Czech army bed roll

[biker-bri]

I promised Ade that I would keep him informed about my intended mod on my Czech bed roll, as some of you know this sleeping system is made up off a outer nylon envelope ( waterproofed on the base ) an inner blanket which is secured in place
by buttons and what is known as a sanitary liner!!! "don't ask as I have never had the need to use it" - It's a cotton inner sleeping bag meant to keep everything clean. Now with winter getting nearer I thought it would be a good idea to add another layer of insulation to the system - without adding to much weight, so the wife ( bless her ) dragged me kicking n screaming to a fabric store ( I will put store / retailers names at the end of the post along with the standard disclaimer ) to spend my beloved loose change, my first choice for a blanket was for some polar fleece - BUT in the off cut section always look there first there was a roll of what they call acrylic fleece " pictures later " that was more then big enough for the said blanket ( less than half the price of polar fleece RESULT) after a long chat with a sales assistant who wanted to know what and why we wanted everything for she pointed and said ripstop nylon on sale that way !
a half hour later I had 10 meters of uncoated ripstop nylon at a £1.00 per meter - an idea was forming for a home-made underquilt, more on that at a later date - now for some pictures.5408This photo shows the brown outer bag, the original green blanket and the new blue acrylic blanket5409 this shows the blue blanket in full with the Gray section being a foot box to keep my toes toasty5410the
foot box will be secured with press studs, while I still have to mark out the button holes for securing the blanket, all zipped up snug as a bug.5411 this gives you some idea how thick the fleece is.
That's it for now Cheers Bri



Fabric bought from Abakhan fabric,s an online retailer. I have no association with this store or any of its staff.

[CanadianMike]

.....so the wife ( bless her ) dragged me kicking n screaming to a fabric store.......

Fabric bought from Abakhan fabric,s an online retailer. I have no association with this store or any of its staff.

Looks like a case of no reason to even bother making the last disclaimer! Lol, if you got dragged to a store you had no interest in going to, why post a disclaimer? Funny guy Bri! :)

[AdrianRose]

Excellent Bri mate. Have you weighed the new set up to see what difference there is?

You do realise of course that you now have to go out and sleep for the night in it! An excellent excuse for an overnighter - all done for "research purposes" of course!! Lol.

Ade.

[biker-bri]

Looks like a case of no reason to even bother making the last disclaimer! Lol, if you got dragged to a store you had no interest in going to, why post a disclaimer? Funny guy Bri! :)
I hadn't thought of it that way Mike!:confused2: , better keep the mod,s happy tho just to be safe

[biker-bri]

Excellent Bri mate. Have you weighed the new set up to see what difference there is?

You do realise of course that you now have to go out and sleep for the night in it! An excellent excuse for an overnighter - all done for "research purposes" of course!! Lol.

Ade.

To be honest Ade we don't have a set of scales!, but I did a quick check by hand when we got home from the store with the rolled up fleece against the original cotton liner and there was very little difference in weight "BUT" the fleece IS bulkier than the cotton which means it holds more air and that makes it warmer it also makes it harder to roll up when packing.
"The best test for warmth" after I had cut the fleece to shape I left the offcuts on the living room floor with the cotton liner and went to help the wife with the sewing, about an hour later we noticed the both of our dogs were very quiet, a quick look into
the living room and both dogs were fast asleep on the fleece - definitive proof that fleece is warmer than cotton :o but in the name of science a field test is in order.
Cheers Bri

[AL...]

Great job Bri . Look forward to the next report in emmm about mid december I think would be a good time LOL

Cheers
AL

[Kernowek Scouser]

Cracking mod Bri, love the foot box :happy-clapping:

From my own experience of using this bed roll, as it comes, in cold weather (in which it kept me warm) I reckon your mod will keep you very toasty indeed :D

I look forward to a trial report on the mod and am intrigued to hear more about your embryonic underquilt idea.

Thanks for sharing,

Colin.

[Tigger004]

Nice post and a good job,
What I would like to see added or commented on is the rational behind using this type of bed roll in preference to others you have tried,
Very logical follow-on throughout the post,

[Kernowek Scouser]

I have no experience of any other bed roll or swag bag, but when compared with most sleeping bags, the CABR simply provides me with a more comfortable nights kip. I'm reasonably stocky and every sleeping bag I have tried, since getting back into camping, has made me feel like I am trapped in a coffin, wrapped in clingfilm around my chest, arms and shoulders and have no room to move. The CABR is no where near as constricting, I can roll my shoulders, move my arms, turn over, in the bed roll and not with the bed roll, breathe and more importantly sleep easily.

It is all down to personal preference.

I know people who swear by tight mummy sleeping bags and if you can endure using them, some of the ultralite ones out there pack down really small and are ideal for anyone looking to lighten their carry. But one thing I have come to realise and it is something that a fair few folks, particularly ex military types, have told me when I ask them is, you don't skimp on comfort. And for me comfort is having the freedom to move in my sleep system, rather than with my sleep system, while I reside in the Land of Nod.

Hope this helps.

Colin

[Silverback]

I'm reasonably stocky and every sleeping bag I have tried, since getting back into camping, has made me feel like I am trapped in a coffin, wrapped in clingfilm around my chest, arms and shoulders and have no room to move.


SNAP, the only thing close is a extra large 58 patt bag which is just as heavy and sod all use when wet


But one thing I have come to realise and it is something that a fair few folks, particularly ex military types, have told me when I ask them is, you don't skimp on comfort

also very true - 'any silly **** can rough it' was the line

[biker-bri]

Nice post and a good job,
What I would like to see added or commented on is the rational behind using this type of bed roll in preference to others you have tried,
Very logical follow-on throughout the post,

The CABR is much easier to get into than a mummy style sleeping bag, also it is easier to vent if you become to hot and as its intended use was as a bivi bag its base is water proof so should you end up somewhere were there are no suitable trees! no problem just sleep on the floor :happy-clapping:
Cheers Bri

[biker-bri]

I look forward to a trial report on the mod and am intrigued to hear more about your embryonic underquilt idea.

As for a trial report - ASAP as far as I'm concerned, hopefully one night next week. Now to the underquilt, the original idea was simple ( a bit like me ) get some rip stop, add some insulation, then give it all to the wife and let her get on with it.
But its not as easy as that, the quilting insulation at the fabric suppliers would be Ok for a thin bed quilt but not for outdoors, so on impulse I bought a cheep single bed quilt rated at 10.5 tog - problem - it takes up more room than the CABR.
Just to clarify - the quilting material at the fabric suppliers was meant to be used for decorative items - i.e bed throws, shoulder bags, ETC ETC anything that can be quilted this is the stuffing that is used, in other words its more of a padding than anything else. What I need for an underquilt is more like hollow fibre as used in sleeping bags What I am trying to achieve is a quilt that will pack down really small and still be cheep to make - I may end up using the padding, if it keeps the draught off it should work but as the car tax is due it will have to wait.
Cheers Bri

[biker-bri]

Just a thought on the underquilt - do I really need one!, I now have what should be a 3 season + sleeping system so do I need a full underquilt or just an extra layer of rip stop to create a layer of still air. The only time I have ever felt cold in the few times that I have used my hammock was when I camped at world's end a few weeks ago on what was a very windy night, but I still slept reasonably well and I can honestly say that I would have been much colder in my old vango tent.
The thing that bothers me is the bulk, there are only so many things that will fit into a pack and as I tend to walk in to a camp I have to carry every thing at once. So any thoughts gentle people you'r input would be appreciated underquilt or just extra layers.
Cheers Bri

[NeedABrew]

The CABR is much easier to get into than a mummy style sleeping bag, also it is easier to vent if you become to hot and as its intended use was as a bivi bag its base is water proof so should you end up somewhere were there are no suitable trees! no problem just sleep on the floor :happy-clapping:
Cheers Bri

Totally agree. My only problem is that I would fit in it easier if I was just 2" shorter. CABR is my favourite bit of kit that isn't a bit of my kit.

During the summer (I haven't tried it yet so this is guess work)- Too warm if all parts are used, although the outer I suspect will be brilliant on its own.

Autumn/Spring - I think this will be when I get some use out of it.

Winter - I can't quite get comfy as I do like to stretch out and as such I can't get my head and shoulders covered while my body is not approaching a foetal position but I think it would be wonderful especially with an extra layer modification.

Ohhh for a couple more inches as my ex used to tell me.... ;-)

[Chubbs]

I have used the CABR for a couple of one nighters with by boy. I also modded my roll with an extra blanket but found that it really restricted my movements when it was zipped up. The blanket used was a wool one so you should expect it being a little tighter, but once I tried it, I took it out. I'm not on the small side like a few forum members and I am 6 foot tall, so the CABR gave me loads of room to turn around in. I'm one of those warm blooded sort of people who sleeps with the bedroom windows open in the middle of our usual winters, and find it very uncomfortable in the heat, so I need a decent size bag.

On my second one nighter I was able to make a couple of swag bags as I had bought a couple of Polish Army sleeping mats to convert the bed rolls once again. Mine was a no go from the start as it took up far too much room, so I slept in my bag on top of the mat. My boy had a decent night but he is young and slim !!. All in all I had a goods nights sleep even though I have back problems. I actually got out in the morning without problem unlike at home in bed, so it will be an ideal piece of kit for the more able bodied.

These swag bags would be a great sleep system if they were used in conjunction with a tarp if sleeping on the floor but as already mentioned in previous threads, these are not light and would be no good for hiking.

[biker-bri]

Ohhh for a couple more inches as my ex used to tell me.... ;-)[/QUOTE
Well we all have our crosses to bare!!! but in truth a LITTLE to much information mate :happy-clapping:

[Jason]

Nice mod !! well done !!