Posted on 12/15/2006 11:55:50 PM PST by Stoat
Woo Hoo! An anti-terror weapon that you put on and zip up! :-)
3rd Generation ECWCS
The 3rd Generation of the Army's Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) is a radical re-design of the cold weather clothing system for the U.S. Army. ECWCS GEN III features seven new layers of insulation including three Polartec® fabrics: two layers of Polartec® Power Dry® and a layer of Polartec® Thermal Pro® High Loft . The system is currently undergoing a large scale user evaluation and is planned for fielding in its final version in the Fall.
Compared to ECWCS Gen II, GEN III offers a systems approach for clothing design - each piece fits and functions either alone or when used in the system to provide the most options for the soldier. The introduction of GEN III would not have been possible without the vision of PM soldier in Ft. Belvoir, VA and US Army Natick Soldier Center in Natick, MA. The developmental partnership between Malden Mills, PM Soldier and Natick is ensuring that our soldiers have the best available products to complete their mission.
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Synthetics don't sweat and wick moisture away from the body. To solve that problem, you either wear nylon fishnet underwear or cotton underwear to stay dry and comfortable. On top of that you can wear a polyester fleece mid layer. And in really extreme cold, a down jacket or a lamilite jacket is perfect for keeping in warmth. Its not too difficult to devise a layering system for cold wear conditions.
Cry wolf! I'll be dead before I ever live to see the Arctic ice all gone.
Don't be such a pessimist.
Actually some do. Polypropylene is one that comes to mind.
you either wear nylon fishnet underwear or cotton underwear to stay dry and comfortable
Well...which is it? Nylon is a synthetic after all. And be advised cotton is a terrible insulator when wet and doesn't wick at all.
It's fine till it's damp, then it actually pulls heat right straight out of your body.
By far the very best 'next to the skin' stuff is silk longjohns. Absolutely nothing beats it.
Then you can layer polypro or another advanced synthetic on top of that. Over that I usually put on a layer of good old fashioned wool or just go straight to something that breaks the wind.
Of course these days I mostly try to stay inside next to the fireplace...
L
I'm only 44. Do the math. I'll be nearly 80 by then. Granted, its a looooooooooooooong tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime.
Maybe if we all burn things we can speed it up. Do it for the cod.
It's all a complete waste of money. It's warm up there. Haven't you heard? The ice is melting!
Not any more.
Scroll down one post.
That stuff scares me. I'm afraid I'd get something caught and tangled up in the net.
The only thing not listed is is a white overjacket or pants.
Green on white is a little, well, visible.
I'm guessing that the fishnet apertures (fenestrations?) are sized so that only liberals need to worry about that sort of scenario :-)
I thought that was rather strange also. Perhaps there's a thin overjacket that's supplied to troops working in snowy areas, but it's strange that no photos feature that.
And it seems that it would be simpler to issue clothing to these troops that's white already, so they don't have to bother with extra gear.
Hopefully all of this is available and just wasn't featured in the photos for some reason.
Bump for later read. Sounds interesting!
Perhaps the contrast 'fools' the eye; maybe in a manner similar to those drawings that you have to stare at for a few seconds in order to discern a secondary or tertiary image?
'Course, on a thermal imager, it altogether too easy to spot a person up and walking around.
I'm guessing that one area of intense military research is in the arena of garments that mask the wearer's heat signature. This would be great until you're injured or in trouble in an unfriendly zone and need a ride out. Not giving off a heat pattern gives rescuers one less tool to help them find you.
On a semi related side note, we 'lost' a trooper in the back of the NWTC, past Mississippi Range. An AC-130 was in the AO and was able to spot the man in just minutes. I hope the one flying for the My Hood operation can find the missing climbers.
Let's all hope and pray that they are found safe. A note left behind indicated that they had ample supplies, but an injury or a particularly vicious storm can make all of that pretty meaningless.
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