USGI 4-piece sleep system

[SnakeOilWilly]

I was wondering if anyone here uses the USGI 4-piece sleep system. I've heard it can keep you alive down to -40°F. That's ideal for me as I'm planning on going full-time soon and am hoping to see Montana.

Has anyone used it and if so do you recommend it? if so I might be able to get one for $110.

 

[CelticWanderer]

at 9 pounds I feel like it's a pretty good thing. Thats way heavier that I want to carry but finding a 4 season sleep system for less than like 400 bucks is hard. I'm about to go hike the AT and a 4 season sleep thing would be nice. especially considering im probably going to get stuck in Maine.
Thanks for posting, this looks to be exactly what I need.

 

[Deleted member 20]

This topic has been covered elsewhere here on STP but its been awhile & prices have definitely got cheaper. I use it or better yet parts of it. I have yet to carry the whole system since my days using it in the USMC. I have bought a few on craigslist for much less. I buy them from returning service members who are sick of camo & just want it gone. You can get that system in the woodland camo pattern for around $60-$80 complete on ebay, potentially a newer digi cheaper on craigslist. Since the woodland style camo has been phased out & everything is digi & goretex isn't quite so high tech there are plenty of slep systems out there on ebay.

P.S: Goretex stops being waterproof once it gets dirty. They recommend washing in hot soapy water in a machine & drying on hot to make it waterproof again. It will kill your bedbugs, body lice as well & stay clean dry & healthy.

 

[Odin]

I have the system but am missing the green sleeping bag. Got the black one.
Camping and bivouac always found it plenty comfortable slept well.
Good info on keeping the gortex clean.

 

[SnakeOilWilly]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to shop around. I want one in new or like new condition so I might spend a little more.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to shop around. I want one in new or like new condition so I might spend a little more.

I would like to caution you & everyone that simply throwing more amounts of money at a problem wont guarantee a better solution. I too am a fan of quality & keep all my gear functional & clean. I would caution you against Army Navy stores either online or a brick & mortar store. They actually get most of their stuff from DRMO auctions buying bulk lots of military surplus items cheap & sell at inflated near retail prices. Some military gear is issued to multiple soldiers/marines but also some gear is issued to an individual but never even used. The Army/ Navy stores prey on collectors & those uneducated so I steer clear of them on big items. I too try to get new or gently used gear but have plenty of real world experience by having owned & used many variations of the products I have.

If you aren't sure if the weight & bulk is gonna be an issue you may want to stay on the cheaper side, jik you need to resell it yourself. Something that is new will only be new once. There are other high tech quality civilian sleep systems & other military stuff out there too. My next system will be a recon5 sleeping bag paired with a new digi bivy sack from the new 4 piece system. They have 5 bags to accomodate different climates. I have seen very few on craigslist. There are some used gear stores out there that sell second hand expedition style sleeping bags too. like
http://www.thegearrevival.com/
http://www.wildernessexchangeunlimited.com/
http://www.gearonimosports.com/

http://reconsleepingbags.com/

 

[SnakeOilWilly]

Good point. I'll see if I can get a cheap one then. I'll look in the $60-$80 range like you said.

 

[RSTY802510]

I spent 100$ on my ecws sleeping bag and its the bee knees. It kept me warm riding through winter. Even without the green bag its pretty good

 

[skillpore]

Heard many awesome things about it. Highly recommended in the survival/bushcraft community. Wizehop has the bivy cover as seen from his vids. I'm lookin to get one also. But making a bag out of 55 gallon trash bags and grass/leaves also works. I carry 5 bags with me on my hikes.

 

[Odin]

55 gallon trash bags and leaves eh? not bad... an really obvious idea for a cheap solution to sleeping.
@skillpore Thanks for that one.
I bet it would work best too with the construction grade trash bags right? Thicker plastic or whatever.
I hear a lot of people talking about scavenging tarps and stuff off construction sites might be good to keep an eye out for bags too.
I'd play around with the insulation too grass and leave are good. There should be other stuff you can use. Paper, evergreen boughs... (smell nice like a pine tree right?)
Heck if you hunt and trap... you might be able to put together a fur liner for the bags. Then you just change out the bags as they get torn and worn.
Hehe... man I need to try this outdoor survival stick. It's lotsa fun.

 

[kidbob]

Heard many awesome things about it. Highly recommended in the survival/bushcraft community. Wizehop has the bivy cover as seen from his vids. I'm lookin to get one also. But making a bag out of 55 gallon trash bags and grass/leaves also works. I carry 5 bags with me on my hikes.

So i havnt really seen this mentioned any where but its relative to the trashbags

While riding trains i come across packing "cushions" sometimes
They come in differant sizes my favorite are the lil strips of 6airbags that i use for pillows,then there is the "refrigerator" sized ones that i really love.i have used them in many situations involving rain...cut into the bag about 2foot from the top,and u can stuff ur bag into it and it works just like a bivy i guess...i use em to keep my gear dry,and if u get lucky u can find one unpoped..and bam...airmatress.

 

[Deleted member 20]

I love those big white pillows @kidbob ::woot::

 

[skillpore]

I wonder what the hobos used before there were sleeping bags? Wool blankets? did they even carry sleeping gear?

 

[SnakeOilWilly]

I wonder what the hobos used before there were sleeping bags? Wool blankets? did they even carry sleeping gear?

for the most part they fashioned a bedroll - it's basically just 2-4 blankets. They would tie 'em to their backs and keep a change of clothes wrapped in there. Then they'd keep their worldly possessions in a bindle.

 

[Nerdypunkkid]

Its a long story about how I acquired my USGI 4-piece sleep system maybe post it one day. But I will say this, the outside green and inside black layer (did not have bivy at the time) but it was enough to keep me warm sleeping outside in Portland Oregon from December through Match of 2015, hopping freight from Oakland -> SLC (other sleeping bags were not) and during an unexpected Blizzard in Colorado. In the summer of 2016 I purchased a bivy and it along with the other two layers kept me warm and dry as I traveled close to the Canadian border and made my way across states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana including glacier national park which was dark, wet and cold.

If you plan to carry this in a pack the bag is probably just extra weight. The bivy is water resistant and NOT water proof. The thin green layer along is not enough to keep you warm in most weather, but the green along with the bivy for spring/summer weather.

Would I recommend this. its the warmest sleeping bag ever and not to much of a pain in ass to carry.

 

[CrashBandit]

I can vouch 1000% for the inner black bag of this system. Idk if other 2 parts are worth the weight/space, bc mine was gifted to me by its self. If I'm not mistaken additional parts only add an extra 10 degrees of cold protection and are mostly for waterproofing or using individually without black bag when it's warmer.

The inner black bag alone is awesome! Seriously warm and toasty. I've slept through many nights below freezing using this bag with no problems.
It's water resistant enough to withstand snow/sleet/dew/light drizzle, and if you do get it wet it dries pretty quickly.
You can tell it's quality made for years of use. I have a whole winter on mine and it's still in excellent condition.
It compresses pretty small with a compression bag, I like the all black color, and yeah you can just spread arms and zipper will fly open with ease in case you need to get out quickly for some reason.

You can get these for $30 - $60 (inner black bag alone) and they are worth every penny if you're sleeping outside in cold months.