Originally Posted by Wallabies

I havn't found that. If you have problems hearing with it on then cut holes for your hears. Be careful with undergarments, you may be on the move with no time to take them off and go down with a heat illness.

The only time you will be on the move in your undergarments will be if you and/or your Team finds themselves in a severe "after" situation.
ie: Enemy have spotted your hide out/sleep hole.
If you are in such proximity to your enemy you should wear what you can fight in, no more, no less.
That is only a problem in book land.

I also disagree with the balaclava statement.
Even if you cut holes for your ears you will still loose a certain percent of your hearing, plus the garment in itself will not be (as) effective.

But this is ofcourse only in my experience.
//KJ.

I never really used a balaclava but I have used a face mask that covers your mouth and nose. That also helps in the cold. You get plenty of insulation from your helmet, helmet liner and standalone turtle neck.
I had separate ear muffs which I took on and off to keep my ears from freezing over yet retain hearing most of the time.

The only time you will be on the move in your undergarments will be if you and/or your Team finds themselves in a severe "after" situation.
ie: Enemy have spotted your hide out/sleep hole.
If you are in such proximity to your enemy you should wear what you can fight in, no more, no less.
That is only a problem in book land.

When the staff come around firing into empty rat pack tins saying mortars are falling and you have to leg it 5km I doubt there going to be very sympathetic when you cry that you have your thermals on.

I also disagree with the balaclava statement.
Even if you cut holes for your ears you will still loose a certain percent of your hearing, plus the garment in itself will not be (as) effective.

I never really used a balaclava but I have used a face mask that covers your mouth and nose. That also helps in the cold. You get plenty of insulation from your helmet, helmet liner and standalone turtle neck.

Not as effective but better than nothing. I don't cut holes in mine and still hear fine and when I go back to sleep I don't have to curl up to get my sleeping bag over my head. Helmets are uncomfortable.

It really depends on the threat assessment.
Obviously if you're expecting trouble, you'll be kitted out so that you can be on the move at any moment. If you're far from trouble, staying warm and away from sickness takes a higher priority.
Either way I think in the course of the discussion I think we got our scenarios mixed up between garrison guard duty, field guard duty, sleeping in quarters with no heating and sleeping outside.

Originally Posted by Wallabies

When the staff come around firing into empty rat pack tins saying mortars are falling and you have to leg it 5km I doubt there going to be very sympathetic when you cry that you have your thermals on.



Not as effective but better than nothing. I don't cut holes in mine and still hear fine and when I go back to sleep I don't have to curl up to get my sleeping bag over my head. Helmets are uncomfortable.

Well that applies to some training scenarios. Not to the real world.
Fact remains, in real world situations when you are close enough to your enemy for him to spot your hideout you wear what you can fight/ tab out with.
The discomfort of a chill during the night should have no bearing on your clothing desicion IMO.

During basic you will be told what to wear by your cadre.

The sleepingbag flap are there to enable you to pull it over your head should you want to.
This should also only be used when enemy contact are close to zero as it hampers both hearing and smell.

Helmets should only be used during MOUT.
Otherwise they hamper your hearing a few percents, just like anything else covering your ears.

But as with all other things, your area of operations will determine what you wear by a simple criteria.
What works.

//KJ.

Well that applies to some training scenarios. Not to the real world.
Fact remains, in real world situations when you are close enough to your enemy for him to spot your hideout you wear what you can fight/ tab out with.
The discomfort of a chill during the night should have no bearing on your clothing desicion IMO.

And that's what we're talking about, training.

The sleepingbag flap are there to enable you to pull it over your head should you want to.
This should also only be used when enemy contact are close to zero as it hampers both hearing and smell.

Not all sleeping bags have them. Some blokes have slept through contacts, I doubt the loss to your hearing or smell is going to matter when your gonked out.

During training you will;

a. Get cold no matter what you do
b. Get hot no matter what you do
c. Get so tired you won't know what to do
d. Be just fine

Just trying to prevent the guy from making a silly error that'll make his day completely miserable. Then again, that's the best way to learn.

Originally Posted by Wallabies

And that's what we're talking about, training.



Not all sleeping bags have them. Some blokes have slept through contacts, I doubt the loss to your hearing or smell is going to matter when your gonked out.

I have never slept through a contact.
All the training we do are designed to enable us to continue to be functioning soldiers nomatter how gonked? out we get.
If someone sleeps through a contact I´d suggest he better stay inside the wire.

And during training they will tell him what to wear and what not to wear.

its gonna be a long summer