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ABSURD

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ABSURD

“Utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false”

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There are two companies that got together to host an activity that is best described as absurd.

Companies 1- Allied Feather and Down [AFD], and 2- Stormy Glacier. [SG]

AFD is a processor of down used in a multitude of household products. For the clothing and sleeping bag market they sell a down that has been bathed in a water-repellent bath so the down clusters used in these products will not absorb water and collapse as non-water repellent down will when it gets wet. This doesn’t last long hence the reason other down processors gave up doing it.

SG is the so called manufacturer of down filled clothing and down filled sleeping bags. I say so called because these items as well as all of their other clothing items they sell are made are made in Asia.

The AFD company supplies SG company with their down that has been treated with their special water repellent chemical.

On the SG website they show a test where they take a Chillicothe model sleeping bag that is rated for 0 degrees and weighing in at 2 pounds ten ounces, made with the water repellent down and a very tightly woven nylon fabric and put it the bag in a yeti cooler which I believe half filled with water. They close it and two guys pick it up and slosh the water around for maybe 5 minutes and remove the bag.

The bag now weighs in at 2 pounds fourteen ounces because the weight comes mostly from surface water and possibly some actually got in via the seams.

The only thing that was proven with this test is to show how water resistant the fabric is. It is so tightly woven you have to work at stuffing it in a stuff sack. The reason the fabric is almost like a coated fabric. All I know is there is no possible way these two pounds ten ounce bag will perform in the field at 0 degrees F.

That is not only the only subject I am writing about that is absurd.

It seems the “U.S. Special Operations group” reached out to SG to perform a stagnant rewarming drill on ALLIED down filled sleeping bags and technical apparel.” I have quoted this from the SG web site. They SG have a video on their web site showing what I am summarizing.

Ten guys both military and civilian fully clothed run into a lake that has water that is about 33 degrees where they get completely wet. They then pick up their back packs, run maybe one hundred yards. They then pull out of their packs down jackets and down pants that the hurriedly put on. They then pull out their ground pads and to my amazement they are orange blowup pads like you would use in a pool. They were intent to lose heat as quickly as possible. Or maybe it is part of their “technical gear.” The ambient air temperature is I think 14 degrees.

Their tents were already set up so all they had to do was put the ground pads in, then the sleeping bags and finally themselves before hypothermia sets in, they then engage in heating water to drink, put in their Nalgene water bottles and put between their legs.

Some were so cold they were shivering. They were in their bags for about two hours.

What I just described to you fits the category of being absurd I have never heard of this activity in all of the years I have engaged with the military. I am sure someone in the testing lab at Natick might have sanctioned it, but who knows.

The reason AFD was involved was so they could show Case their water resistant down. The reality is the down was not subjected to water other than the wet garments being worn.

And of course, SG wants to show they may supply these bags and clothing to the U.S.S.O. community. However, ALL sleeping bags and clothing are made in Asia. These products cannot be sold to the military. Also, by showing this video it does appear that the U.S.P.O. are endorsing both the AFD down and the SG sleeping bags and clothing. this is a NO,NO!!! GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ARE NOT EVER SUPPOSED TO ENDORSE ANY PRODUCT.

By the way had they had Wiggy bags they would have been warm quickly and dry if they spent 8 hours in the bags. 

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