swedish army sleeping bags

[topknot]

hello i bought my self one of these sleeping bags(swedish army sleeping bag)
brand new for £20 it came brand new with a cotton liner.
can anyone help me with a few question?
is it a current swedish issue or old?
the outer is cotton i was wondering what was used for the filling?
and a possible temperture range?
thank you
topknot!
http://www.surplusandadventure.com/ishop/800/shopscr2108543.html

 

[Squidders]

I guess we'd need a picture or link to where you got it or something mate

 

[oldsoldier]

In my experience, the fill is, more than likely, a lesser synthetic hollow fill element such as quallofil. I highly doubt they'd stick down, even duck feathers, into a cotton bag. Probably quite heavy. But, I could also be wrong.
It happened once.

 

[Swede]

@ topknot

I´ve slept in that model a few times. The sleeping bag is old. Yet I can´t give you any age but if I would make a guess I´d say 1950-60. The filling, is a kind of syntetic down (?) according to an surplus seller in Sweden http://www.bbfab.se/. Look for "Diverse Militärt" in the left margin and scroll down to "Sovsäck De Lux". I´m not sure of the temperature range because I´ve only used it in combination with an up-heated tent but I wouldn´t go below 5 degrees Celsius. In the service it comes with a liner made of cotton (if you wonder why the buttons are there for). Just for not being forced to wash the whole bag. The bag is big, cheap and heavy. One nickname it has is "the cigar" (cigarren).

 

[topknot]

Thank you for the info swede.

 

[Sgt Sim]

Jepp, it is one of the older ones, in fact, if I rembere correctly, it is one of the oldest ones before decomissioning in the late 1990ts and early 2000. The one that is on the picture is a part of the swedish armed forces m/59- system (m standing for modell and 59 for 1959) which was the standard field system for all service personell up untill 1990 when the m/90- system was comissioned slowly. The specific type that is on the picture (with the handle on top of the bag) was originaly used by the Air Force and the Navy. The Army version comes in a slightly smaler sack, without the hande on top and a ludicrisly small zipper (than one never could get open when it was very cold and you realy wanted to get in to your sleeping bag). Sleeping bags where however not standard equpiment for most of the armed forces before 2004 when the new Solider 2000- system and the MARKUS- system was released. Yes, it is heavy, and yes, it conains somekind of syntetic cotton that has a tendency of getting damp and wet, as Swede pointed out (or should I call him Brother in Arms, if I may ) It is not the current, standard version that the swedish armed forces uses. The new version is a sleeping bag system concisting of a inner sleeping bag, a outher sleeping bag, a sleeping bag cover and a bivye- sack called The Maggot. The enitre new sleeping bag system cost aroud 5000 SEK each (C. 450 Sterlings). The new system is great but very hard to track down as a civilian (I have noticed...).
When it comes to temperatur range the manuals actually does not say, but I have used it in service down to around minus 15- 20 Celsius without any major problems, but I would say the the comfort temperature is in the minus 5 to plus 15 Celsius. The only problem that I wound with it was that since there is a lot of cotton in it, it gets damp very qickly. Keep it in a bin liner bag when you have it in your back pack and turn it in side out when you are drying it.

 

[topknot]

Thank you very much. Have you track one down?
cheers topknot.

 

[Sgt Sim]

No, unfourtiuntly not. The basterds made my return my trial version of the new sleeping bag when I left.... But the bag you got is perfectly suitible for UK conditions, especially if you managed to get one that never have been used before.

 

[Swede]

@ Sgt Sim
You´re well informed .

The new sleeping bag system (made by Carinthia, Austria) can be bought by civilians but you wont get the Swedish defence´s three crowns on the labels . I know at least one dealer who sell them. About the small one man tent (made in a fabric similar to Gore-tex) you may sometimes see them (and also the sleeping bags) in the swedish version of Tradera. The nick by the way, is "ensamma vargen" (lone wolf). The swedish defence have a problem with all GI´s stealing equipment and selling them on the net. The first time I came across the sleeping bag (topic) was in the air force. When i did my military service in the army we had the old m59 parka when we slept in a big up-heated tent. The link http://www.bbfab.se/ you can also find the smaller army version with a loose transport cover (Sovsäck i konst-dun (sleeping bag in syntetic down)). Pity it doesn´t show the sleeping bag without cover. This is pretty much as Sgt Sim already mentioned. I´m astonished he´s so well informed :You_Rock_ , brother in arms! /Swede

Ok, I must confess I looked at your profile and saw you dressed in uniform in the picture. Dimman lättade då som man säger. So, the current questionmarks are no more. I thought, because of your location, you´re a well informed scot....

Edit: More info.

 

[Sgt Sim]

Thank you Also thank you for the information regarding the sleeping bag 2000 and avalibilty for civilians. I now (possible, if my lady lets me ) have a new mission.... Hehehe.

It is also very nice to see that I am not the only one in this forum from His Majesty the Kings of Swedens Lifeguard Dragoons.

 

[Nicklas Odh]

I had the old version sleeping bag with inner cotton liner when I was in the airforce in 91. It works kind of great when youo have a heated tent. When I was on a tour in Bosnia I was issued the sleepingbag 2000, it was very good to have a bag that manages somewhere around 25 below when it went up to 40 degrees in the summer
The homeguard is issued a "Sovsäck 2000 lätt", light version that seems to be just one bag instead of two.
If you happen to come by a new model Bårtäcke, stretcher cover. it it much coasier than a sleeping bag. We had those in the homeguard but they are bulkier and looks like a sleeping bag flattened out. Something to wish for for christmas and to keep in the car

F7 910107-911213
HQ SFOR Sarajevo DB11 010212-010911

 

[Swede]

@ Sgt Sim

Try looking at www.recon.se . BTW, Cavalry rules !!

@ Nicklas Odh

About "bårtäcke", for our english speaking friends, when it´s packed it looks like a sleeping bag in it´s transportation mode but with carrying straps. The bag (for transportation) is attached to the cover so you can´t loose it.

I agree it is cozy to sleep in and really warm. But I´m not sure about the filing? Quallofill, Hollowfill? Something syntetic and not heavy. You can see it at Tradera.se from tome to time.