer)
You can wear them for four days and just wash when you get home. They breathe well and won't stink (like you'd notice in the icy mud ) If you wear a fine wool shirt over the top it'll all still fit under a normal uniform.
You could authentically augment the effectiveness of an army down bag by using a couple of old army blankets and they won't break the bank either, I usually buy them from between £3 and £8.

I hope it's dry, and the company is great.

atb,
Mary

 

[Brocktor]

there is lots of answers to this, if you can spare 100's of pounds go to a hiking store and get a quality sleeping bag (4/5 season) and a bivi bag, some thermal long johns and thermal long sleve t-shirt maybe a few pairs.
my prefered option is buying army equipment, the shop assistant (army serplus) will show u suitable sleeping bags, bivi bags, floor mats and clothing.

 

[chrisanson]

I would also bear in mind that the lads who were sleeping out in that kind of temperature had been acclimatized over several weeks In the cold and not just dropped into it overnight. I would make use of modern thermal under clothes and have some dry and very worm clothes stashed in the vehicles as well as a good tent that can be put up quickly just in case. Hope you have fun.
Chris

 

[JonnyP]

Hi Jack...I work outside right through the year, and in the winter, if I am doing a job where I am not moving about a lot, I will stick on an old British army tank suit. It is really warm and if you can get hold of one, (your welcome to borrow mine btw) you would look the part too.....

 

[ArkAngel]

If you have access to a stove, get a metal water bottle (sigg or the like) and heat some water up to a hot temperature (wouldn't suggest boiling but very hot). Stick that in a thick sock and throw it in the bottom of your sleeping bag 10 mins before you get into it....toasty

 

[Hoodoo]

I would sleep on two closed cell foam pads or 1 closed cell pad and one thermarest pad, depending on your tolerance for hard pads. You can't have enough insulation under you. My winter bag is an REI -20 down bag. Never gotten cold in it yet (but I have gotten a might warm in it ).

REI Bag

A lightweight breathable bivy is nice for keeping snow off the bag if you have open sides to your shelter.

 

[pierre girard]

Father of a friend of mine was in the 101st Airborne at Bastongne. He won't talk about the battle, but he has mentioned the cold a number of times. He had no long underwear, Cocheran boots and normal socks, shirt and field jacket - and one (thin) wool army blanket.

If you want to lean toward authenticity - I would suggest sewing a down comforter to the back side of a wool army blanket. I just saw a comforter at the store in an olive color.

 

[Wayne]

Jack you should be wearing the same gear as the GIs wore. Just remember to eat for England and keep properly hydrated. That means lay of the beer.


Its not going to be comfortable but then i was for the guys that lived it for real. I would carry some decent kit for emergency use. Bivvy bag and down bag but it would be a last resort.

I did a martial arts weekend one year using 16thC kit very cold fighting through the night in deep snow. We ate tradional foods and slept in short bursts. Character building.

 

[Voivode]

If you have access to a stove, get a metal water bottle (sigg or the like) and heat some water up to a hot temperature (wouldn't suggest boiling but very hot). Stick that in a thick sock and throw it in the bottom of your sleeping bag 10 mins before you get into it....toasty

Nalgene works well for this too, and we boil it. When we go out backpacking the ladies do this at night and it keeps them extra-super-toasty. Make sure it doesn't leak, as the last thing you need is to wake to cold, wet feet.

I'll second getting a set of modern thermal underwear. How warm you dress should depend on how much activity you're going to be getting; I've chopped wood in -20C and had to strip down to my undershirt to ward off sweating. Sitting idle in the same situation would require a whole lot of clothing to keep the frost away.

 

[ArkAngel]

Nalgene works well for this too, and we boil it. When we go out backpacking the ladies do this at night and it keeps them extra-super-toasty. Make sure it doesn't leak, as the last thing you need is to wake to cold, wet feet.

I'll second getting a set of modern thermal underwear. How warm you dress should depend on how much activity you're going to be getting; I've chopped wood in -20C and had to strip down to my undershirt to ward off sweating. Sitting idle in the same situation would require a whole lot of clothing to keep the frost away.

Excellent, i didn't know that Nalgene is good for that many thanks

 

[wingstoo]

Hi Jack,


Working in places last winter that were at best chuffing cold the best bit of advice I can give are wrists, feet and head, oh and a good set of thermals.

If I can keep my head, wrists and feet comfortably warm then the rest follows, and make sure you drink plenty of warm drinks, not particularly hot as this will cause you to perspire and thus loose body heat through the perspiration. All the guys in the US Army loved their watch caps, hopefully you have one, like the one that Radar O'Rielly wore in M*A*S*H*.

Tie your trousers just below the knees as well to stop the draughts.

When my Dad was in Germany with the TA they had the 58 pattern sleeping bags, and a small tent, Bivouac, with this system they kept warm enough for two weeks in the field, (that and Brandy and Rum).

Hope this helps, and if all else fails you should do it the way they did it in Band of Brothers, and do it in an aircraft hangar made to look like the battle field.

Have a great time.

LS

 

[michiel]

I love re-enactment. I'm from Belgium and I go to Bastogne every year. Sleeping overthere is really cold. Get yourself long underwear a good fire and decent matras. Take an emergency blanket, just in case it gets nasty. Make sure your body heat doesn't melt the snow under you. If your wet, your body temperature will drop really fast.
Make sure that you've got a few extra pair of long underwear. When you're marching, you'll sweat. If you stop marching to cold really gets to you because of the cold sweat.
Last advice: Get decent gloves and some warm material for inside your helmet.

Have a great time. I'll be there on 4th januari.

PS: NUTS!!!

 

[Jack]

Thank you very much folks and I think thermals are the order of the day and I think I have a 25km march as well - what stupid idea this

And michiel - "NUTS" to you too

 

[Dougster]

I have to say - synthetic really isn't all that good IMO. Try Merino. I am very pleased with my stuff - wether tramping over the hills or stopping for the night. It'll make a huge difference to your comfort I'm sure.

Have great time, I'm sure we all should do something like this, just to make us appreciate what those fellas did for the rest of us.

 

[soa_uk]

If it's chilly, as well as windy [well, living in Cromarty, what else would you expect] I quite often wear a Nanok Air Jacket under my windproof.

It's very warm, and doesn't make me look like a Michelin man(well, more like a Michelin man) like my Sleeka.

I got mine from Andrew at Outdoorcode - and was, as always, delighted with the service, but there are always offers around at this time of year...

 

[Wayland]

Toddy is spot on with the blankets.

If you don't have to carry them around, you can't beat them for value.

They'll also out perform most bags in damp, mucky conditions.

(I'm guessing you can chuck your sleeping kit into the vehicles.)

Don't stint on the ground insulation though. Hoodoo's double insulation call is good.

Wrap another blanket around them and it'll still look pukka.

I often use a palliasse (sp?) stuffed with wool as a baselayer if I've got to do it on an authentic event.

(If it's indoors I have a feather mattress which is much nicer though. )

 

[michiel]

If you use blankets, make sure that they don't absorbs water from the snow. Soldiers used to wrap jute around there feet to prevent frostbite. BAD IDEA!!! It absorbs snow and gets your shoes soaked. The cases of frostbite went up because of this common mistake.