Softie suit bivvying

[tartanferret]

I'm thinking of buying one of the reversible issue softie suits; jacket and trousers.





I'm off on a bivvying getaway in a few weeks and concerned about lugging my brit army sleeping bag about.

I was wondering if I could get by with a lighter arrangement. I will be using a bivvy bag and tarp.

If i used the softie suit in conjunction with thermal underwear and bivvy bag what sleeping bag could I manage with?

I have a Buffalo thermaliner, which is supposed to add 1/2 a season to a sleeping bag and I imagine the softie suit would be equivalent to a 1-2 season sleeping bag.

any thoughts?

I may just end up with the reliability of the brit army sleeping bag

Also is the softie suit a good buy ?

thanks folks !

 

[mountainm]

The softies are brilliant, but you will be compressing the loft laying down so you'll still need a sleep mat.

 

[tartanferret]

The softies are brilliant, but you will be compressing the loft laying down so you'll still need a sleep mat.

Oh yes ! forgot to mention the mat !

reckon I could getaway with a 2 season bag with the suit, mat and bivvy bag????

 

[mountainm]

Oh yes ! forgot to mention the mat !

reckon I could getaway with a 2 season bag with the suit, mat and bivvy bag????

I'd try it in the back garden first, but it sounds reasonable to me. With socks and a hat.

 

[mountainm]

Another top tip for conserving heat is a face mask - you breath a lot of heat out of your body cooling down your core - wearing a facemask helps hold on to some of this heat as you breath warm air back in.

 

[tartanferret]

I'd try it in the back garden first, but it sounds reasonable to me. With socks and a hat.

Wise words !
Think I'l try that, though not my back garden, what with it being concrete !

 

[Greek1983]

Actually such suits are equivalent to a sleeping bag. I recall that issued Softies, Nanok SF Reversible and several other, mil-spec winter suits are sometimes preferred over winter sleeping bags from SF soldiers because of weight and bulk. Don't know about the quality of the issued Softies, but Snugpak's definitely are top quality.

You might also need a pair of tent booties, thermal gloves, and a thermal balaclava (fleece, Thinsulate etc.) for such situations.

 

[Shewie]

A pal uses the softie suit along with a Snugpak Softie 3 bag for 4 season camping

 

[andybysea]

Still to cold yet(well for me) ive got the suit and have used it with bag's in the cold to make a extra insulation,and with a jungle bag in the summer just incase needed, but i havent used it by itself,and would'nt just yet.

 

[Twodogs]

I have looked at using a bivi suit in my jervens bag ,,,hmmmmmmmm
worth a try ,
Twodogs

 

[Trojan]

Loads of these Softie Jackets on fleabay- I just bought one and V happy!

 

[Doc]

Tartanferret raises very good point that I don't think has been asked before.

The softie jackets and trousers uses the same insulation as a sleeping bag, but probably won't be quite as warm, for the same reason that gloves are not as warm as mittens.

On my spring Arctic Circle trip I knew the night temperatures could be too low for my 3 season bag, but I didn't want to carry the weight of the 4 season bag. So I took the 3-season, plus a softie jacket in case. As it happened, there was a bit of a heatwave and the softie never came out of the stuffsac.

Good advice to try it in the back garden first.

 

[BillyBlade]

In summer, I've not used a sleeping bag for years. Swedish M90 trousers and a decent down jacket with a Brit army self inflating mat underneath the bivi bag is fine for me. I do seem to run hotter than most folks though.

 

[woof]

I got one of the issue one's off ebay, & my son who joined the army last year was home on leave when it arrived & was going back to a 2 week exercise before passing out. He took the softie back with him as they had'nt been issued with them. He says that everyone one in the squad used it at some stage(i'd got it issued but un used !)& it saved one lad from hypothermia, so they do sound the buisness.

Tartan, i like the idea of using the suit with a 2/3 season bag in the winter.

Rob

 

[widu13]

Yes they will work, but how well is down to the individual. The US modular sleep system is rated to -30 and everyone remembers that it should include 2 sleeping bags, the bivi bag and the stuff sack, but forgets that to achieve these temperatures US soldiers are also issued a softie type suit to wear as well whilst in the bags.

 

[barking badger]

I have one of the us modular sleep systems i tested it outside on the garden . I sleep warm and only had on my shorts and a tshirt
it was -7 outside and it was 24
Inside sleeping bag its a very good system just a little on the large side
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[widu13]

I've one too and picked it up cheap as it is a right side zip (I'm right handed so it can be a struggle!). Why they didn't go for a centre zip when designing a new system Lord only knows.