Infantry: January 8, 2005

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While most coalition troops in Iraq admire American equipment, British troops brought along some gear that has become the envy of everyone. One particular item is the sleeping bag British troops use. The Snugpak Merlin Softie 3 is a lightweight (1.7 pounds) and folds up into a shape smaller than a soccer ball. Its rated for use down to freezing. While it does get colder than that some nights during Winter, the bag also has a reinforced bottom so that you can sleep in it wearing your boots, and most of  of your field uniform. This makes it possible to use the Snuupak in the coldest Iraq weather. The Snugpak is a favorite with combat troops, who are often out for days, and nights, at a time, on operations. In those situations, you often want to sleep with your boots on. The big advantage of the Snugpak is that it half the weight, and takes up less than half the space of the U.S. Armys standard intermediate weather sleeping bag. You can get SnugPaks for as low as $150, and some troops consider it a worthwhile investment. Many troops also find hammocks useful, especially in urban fighting, where you can find places to hang it up. These are cheap, about ten bucks, and work well with a Snugpak.

 

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