By: Lee Miracle

Nick and I arrived first at The Badlands on Sat, which was a rare event for me. We scouted the area for a suitable campsite, one out of the wind, and less visible than the usual Badlands site. We were going to set up at the base of The Denis Tree, but that was a lake, so we had to back up to somewhat higher ground. (The Denis Tree is a huge tree that has fallen over, leaving a big hollow below and beside the root mass. It would be perfect for windbreak and concealment, if it's not submerged.)

Most of the lower parts of The Badlands were a partially frozen swamp, and there were several areas of just plain ice. Yours truly had a couple of lovely spills on Saturday. The first spill was when I got out of the truck to unlock the gate, immediately slipped and crashed my tailbone into the Bronco. Those little cleat-spike things for walking on ice might not be a bad idea in times like these...

So we got camp set up in the woods, out of sight and somewhat out of the wind. Nobody set up a tent, rather we just rigged up tarps to break the wind.

I was leery of staying out over night with my 30 degree bag and a couple of wool blankets, but I always keep a slew of other cold-weather gear in the truck and/or in my rucksack, so I might be chilly, but I didn't think I would end up some kind of casualty.

Several other folks showed up, and we did some pistol shooting. I really like Frank's FEG, a rough copy of the Browning Hi-Power, and he was doing pretty well with it. Tom had an actual Browning Hi-Power, which he was shooting from a prone position, using a sandbag. You should try this. You can never predict what position you may be forced to shoot from.

Then it was time to do the two-mile walk. Just for fun, I put on my fully-laden rucksack. It slowed me down just a bit, but I managed. There was no real pinching or binding, so it wore well. There was a small stream across the path of our walk, on each side of which was a sheet of ice. Jumping across the stream meant landing on some ice, which does not provide for a good solid landing at all. On the second leg of the walk, I made it across, skittered a bit, then came crashing down onto my knee. Now, with a full LBE, rucksack, and rifle, that made for an unpleasant bit of impactery. The important thing to do here is to simply get up one more time than you fall down.

Anyway, after the slip-slidery of the walk, we played with the dog a bit, and tried to heat some grub on the fire. Some of the folks left, and those of us who remained worried about keeping our water from freezing. Denis has some kind of Thermos bottle which seemed to work, but the rest with our plastic canteens ended up with some serious ice water. We have concluded, after melting more than one plastic canteen, that metal canteens are in order, and have therefore ordered several. To see which ones work the best, we have ordered several different types, including a US arctic canteen, and canteens from several different countries. Although they are heavy, Thermos bottles might work for a day or two, and longer if we have a fire going. If you have a method that works for you, let us know....

We had two more arrivals in the late afternoon/early evening, Walter and Sherry, who did some target shooting (Sherry doing well with a bolt-action 223), and did most of the walk despite falling temps and low light conditions. They looked resplendent in their Swiss Alpenflage camo, which I think is pretty cool. They also did some low-light shooting, which is something we should all do a bit more of...

It gets really cool here....Walter asked what kind of set-ups we had for sleeping, having glimpsed our tarp shelter deals. I mentioned the remote possibility that my 30 degree bag might not be up to the task, considering that a low of between 5 and 10 degrees was being predicted. Well, bless him, Walter let me use his US military surplus extreme cold weather bag, which is rated to minus 20, as he wasn't staying. (Note: He has since offered to sell me this bag, and I took him up on it. Thank you, Walter.) This bag, while a bit on the hefty side, kept yours truly completely comfortable. The morning temp was between 12 and 14 degrees, and it might have dipped below that during the night. If you can get one of these bags, I suggest that you do so.

Hopefully, we can compile these sleeping bag reviews into a big collection, so maybe we can help you and yours pick out something. With bags, though, the only way you can really know, is to get out in the cold and test them yourself. We do. Come out with us and check some of your gear.

Sunday saw the arrival of a handful more, one of whom, Lou K, re-qualified his Level One. His gear seemed to be neat, clean, functional, and stored well. For somebody that has been hinting at retirement for years, his time on the two mile walk over ice and slush was also impressive.

So we file away another training weekend, and a cold one at that. I would love to see more of you out there, especially when the weather is cold and/or wet. I am pretty sure you can handle sunshine and eighty degrees, so let's see how you handle snow, frost, mud and fifteen degrees.

Come on....
-Lee

By: Nick Stoner

The items I use in the field at almost every training are the "little things", after of course, the AR. Probably the single most useful tool in the field is a pocket knife; a small, good quality, single blade, folding pocket knife that locks open. Mine has about a three-inch blade with a metal handle, although some guys swear by the plastic variety for weight reasons; I like the solidness that metal construction offers. I use it all the time, for everything; opening stuff like MRE's, packages, and whatnot, cutting rope, as a pry bar, opening cans, and as a screwdriver.

After the pocket knife, next would have to be the flashlight. I used to carry either a small crookneck, or small MagLite, both of these were okay, and both used two AA batteries. I just recently tried one of these LED, lithium battery lights with a life expectancy of about 100,000 hours -- I love it. It weighs nothing, measures about 2 inches by 1 inch (and half of that is the belt loop hook) and it is incredibly bright! It is available in red, blue and white. I have a blue one. I have three kids, ages 2, 7 and 8, and I gave it to them to play with for a couple of days - my version of a quality-control test - it passed! By that, I mean it still works. I have found my new flashlight.

Next would be the radio. Currently, I have a hand-held FRS, it takes two AA batteries, and I hate it. It comes with a clip to hook onto your clothing, but it does not work. In fact, it's worse than if it didn't have one at all, because then you would not try hooking it on your clothes, just to have the thing fall off all the time. It weighs a ton, it's hard to work with gloves on, and if it's cold out - forget it, cold temperatures suck AA batteries dry in about 10 seconds flat… I've heard about a credit card size 440 or 2 meter radio that runs on a lithium battery, and with the good experience I have had with the flashlight, I am going to try one of these type radios just as soon as I find one (I have not found them yet).

So, when buying new gear, don't be afraid to try new things. Sometimes they actually work.

By Lee Miracle

In cold weather, one of the most critical items you can have is a good sleeping bag. Most of us have been trying to find the "perfect" sleeping bag for years. Talk to anyone who has been in the militia for any good stretch of time (I am not talking the armchair variety, here, either, I mean FIELD militia people), and they will tell you that they have multiple sleeping bags.

Well, thanks to Walter letting me use, and subsequently buy, his GI extreme cold weather bag, I might have found my perfect winter bag. These bags were once used by the US military, and might even be around some Guard or Reserve units, still. The bags are heavy at around ten pounds, but they are rated for minus 20 degrees. They are not waterproof, so some sort of shelter is needed in the event of precipitation. These are mummy style bags. In my night of field testing, this bag kept me cozy and warm. I do not mean that my shivering was reduced somewhat, I mean I was just fine. It could be a huge trade-off, adding this weight, but I am not a small fella, and should be able to carry it well. These bags are available through various mail order or online suppliers, and may cost from seventy dollars on up. GI Surplus in Wayne may have some, as well. You should really do some shopping on this, because some places can sell them for a lot more.

Now, in the spring and fall, I can still use my 30 degree bag, which is Dutch surplus. This bag has a waterproof shell which should not be used in very cold weather, as it can trap and accrue moisture. This bag weighs considerably less than the heavy one, but needs less attention to sheltering, because of the shell. There are several bags of similar design and rating available from various sources. I paid thirty dollars for mine from Sportsmen's Guide. You can check your local Army surplus store, like GI Surplus, or order online. If I recall, there are also British, German, and Israeli versions of these bags available. If you have one from some other country or source, review it for us, please.

Lastly, in the warm months (yes, warmth IS subjective), I would go with my poncho and poncho liner. A poncho liner can prove to be an expensive item, costing from around twenty-five dollars and up (way, way up for some of the new fangled mega thermal versions), but they tie in with the US poncho to make a field expedient sleeping bag (which I slept in at around 26 degrees and did not die). Less costly, but effective are old wool blankets, into which you can install your own grommets or tie strings or whatever to secure to your poncho. Be cautious about using non-US ponchos for this, because they do not all have the properly aligned grommets and snaps to be used as a sleeping bag. My French poncho is a great poncho, but would require a lot of work to secure something to for this type of use. The German poncho liner is similar to the US, but in the cool flektar pattern.

There you have it. Three situations, three different sleeping bag set ups. I always keep an extra wool blanket or two on hand, along with my poncho liner.

Mathematically, I could do without the big big bag, by combining my medium 30 degree bag with the other stuff, but now I am used to it.

Your clothing will also have a major impact on your comfort rating, but that's another article…
-Lee