Why Matilda?

[old man emu]

Who says Progress is great? Those bloody Heavy Duty HDPE wool packs are useless for making a wagga. And you can't get any 3 bushel bags for Love nor money.

[willedoo]

I had a really light swag. No blankets or heavy bedding, just the canvass swag cover, thin mattress, pillow and a Canadian army down sleeping bag which was rated at 40C below. 40 below zero would only be achievable with it zipped right up and the drawstrings on the hood tightened. Like any sleeping bag, you could regulate the inside temperature depending how much it was zipped up., warm air trapped or warm air allowed to escape. It also came with an outer cover which was made of a smooth, light, silky type material. On hot nights you could just sleep on top of everything inside that cover and it was like sleeping on silk sheets. Luxury.

 

I also have a U.S. army down sleeping bag that's supposed to be warmer than the Canadian one. I guess if it is, it would be because it's smaller in width than the Canadian one, so more body heat would build up inside. It's a bit tight to sleep in which is why I don't use it. The American one has an unusual feature. The outer cover which acts as a protective liner/groundsheet clips up with press studs. It's impossible to clip them up when you are inside the sleeping bag; they can only be done up by someone who is outside the bag. I've always wondered if it was a feature to enable the sleeping bags to double as body bags.