Everyone needs a sleeping bag. No matter who you are, sometime in the near future, you will need one. Sure, a ton of great bags for all temps are on the market, but I tend to look no further than our brothers in arms when searching out well-made, fully-functional survival gear. Sleeping bags had never been a part of my search criteria while cruising surplus sites, but after a stop at "Utah's biggest surplus store" a couple weeks ago and running into a massive pile of MILSPEC sleep systems, I became a fan.
When will I need to get 4 hours of sleep in -40°F? When will I be on "patrol" and need the less cumbersome element of my three-part sleep system to fit in my pack between my claymores and MREs? When will I be Oscar Mike and field test the GORE-TEX® which has been "approved by all departments and agencies of the department of defense?" Never. But I'll be damned if I won't get some fine sleep knowing my bag is far more capable of survival than me. Score a used or "battle-tested" system for under $150.00 (guaranteed to smell of sweat and the desire to kill) or pick up a dead-stock newbie for $400.00.