THE ENEMY FROM WITHIN
In my last newsletter I wrote about the “danger from within”
an account of how the US Army has chosen a sleeping bag system that once again
is incapable of doing what they want, keep the soldier in the field warm in
adverse conditions. That situation has expanded with the GSA, or General
Services Administration. The GSA as it is referred to develop’s contracts with
companies who supply the government with product. All of the companies who do
the supplying for the DOD or Department of Defense must provide product that
complies with the Berry Amendment. What is the Berry Amendment? “The Berry
Amendment requires the Defense Department to purchase among other things all
clothing and or textile products produced in the United States of US components
by US companies. Now enshrined in permanent law (10 USC #2533a), the Berry
Amendment has been a feature of defense procurement for more than 50 years.”
“Out
of recognition of the merits of a “warm industrial base” during the
mobilization for the Persian Gulf War, the 103rd Congress enshrined
Berry Amendment protections in permanent law (Section 9005 of the Department of
Defense Appropriations Act, 1993, as amended, (10 USC #2241 note)). Congress,
in the Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2002, codified the Berry
Amendment into permanent law, in order to further protect and strengthen it.
The Berry Amendment is now found in 10 USC #2533a.” The source of information
is from Legislative Alerts and Updates.
The
GSA is defying the law by allowing the Snugpak brand of sleeping bags to be
sold to the
US
military, to be issued to our soldiers. The GSA excuse for allowing this
product to be purchased is that they are made in
England
a friendly country. That is nonsense. For 30 years Faytex of Weymounth, MA.,
imported from
England
a material known as Cambrell. It was used as a lining in military boots for
most of those 30 or so years. It is a very good product, however because we
produce in the US a material that is actually better, when DLA, Defense
Logistics Agency in Philadelphia was advised the lining was an import, even
though it came from a friendly country the Berry Amendment Law took affect and
use of the Cambrell as a lining in military purchased boots came to an end. The
GSA has on several occasions been advised by me of these facts. However, they
still will not terminate the purchase of the Snugpak brand of sleeping bags.
Therefore, they are “the enemy from within.”
The
two individuals I have spoken with and had correspondence with take the
position that I am a competitor and lose business as a result and at a higher
price to boot. Yes, I am losing business but not to a competitor, to even think
that is an insult to me. A competitor is someone or item of about equal
performance, etc. In my September/December 2004 newsletter I exposed the
Snugpak products for what they are, trash. The only difference between these
supposed sleeping bags and dog turd is the fact that dog turd starts out with
an objectionable odor.
I explained to these two individuals in detail even submitting
my newsletter that the bags do not perform as advertised with respect to the
temperature ratings and further will fall apart in relative short order as the
Australian military discovered. They purchased about 300 of them. With steady
use the foot section fell out first. In addition while they say these bags are
launderable, that is a joke. I suppose you can put any fabric in a washing
machine but will it come out in the same condition as when it went in? In the
case of the Snugpak bags the answer is absolutely no. Destruction of the bags
occurs immediately; refer to my S/D 04 newsletter. Today we have a sister
company in
Australia
who is manufacturing Wiggy’s bags for the Australian military. What the GSA
employees do not want to accept is that the soldiers are not staying warm
unless of course they are based in Key West, Florida and further because the
bags self destruct they need to be replaced and now additional tax dollars are
spent for the replacements. Rational thinking in this case does not occur at
the GSA. They simply do not want to understand the danger they put the soldier
in when they allow inferior to say the least sleeping bags to be issued to
those who are protecting our (their) way of life.
I
have never asked anyone to go to battle for me, but in this case I think it is
in our best interest if you who have read this contacted your Congressman and
Senator and made them aware of the situation, that the law they have written is
not being followed by employees of the US government. The GSA apparently has to
be told they are breaking the law and all companies who have GSA contracts have
to have the Snugpak bags removed from them and all companies who do market
these trash bags are prohibited from selling them to any US government agency,
military or otherwise.
In
addition I am very proud of certain facts; I have not received since 1989 when
I first started selling sleeping bags to the military a single complaint. I
have received praise on the performance of the bags and a substantial number,
and it is in the thousands, of soldiers ordering directly from Wiggy’s for
their own use as well as from soldiers who were not issued my bag in the first
place. When they have come in contact with soldiers who were issued my bag that
is when they order them direct. I’ve had soldiers serving with troops from
other countries who have ordered bags for these foreign soldiers. Imagine
producing a product that is issued to thousands of people who use the product
all over the world and not getting a single complaint. That is a situation that
Brett Harris the owner of Snugpak sleeping bags can only dream about. Hell, the
British military doesn’t even buy his stuff, I mean turd. And employees of our
government, civil servants, blatantly refuse to acknowledge facts presented to
them.
To
those of you who chose to contact your Congressman and or Senators I thank you,
and I know the soldiers will too.
A
final note here are the names of company’s that offer this product to both the
military after market as well as to the government directly via their GSA
contract. I put each company in the category of being dishonorable and a
perpetuator of lies. You will find that each of them promotes the Snugpak
product. The information propagated by the Brett Harris Company the maker of
the Snugpak brand of sleeping bags are all lies as to the capabilities of these
sleeping bags ability to perform. Therefore, any company that uses the
information published by Brett Harris Company to sell their products is
perpetuating their lie and would in my opinion be a coconspirator. The actions
of these retail operations should also give one pause to consider the
information they publish about the other products they offer for sale.
The
first company to promote the bags was Brigade Quartermasters, then Cheaper Than
Dirt, Lightfighter, Ranger Joes, and most recently I came across a company
called NavySEALs.com. There are a few others as well all directing themselves
primarily to the military market. The NavySEALs company is owned by a retired
SEAL so he somehow was able to use the name. I tried calling the owner of the
company to speak with him about the product. However, he has not returned a
call. He of all people should know the importance of gear that actually works.
He is using his influence with the SEALs since as I understand it he is
actively still on staff as a trainer, to sell products he carries at his store.
He I believe is the worst of the company’s wanting to take advantage of a
situation that has no merit. Beware of the snake oil salesman.
THE SLEEPING BAG
SOLICITATION
Here is a follow-up to the sleeping bag bid:
First
my bid was rejected because, according to the Department of the Army, my
“proposal failed some major design requirements such as: water repellency
before laundering, water repellency after laundering and the weight of the
patrol bag.” I worked with another company who used my material and my patterns
and this company’s bag was rejected because the fabric failed the tear strength
test and their bags weren’t the correct size. When I advised my supplier of the
failures, he went to the mill who said B/S, I have the report showing what I
supplied met the specification requirements. Initially
if I were to contest their findings, I would let the Army know that I have a
copy of the report and supply them a copy. Also,
the material I submitted quite possibly came from the same source that is
supplying the current contract holder, since there are but two, possibly three,
weaving mills left in the country. If
my material had a problem with water repellency, then all bags supplied by the
current contract holder have that same problem. If
the other company who submitted a bid had fabric that didn’t meet the strength
requirement, again the current contract holder’s fabric doesn’t meet the
specification. As for the weight
of my over bag and the size of the other company’s bag, these excuses are just
as bogus.
And finally our bids were $27.44 per system lower.
The
report from an independent laboratory states the following: product: sleeping
bag, modular, type II, 1.9 oz., nylon rip-stop.
Basic material for intermediate cold weather sleeping bag, black 357. Specification: A-A-55262
dated
15 November 1994.
The tear strength test shows an average of 11.4 in the warp
and 12.4 in the fill. The
specification calls for 9.0 in each direction. The water repellency rating
after 3 launderings shows a spray rating of 90 and 80 which is equal to the
requirement.
I leave it to your imagination to come up with an answer as
to why these deficiencies appeared.
I
spoke to the successful (?) bidder to find out what he did with this new (?)
bag system that makes it better than the old system he is making. I
was told it was proprietary, big deal. The old system weighed 71/2 pounds and
was supposed to perform as cold as -30 degrees F and it didn’t, so why do they
think the new bag system weighs 61/2 pounds and is supposed to perform as cold
as -40 degrees F, lots of luck. The
one pound difference is all insulation, so I guess these people are magicians.
As
I see it, the Army is spending more money and getting even less product than
they had in the first place.
This situation
about lowering the weight of the bag and increasing how low a temperature
the bag will perform too is not new to the sleeping bag industry. I recall when the North Face
company changed the temperature rating of two of their bags; the Cats Meow
was originally rated @ +20 degrees F and a few years later was rated @ +15
degrees F. The weight of the
bag never changed, so how did they make it perform better? They didn’t. The other bag they
produced was called the Tangerine Dream and was rated for -25 degrees F I
believe with a weight of 6 to 7 pounds. The new bag is called the Dark
Star; while it has about the same weight, the temperature rating was
lowered to -40 degrees F. How
did they do it? They didn’t,
they just changed the numbers.
This is what the Army folks are doing, changing the numbers to suit
a need.
Some
years ago I had the opportunity to give General Chuck Yeager (retired) a tour
of my factory. During our
conversation I related a story from a colonel who had been a wing commander at
a base that trained experienced pilots to teach. One
day a T-38 took off with two experienced pilots, one the flight instructor in
command. At about 20,000 feet
altitude he lost power. After
examining their situation, the command pilot called the tower and said he was
in excellent position to land the plane safely, which he did. The
colonel put in for a commendation for the pilot, after all, he saved two lives
and a multimillion dollar aircraft.
Upper command wrote back if the pilot ever does that again, court-martial him. Rule
number one is to bail out when you lose power. General Yeager told me he had
been assigned as a safety officer at one point in his career and upper command
was absolutely correct, he was very matter-of-fact when he told me that. The
reason being the man was more valuable than the piece of equipment. It
could be replaced, the man couldn’t. I
guess the ground soldier in the Army isn’t as valuable as a pilot in the Air
Force, so we can issue sleeping bags that are less than capable of doing the
job.
I
read an article in the Army Times about a new clothing system that the Army
intends on instituting in 2006 with testing done during the winter of 2005
using troops in the mountains of
Afghanistan
. It is believed that
wearing this new clothing system will allow the sleeping system to perform at
the cold temperatures that the troops will encounter over there. All
a pipe dream!
First
of all they are issuing polyester close knit long underwear which will trap
their perspiration against their skin surface. Polyester does not wick moisture
as is claimed. So they are
starting out with a problem of retaining moisture which will cause a chill
effect. Then they are issuing a
fleece top as the second layer as well as a fleece third layer. Fleece
is notorious for trapping moisture. Then we have the insulated layers, which
have Primaloft as the fill. The
Primaloft must be quilted in order for it to stay together and of course each
and every quilt stitch is a cold spot, which means 10 cold spots to the inch,
that being the normal number of stitches per inch on a quilting machine. These
outer garments are for “extreme cold”, which in my opinion again is incapable
of doing the job. I have written
extensively about Primaloft and/or chopped staple fiberfill insulations in the
past and they are not even close to continuous filament fiber as an insulating
medium.
I
have also previously noted that the moisture will not be driven out of the
clothing as they expect because the sleeping bag system itself is not up to the
job.
As
I see it the soldier in the field is getting the short end of the stick with
regards to his personal equipment and its ability to work. Unfortunately
those who have been hired to find product that works lack the necessary
background to actually develop these products; they depend upon someone who is
intent on selling them their product even though it does not work.
KEEPING WARM
There have been numerous articles written about how to get and
or stay warm as well as thousands of posts on the internet offering advice as
can be seen on a multitude of camping or hunting web sites. The overwhelming
majority of what you will read is either misleading or flat out wrong. The
writers of the books as well as the writers of the many posts have
insignificant knowledge of what it takes to not only help for one to keep their
body warm, but do it so they are comfortable all of the time. That is the key,
staying comfortable all the while when you are out in the field.
Let’s
start with your house and how it stays warm. In the walls and ceiling we find
insulation. The insulation I am referring to is fiberglass versus the blown in
or expanded foam type since fiberglass is just like polyester batting. The heat
source is normally located under the house and for a very good reason, heat
rises. The heat will rise vertically unless there is wind which does not exist
in your house. The warmed air rising along widows will be drawn to the widows.
The glass surface temperature is lower than the temperature of the ambient air
that is rising in the room so the warmer air will go to the colder air next to
the glass. This is a physical (physics) action that occurs naturally, in other
words heat goes to cold. As more and more heat is rising when it reaches the
ceiling, and if you have lots of fiberglass insulation in your ceiling the heat
will build up and build up downwards. Of course the heated air next to the
glass will continue to move out and draw more heated air behind it. This can be
stifled by covering the glass with drapes. Even though the drapes are 4 or 5
inches from the glass it will be a significant barrier to reduce dramatically
the heat flow to and then out through the glass.
In
essence if you have adequate insulation you retain the heat produced by the
heating system.
These
same principles apply to proper dressing. Adequate insulation around your body
will retain the heat you are producing. However, there is a difference to take
into consideration. A house is stationary and you are heated in the house from
the outside of your body by your surroundings, the warm air. When you are
outside of the house you are heated from inside your body and as a consequence
you must consider the best clothing to wear that will contain the heat that you
are producing.
The
first layer must be one that simply does not stifle the flow of moisture while
it is in its vapor state away from your skin surface. The best material for
that first layer is nylon fishnet fabric. There are other synthetic materials
if knitted in a fishnet pattern that will work as well, but to date none is
available so nylon it is. ALL of the moisture your body generates will easily
move away from your skin surface through the 3/8 inch holes and while it is
still in the vapor state it will raise and escape through your neckline if it
is open and if the clothing you are wearing is loose fitting. If it is very
cold and your neckline is closed the moisture will move through your clothing
that is if it is vapor permeable. I keep reading articles about dressing right
for the cold and all the writers stress wearing a proper first layer but they
never mention fishnets, they do mention a synthetic base layer and in all cases
that base layer is a close knit product that does in fact stifle the flow of
the moist vapor even if it does not absorb it, it restricts its movement away
from your skin surface. They further stress that being synthetic it will dry
much more quickly than cotton, wool or silk. That’s fine when you go into an
area that is heated by an outside source of heat and you can disrobe. But when
you are standing still in the outdoors the retained moisture will definitely be
the primary reason that you get chilled. Once chilled the only way you can
reverse the situation is to get in a heated enclosure where you can remove the
wet garments and dry yourself.
Further
it is important to wear only garments over the fishnets that are made of
fabrics which are not coated and are lose fitting. Obviously the non-coated
material as stated will allow for vapor-transmission and lose fitting not only
helps there but also allows for greater freedom of movement. If the materials
are synthetic, synthetic natural fiber blend or all natural is of no particular
consequence. You will find that the number of layers of clothing is reduced. If
you are in a circumstance where the weather conditions are wet, raining, a
single layer coated rain garment would be necessary. I believe the single layer
type of coated garment is best because it will keep out the rain and all
perspiration that you generate will move easily to the surface of the inside of
that garment were it will condense. I personally wear water repellent treated
fabric garments, specifically my 3 ply Supplex shell garments. This
non-waterproof fabric will allow the moisture while still vapor to escape and
you will stay dry. In the event the temperature drops below freezing you will
possibly have frost there, but that would only occur if the ambient air
temperature were to get to about 0 degrees. If you are wearing a Wiggy’s
sweater which has nylon shell the moisture will not flow back to you so you
will stay dry inside the clothing you are wearing and therefore you will be
comfortable. This layering is recommended for basically healthy men. A women,
child or older man (65 or older) would need a secondary layer under the
sweater. People of those three categories do not have the same muscle mass as a
healthy male. Remember it is muscle mass that creates heat.
I
am of the undeniable opinion that the companies which produce outerwear or
clothing for cold weather purposes have for year’s evaded reality. The reality
of human physiology; how our body works to keep us comfortable, and what we
need to cover our body with depending upon environmental conditions to maintain
our steady temperature of 98.6 degrees internally. Our body is comprised of
muscle. As we work our body the muscles create heat. That heat is dissipated
through our skin to keep our body temperature in balance. It comes off of the
solid surface of the skin as radiant heat and vapor comes out of the pores of
our skin to condense on our skin surface to further cool us. The more active
you are the greater the need of the body to eliminate the extra heat that is
being produced, therefore the greater the amount of perspiration produced. When
the temperature is above 60 degrees this process is very beneficial, but when
the temperature is lower steps must be taken to help the moisture produced to
get away from the skin surface, fishnet underwear is and always will be the
answer. All other forms of long underwear that are available at this time are
counter productive. They all inhibit the flow of the vapor from your skin
surface so you will get a chill from the moisture build up they create. The
human body perspires in total. When you are active perspiration comes out of
every single pore of your body because we have muscles all over our body. Our
hands sweat, our noses sweat our knees sweat, we even sweat between our toes,
etc., etc., etc.
The
best way to keep warm when the temperature is from zero to 45 degrees is to
wear the following layers, for a healthy man; fishnet long underwear, a shirt,
sweater, etc. a Lamilite sweater or liner and an over parka shell lined but
without insulation. I was wearing exactly this combination (shirt not sweater)
hunting this past November. The temperature was in the teens in the morning. I
was camped at 9000 feet and hiked to almost 10,000 feet. It was not very long
into the hike each day that I started to sweat so I opened my parka which was
insulated with the L-6 liner. When I stopped I zipped it closed to conserve the
heat. As the day wore on and the temperature rose to almost 40 degrees I had my
parka open completely. I was comfortable the entire time. I have read on
various web site forums for hunters about a conglomeration of layers of
clothing to put on take off etc. and the posters still want to know what
someone else is wearing. This tells me that the poster was not comfortable,
otherwise why ask the question or for advice. The problem as I see it is they
have been sold a bill of goods on some “jim dandy” clothing item that the
manufacturer doesn’t have a clue if the material used to make the garment works
or not. My guess is advertising dollars are involved as has been the case in
the past.
I
would recommend my vest under the sweater or liner for a women or someone who
needs extra insulation. With the temperature going below zero I recommend my
Antarctic parka. I have on purpose spent an exorbitant amount of time in the
outdoors during the winter in the
Vermont
and
Colorado
testing skiwear, boots, snowmobile suits and hand wear and sleeping bags from
the early 1960’s until the present. I have also had the opportunity to glean
information from literally several thousands of people who have told me of
their experiences with my products. The reality surrounding all of this
information is totally supportive of the products I have been producing and
their ability to perform.
CONTENTIOUS
The subject of sleeping bags and the insulation used in the
manufacture of sleeping bags are the most contentious subjects discussed in the
outdoor industry. As I have said many times I have been involved with the
insulation part of the outdoor industry for 44 years and sleeping bag
manufacturing for 38 of those years and it seems so simple to understand which
insulation is best and how best to make a sleeping bag.
The
finest form of raw material ever devised for use as insulation is silicone
treated continuous filament polyester fiber. Continuous filament fiber has been
used in sleeping bags continuously since 1968. All other forms of polyester
fiber have failed when used for insulation in sleeping bags. That lack of
success has not stopped companies from trying to sell their product to
companies who make sleeping bags. Of course I am referring to chopped staple
fiber. Also, the best fabric to use for shell and lining is one that will allow
the moisture given off by the occupant of the bag to escape through the
materials to the outside. That material is a 70 denier, 104 x 86 count nylon
taffeta.
Experience
is always the best teacher and the more people who share the same experience
the more proof that something does what it is supposed to do. That is why I
have not changed the materials or method of manufacture since I started making
Wiggy’s bags in 1986.
Here
as in the manufacture of cold weather clothing we observe the evasion of
knowledge on the part of companies who claim to make sleeping bags that perform
at various temperatures. I am quite matter of fact that the bags made at
Wiggy’s Inc. are the
most accurate rated, lightest weight for any given temperature
and most durable ever produced in the history of sleeping bag manufacturing.
As
was explained in the previous article the human body likes having an internal
temperature of 98.6 degrees. It is easier to maintain that temperature when we
are active versus when we are sleeping. Therefore, we need to surround
our body with a significantly greater amount of insulation than when we are
active. When we are active we are concerned with getting rid of excess heat.
When we are at rest we are concerned with retaining the heat that our body is
producing.
When
at rest, sleeping, the only real muscle movement is our heart and lungs. They
do not generate the type of heat the massive muscles we have in our legs and
back do. Heat production is very limited and as a result it is very necessary
to trap the heat we are producing as best as possible. If we do not surround
our body with a sufficient volume of insulation a series of negative actions
takes place. First and foremost our body will increase its consumption of the
food that we have eaten prior to getting into our sleeping bag. Initially we
will not realize how much heat we are loosing if we do not have enough
insulation around our body because our metabolic rate will increase in a direct
proportion to our heat loss. Eventually we will have consumed all of our fuel
(food) and we will start to experience that cold feeling. Once this occurs you
will need to go into a heated area to start the “getting warm process.”
All of these actions will have
occurred because of one thing and one thing only, a lack of insulation
surrounding our body.
It
is of little consequence to point this out to some individuals, they still have
this very dumb notion that a sleeping bag manufacture can produce a two
and one half pound bag rated for +20 degrees even though the manufacturer says
it can’t be done. I had that very experience. I have mentioned in the two
previous newsletters that I acquiesced to the desires of some well meaning
fellows who participated on a hunting web site that shall remain nameless to
make an item for them. The bag did not perform as they hoped and when I read
the results I terminated the bag. That led to as great an attack upon me as
could happen to one. It was if I actually could do what they wanted but chose
not too. This situation is not new, it has raged for years. Companies like 3-M
and Albany International perpetuate the untrue statements about the products
they market causing people to doubt what actually is true. In virtually every
case the end result is never observed from the stand point of why it occurred,
what led to the poor end result? In all cases it is a lack of adequate
insulation whether it is a sleeping bag or clothing item.
I
will continue to make sleeping bags and clothing items that some consumers will
consider heavier than what comes from other company’s. However, I take comfort
in knowing that all who use my products stay warm and therefore happy when they
are out in the field.
.
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