mid 80s sleeping bag care instructions?

[The Meatcan]

picked up a sleeping bag recently and the tag is somewhat faded. It appears to be 1985 dated but a lot of the laundry instructions are too faded to read. Can anyone post a photo of such a tag? or point me in the direction with a suitable link?

thanks in advance!

Terry

[mpguy80/08]

Here are a few links I've found. The first one shows a label from the M-1949 sleeping bag, which was very similar to the mid 70's bags. There is also other info there.

 

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_sleeping_bag.php

 

This book might have the care instructions you are looking for. The print date of this book is 1985.

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=410433

 

This is a forum that has some ideas on how to wash the bag. It's pretty obvious the consensus is thus... never dryclean a sleeping bag.

 

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.p...p;sk=t&sd=a

 

In the 80's before the issue of the four part modular sleep system, we used to turn our dirty bags in to supply, and they would turn them into the Quartermaster Laundry for cleaning. HOW they did it I have no idea. We were cautioned that attempting to wash them ourselves would result in damage to the bag. Hope this helps...

 

Wayne

[The Meatcan]

thanks Wayne! great links, particularly the Olive Drab one. I don't know why I missed that one on my web search. Turns out the bag I found is the ICW version. It's got a definite "funk" to it so a good washing is in order before any snow camping.

thanks again

[mpguy80/08]

thanks Wayne! great links, particularly the Olive Drab one. I don't know why I missed that one on my web search. Turns out the bag I found is the ICW version. It's got a definite "funk" to it so a good washing is in order before any snow camping.

thanks again

 

From the info I've found, a good washing in a front load washing machine at a reputable laundomat would do wonders. (one of the answers I found talked of washing it with tennis balls as an agitator mechanism... clean bag and fuzzy balls was the punch line ) Looking back, the machines in our barracks were always the top load agitator type, so I can see why we were warned not to wash them. Whatever you try, good luck, and I hope it works out for you. The only surplus store in the city here in Cincy had some of the Extreme cold weather bags awhile back. These are the oversized bags that the ICW bags slip into for arctic use. I'll see if I can get up that was and price them.

 

Wayne

[Bsquirrely]

From the info I've found, a good washing in a front load washing machine at a reputable laundomat would do wonders. (one of the answers I found talked of washing it with tennis balls as an agitator mechanism... clean bag and fuzzy balls was the punch line ) Looking back, the machines in our barracks were always the top load agitator type, so I can see why we were warned not to wash them. Whatever you try, good luck, and I hope it works out for you. The only surplus store in the city here in Cincy had some of the Extreme cold weather bags awhile back. These are the oversized bags that the ICW bags slip into for arctic use. I'll see if I can get up that was and price them.

 

Wayne

 

Get yourself to one of the many Laundromats around this country.

What you are looking for is a large volume front end loaded washer.

You want to use either Woolite or a castile soap called Dr. Bronners (http://www.drbronner.com/).

You want it on cold to no more than warm and normal cycle.

During the drying phase you want to have a tennis ball or a clean sneaker in it.

The balls or sneaker will fluff it up and beat the tar out of it while drying.

Now you only want about 10 minutes of low heat going into an air dry cycle.

Coming out it will be damp.

Open it up and air dry it out hanging on your back fence or such.

But do not put it away wet; you will be growing Vietnam in it in a matter of hours if you do.

 

Also as a side note, do you have the sleep hood and sleep shirt for your bag?

They were issued to put on prior to going into the bag to keep the inside of it clean.

Not everybody or every unit had them issued but they were issued.

I liked my sleep hood as I didn’t have to camouflage anything on my face other that what showed through the hood.

And the sleep shirt was a great intermediate warming layer under the BDU’s while in the field.

There were three types of bags issued between the early 80’s and until the introduction of the “Cobra” sleeping system of todady.

Some units out there still have the older green bags issued.

The types were;

Arctic (extreme cold weather)

Mountain (intermediate)

And jungle (lightweight)

 

I have never heard of or seen a jungle outside of a manual, as most of us use a “woobie” or poncho liner in the warmer weather.

 

Starting off you would have a inflatable mattress of the Vietnam era type, then a close cell foam “pusspad” and the newest is a self inflating type.

[hawkdriver]

As stated, go to a laundromat and use a big front loader. If the funk is on the inside, turn the bag inside out and wash it. Turn it right side out and wash again, this time you can do it on a shorter cycle. Then take it home and hang it up in the garage or somewhere you can get it hanging the full length and let it air dry. The most damage comes if you try to dry it in a dryer. As MP guy said, don't put it in a top loading washer, the agitator will seperate the stuffing and it won't be easy to fix it.

[The Meatcan]

thanks for the replies gents. Last night I ran it through my front loading washer, with 6 tennis balls. I did run it through the dryer but on the "fluff low heat" setting. Then I hung it up on the shower curtain rod in the bathroom (too cold and wet outside these days). The bag seems to have fluffed up some and definitely smells far better than before!

['Flage Guy]

I remember finally getting up the guts to clean my old M-49 bag after many good years of use. all the down/feathers inside were matted big time (enough that I thought it had leaked out through the years) and boy, did it stink. I was already on to the Woolite-in-the-tub treatment for dirty web and clothing, so I let the bag have it. Had to rewash it about 3 times, turning the water black each time. After the final rinse, I hung it up in the weight room to dry out, which took a few days. It transformed from the droopy, smelly clambag it was before the wash into a fat, fluffy- and super-duper warm sleeping bag. Since then, I've done the same with M-41, M-42 mountain and Arctic bags, all achieving the same great results. A good amount of work hand-washing them, but it was worth it. Hope this helps, Meatcan...