Opinions of US military modular sleep system

This request goes out to all the serious campers on CPF.

I am looking to buy a new sleeping bag that I can use year round in the Northeast US, and found the US military modular sleep system, both on surplus websites for around $400 new, and on ebay for around $200 new.

It consists of two seperate sleeping bags, one rated 30 to 50 degrees F, the other -10 to 30 degrees F, which can be combined to be rated down to somewhere between -30 and -50 depending on where you look. It also comes with a Gore-Tex bivy cover for use with either bag or both of them put together and a compression sack.

From what I have read, this bag system will offer me the greatest flexibility as far as use in different temperatures, and should be very durable and well made since it is military issue.

If anyone has ever owned/used this bag, please post your opinions as I am unable to see one in person, and may not be able to return it if I buy one on ebay.

Thanks

Well...from a soldier's point of view, it works great. A little bulky, but if you don't have to drag it around everywhere with you yourself that's fine. It will keep you very, very warm. The green one can be used in warmer climates alone.

JM-99

Good to know, I assumed it would be pretty big and heavy since it is rated to a very low temperature. Backpacking I would probably just take the light bag and bivy cover, and only haul the whole thing around when winter camping.

I like it. The colder ratings you see with both bags is assuming you are wearing the polypro, and maybe even the fleece to bed. The nice thing is that you can just take whichever bag is appropriate to the weather and you don't carry more than you need to, and you aren't too hot or too cold. Both bags and the bivy cover are pretty big. Bigger than the older bag, but warmer when together. You can get it manageable with the compression bag though.

I have the entire system (well I was not issued the gore-tex bivvy cover.) After experiencing the weather extremes (was there from August (hot 105+) March (~70) but December was cold, sub 30's) of Iraq; its not a bad system. I used only the green bag everyday except one (where it was close to ~15 degrees F.) I guess I can live by with little. I slept in the green bag in my PT gear (shorts and t-shirt.) The situations were inside a HMMWV, on top of one of a HMMWV, and inside a building. I remember one day waking up with frost on my sleeping bag, didn't want to get out since I was warm.

In my use, the green bag is smaller than the black bag, but both get small enough when used with the compression sack. If I had a choice, dump the black bag and stick with a bivvy cover and green bag (but there are two versions, ones green inside and out, and mine was green on the outside and black on the inside.) Thats just me though, I can adapt to it and let my body get used to it, on a short trip I won't have that luxury.