This forum and thread is the obvious place for those new to camping/wild camping/bushcrafting, scanning for information on what some may consider obvious or common surplus items, so here is my little review of the above.
I have, since writing this, learned that the British Army bags at least, do NOT have the precursor, M, as in the title.
There are various but similar bags that can be seen/found under the above umbrella, so I'm going to concentrate on mine, but the variations are minor. There are others of various European designation under the M90 tag, and occasionally, M95 tag. Be aware that some ads., show the bag inside out.
Lets get the basics out of the way first,
1/ They are cold weather bags, they are warm, commonly quoted as -10 deg C bags, whatever that may mean. But , basically will be perfectly warm enough for this country, even in winter. This can later be qualified....
2/ They are (with the exception of the earlier, feather filled M58 bag), synthetic fill, most commonly Hollofil.
3/ They are relatively bulky (compression sacks are available for them) and heavy.
They are predominantly olive green nylon hooded bags with a ventral zip, covered with a substantial baffle. There are two internal pockets for smalls or sundries. The zip is massive and can be full or half length. In my case the latter. They are commonly available in 2 sizes, medium which is generally fine to about 5'11" and large, up to 6'4", my height. Some of the European M90 pattern bags go bigger still.
Cotton liners are available for about a fiver, as are GorTex bivvy bags (approx. £25), the addition of which extends even further the insulation properties of the bag, and of course renders it water proof.
As in all things the capability of these bags will be markedly enhanced by insulating oneself from the ground (mats ,etc), but in summary, these are robust, heavy, bulky, effective, no nonsense bags and do all this for only £20-£35
Hope this helps if you've been looking..........
I have, since writing this, learned that the British Army bags at least, do NOT have the precursor, M, as in the title.
There are various but similar bags that can be seen/found under the above umbrella, so I'm going to concentrate on mine, but the variations are minor. There are others of various European designation under the M90 tag, and occasionally, M95 tag. Be aware that some ads., show the bag inside out.
Lets get the basics out of the way first,
1/ They are cold weather bags, they are warm, commonly quoted as -10 deg C bags, whatever that may mean. But , basically will be perfectly warm enough for this country, even in winter. This can later be qualified....
2/ They are (with the exception of the earlier, feather filled M58 bag), synthetic fill, most commonly Hollofil.
3/ They are relatively bulky (compression sacks are available for them) and heavy.
They are predominantly olive green nylon hooded bags with a ventral zip, covered with a substantial baffle. There are two internal pockets for smalls or sundries. The zip is massive and can be full or half length. In my case the latter. They are commonly available in 2 sizes, medium which is generally fine to about 5'11" and large, up to 6'4", my height. Some of the European M90 pattern bags go bigger still.
Cotton liners are available for about a fiver, as are GorTex bivvy bags (approx. £25), the addition of which extends even further the insulation properties of the bag, and of course renders it water proof.
As in all things the capability of these bags will be markedly enhanced by insulating oneself from the ground (mats ,etc), but in summary, these are robust, heavy, bulky, effective, no nonsense bags and do all this for only £20-£35
Hope this helps if you've been looking..........
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