America’s WWII Battle Against Winter

[The Night Rider]

The new ECWCS has 7 layers to it now. It actually works well and is easily packed into the new modular rucksacks.

The last winter I worked (The Winter That Never Ended) I decided to put my cold weather gear to the test.

The waffle tops and the ninja suit were not in the inventory when I was in. When I worked for G4S, I worked with some a****** who spent a bunch of time telling everybody how wonderful The Waffle Tops were. He told me that they were unavailable to Peons such as myself.

I guess the idiot was unaware that you could buy them for $8 for a complete set of both the Waffle Tops or the Ninja suit in just about any surplus store in Colorado Springs.

My security uniform that last year was Black Winter BDU pants, a blue polyester security shirt and a Class B sweater. Allied issued a crappy Overcoat that I never wore and a crappy beanie that I never wore. I wore a plain black thinsulate beanie that my wife bought me.

Long story short, I ditched the waffle top bottoms real quick because they were too hot unless I was just standing out in the cold. I wore a ninja suit bottom, a ninja suit top, a waffle top, a black T-shirt (company requirement) under my uniform pants and shirt and my black beanie until it got down to about zero then I put on the sweater.

In the middle of February (Remember it started snowing in early September that year) It finally got down to 12° below zero before I put on my black fleece. And I had to open the pit zips on it.

 

[Cedric]

When I was stationed in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division I took a new OD Wet Weather jacket and poncho liner to the German clothing alternation shop and he insulated the jacket, including the hood, with the poncho liner. I loved the jacket. Kept me warm even in Graf or Hohenfels during the winter

Yes, we called them Graf Jackets. I never did do it but should have. The trick was to find the softer rain top and have the wool blanket fitted and sewn into it. But I did luck out and was issued a Korean War style winter cap instead of the standard pile cap. Loved that thing.