Continued from another thread.
Basically it's the continuation of my ramblings about hating tents and issuing hammocks instead.



I knew someone else must have had the same idea. And yes, it's that hammock I was thinking about but couldn't recall the name of.
Actually it's more than just the bugs. The ground in the jungle is very, very damp during the rainy season and that causes stuff like jungle rot, the clay soil gets in your equipment... unpleasant stuff. The jungle is a bad place to be. The only good news is you can find stuff to eat in there easier than most other types of environments. The bad news is... just about everything else.
Sometimes it's so wet that you just can't get a fire going because everything is so soaked. It's so humid sometimes that the instant you pull something out of your ziplock bag it just starts getting soggy.
Still you can survive in this environment for a long time with only three sets of clothing.

What are you talking about? When I fought in the jungle, we slept on whatever we could, whenever we could. Bugs were the least of our problems, in fact I don't ever remember worrying about bugs ( I did eat a few though). We learned quickly how to take care of ourselves.
You want to sleep in a hammock slung between trees? Good luck my friend
Are you talking about combat or going on a safari?

Actually the hammock was a musing. Never done it, but I've thought about it.
Damn though in the Indonesian jungle it was soggy as heck.
My concern isn't really the insects though. It's the moisture. I've eaten a fair share of stuff in the jungle. Bugs, frogs... not a big fan of snakes. Some kind of large fart smelling beans.
Still managed to survive fine with two changes of clothes though. One more or less permanently wet and one that was dryish.
All around it was just clay. When it got real wet from rain you couldn't go up some hills without pulling on vegetation. Boots got stuffed up with clay and basically became skids... so I actually switched to wearing soccer cleats and actually it worked pretty well.
Obviously in the jungle I was never with a weapon.
But why don't the expert enlighten us?

Anyways here's what worked for me:
2 sets of clothes. The work/trekking clothes were always wet. I had another set to climb into a sleeping bag with.
Zip lock bags.
Sandals. To dry my feet out when camped.
2 dry socks and underwear
1 set of wet socks and underwear.

And I was thinking to keep my stuff dry I might hang it in a hammock or something. But never actually got around to doing it. What I do know is that Guerrillas in Myanmar or something sleep on hammocks to avoid getting damp.

But why don't the expert enlighten us?

First, I don't see any "us" asking any questions. Second, was that supposed to be an attempt at sarcasm?

No it's not sarcasm. I'm sure you have a lot of tips and I'd actually like to know. Maybe the next time I go out (if I get a chance) I'll get what I learn in here and apply it out there. I guess it does sound like sarcasm but seriously you are the expert in this field. Who else better knows than someone who has dodged bullets in the jungle?
The "us" is from the other thread this continued from. This thread in itself started less than an hour ago, which is why you and I are the only ones who posted in it.
Rarely am I sarcastic or condescending towards people who've actually been there and done that.

OK, then what questions would you like me to address? I can only speak from my training and personal experience. Others may have different but equally valid comments/tips to offer.

How often did you actually use tents when you were out in the jungle?
I've felt that tents were useless outside of well fortified camps.
And from what I know of jungle environments I don't think there were many good places to pitch a tent if someone decided that's what they wanted to do anyway.
So how did you stay dry if you didn't use tents? Did you just let yourself get wet with the ground? From what I know, that should be a big no no.
Did you just use your ponchos?
How did you collect water from the environment during the dry season where it could go for a week without rain? Under the canopy where the sun don't shine so well various ways of using condensation don't work very well.
Those kind of things I think.
Plus maybe something you think is important but most other people don't think about.
Just want some expert advice. I'm pretty keen on this stuff and it's a shame there isn't so much time to go outside and avoid snakes anymore.

We used tents (shelter halves) whenever we needed something to sleep in and a more permanent shelter was not available. They're not useless, they keep the rain off. They were not very difficult to set up and being as small as they were, they didn't need much real estate.
Staying dry wasn't an option. You just got wet when you had to.
Ponchos are hot and they might keep the rain out but they made you sweat so much that it really didn't matter. We used our poncho as a lean-to cover our fighting position rather than as a personal rain suit.
The jungle I was in didn't really have a dry season, just damp, wet, and wetter. I've only needed to gather moisture through condensation in a desert environment. We always had water supplied to us (didn't taste great but...).
The one big thing I'd say id to keep your feet as dry as possible. Dry them every chance you get and use powder (fungicide) as often as you can. Always take care to have dry socks to change into and even a pair of dry boots (shoes) to change into.
As for snakes, I never had much fear of them. I do have a healthy respect for them though (and when you're hungry, they taste pretty good too).
Another thing, if you get even the slightest scratch, take great care to keep it clean and covered. Infection will set in with astonishing speed.
I hope that helps a little.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

How often did you actually use tents when you were out in the jungle?
I've felt that tents were useless outside of well fortified camps.
And from what I know of jungle environments I don't think there were many good places to pitch a tent if someone decided that's what they wanted to do anyway.
So how did you stay dry if you didn't use tents? Did you just let yourself get wet with the ground? From what I know, that should be a big no no.
Did you just use your ponchos?
How did you collect water from the environment during the dry season where it could go for a week without rain? Under the canopy where the sun don't shine so well various ways of using condensation don't work very well.
Those kind of things I think.
Plus maybe something you think is important but most other people don't think about.
Just want some expert advice. I'm pretty keen on this stuff and it's a shame there isn't so much time to go outside and avoid snakes anymore.

As DTop mentioned, everyone used to get issued a shelter half along with three poles and five metal stakes with a piece of rope, your equipment along with a fellow soldier would make a two person tent. I have no experience in a jungle environment and based my remark in regards to the jungle hammock on what I have been told from ground pounders serving some training time in Panama. Korea gets pretty darn hot also and it was always a challenge for us NCOs to keep our soldiers dry, especially during the rainy season, you being a former ROK Marine should be a expert at this.

In my VERY limited field experience, we dont use tents at all. Instead, I rig up my poncho to a) provide concealment b)provide rain cover and c)(if possible) block the wind. I usually arrange my ruck underneath the poncho to block the wind near my head, since that is the opening in the sleeping bag which has a waterproof cover.

As far as sleeping arrangments, my boots are next to me, my uniform is on me and my weapon is strapped to me. I wear my mitch as it makes an excellent pillow when propped up by an iba. Oh, I also strap stuff together to make it impossible to steal it. People enjoy stealing unsecured equipment.

Granted those are again LIMITED experiences under relatively temperate conditions in a benign environment(20-60 Degrees, limited rains).