Tennier ECWS Sleep System aka US modular sleep system

[MikeWilkinson]

Hi Folks,

Spent awhile looking at getting a new winter bag to complement my already comfy 2-3 season bag.

After hours of raking the internet decided to give the Tennier Sleep system a try - Between £50 and £80 for a nearly new one.

So it has arrived today and I thought I'd give a first impressions review which I will follow up with a field test review next weekend.

Right a quick look at the specs and then on with review:-

Weight - 4.2kg
Green 2/3 season bag - Min Temp 30F ( 0/-1 C)
Black 4 Season bag - Min Temp -10F (-20 C)
Combined Bag - Min Temp -50F (-45 C) - Note does say when used with cold weather clothing system.



So...

It's big - and I mean big, the stuff sack for the complete system is about the same size as my weekend pack!!!

However once you have broken it all down, individual components seem alot more portable.

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As you would expect from a military system the build quality is fairly bomb proof, however I was surprised at how thin the insulation is around the foot box of the green bag.

First things first - real weights!

Stuff sack - ~400g
Bivvy bag - ~1.2kg
Green bag - ~1.1kg
Black bag - ~1.9kg

Grand total 4.6kg - a little bit more than expected, but individually acceptable as I will probably only be using either the green or black bag and v.rarely both.


The width of the bags are brilliant and even with both together is plenty room enough. Even for the more rotund gentleman. My main concern is the bag length. I'm not sure of the bag size, but I am 5'10 ish and I nearly fill the bag, any more than 6' and you will need a longer bag.

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Comparing the Green bag to my current two/three season bag, there is little difference (current bag is a Highlander Challenger lite 150) - a little less insulation so I would definitely say it is a two season bag and the footbox could do with being re-enforced a little. Zip quality is superb as is the cold air baffle behind it.

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Looking at the black bag, there is a massive difference in the bag quality, the foot box is much sturdier and has plenty of insulation, again the zip and zip baffle is excellent, my only niggle is that the shoulder baffle is just a baffle and has no drawcord to tighten so probably doesn't actually do as much as it should in retaining heat. The 1.9kg is acceptable but like british bags it won't pack down tiny so pack size could be an issue for some.

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more to follow...

[MikeWilkinson]

The Goretex Bivvy is huge, and has a nice addition of a velcro flap on the front so you can seal your self in completely - otherwise it is a bivvy bag what more can I say (Actually there are a couple of extras that I'll mention later when talking about the modular system).

As mentioned at the start of the post, the stuff sack is big and is probably only needed if you are taking the lot with you. I will admit it is a very good stuff sack having both vertical and horizontal compression straps. And it can compress the bag reasonably well compared to the bags original size, but would still fill most of my normal pack - being that I would only be using all of it in extreme conditions then I would also be carrying a bigger bergen so as far as I am concerned it is not as big as an issue as I first thought.

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Putting the whole system together is a doddle and the press studs are very positive. Even when fully assembled the bag doesn't feel to claustrophobic and because of the zip baffles on each bag there is still plenty of insulation on what would otherwise be a cold spot.

Even better the bivvy also presses together to the inner bags so there is not much movement of the bags inside each other. An added press stud exterior baffle folds over the zip and overall provides an excellent barrier to the weather, I would be quite happy just to use the Bivvy without a tarp in foul weather

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To adapt it to fit my needs I am going to invest in a couple of smaller stuff sacks so that I can pack the bags seperately and use them as individual bags, which from reviews tennier have started doing with some of the later versions.

Overall I'm impressed, but proof will be in the pudding so they say and so I can't wait to get out and test it... I'm out on the 25th Oct overnight and so will take the full lot with me, start with the green bag on its tod and if that gets to cold move onto the black. I'll let you all know how I get on.

[Johnnyboy1971]

Great system. I have been using the green bag through summer, it is huge so gives room to shuffle around in and allows air to circulate to keep you from becoming too warm. The black bag I used in winter and found it ample warm enough(not cold enough for both bags).
Downside is when used in my hammock the zip is on the wrong side for access to it.
I did try the green bag with my RAB accent900 inside to see how the loft of the RAB suffered, due to the size of the green bag it didn't squash the down at all but was silly warm.
The bivvybag is brilliant, loads of room to store bits of clothing when sleeping and the side opening allows easy access. The only thing I would have liked on the bivvy bag would have been a zip around the hood to enclose you completely and maybe a mozzi hood.

[alvino78]

I have this system and though it is outstanding i've yet to find a sack to carry it with the rest of my gear lol!!

[f0rm4t]

Love mine!
I use the patrol bag when I'm warm weather hiking in the hammock. For me, its good down to around 10c-12c with a warm top on.
I've not used the intermediate bag on its own, but have used the whole system at one of our meets which at the time of hitting the hay, was 3c and I was hanging toasty all night. I've ground dwelled with the whole system too, again, warm!

But my god it's big as a whole system! If I ever winter hiked, I wouldn't be able to take this bit of kit.


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