Well this is unexpected. Apparently, in the early postwar years, the U.S. military packed sleeping bags in giant sardine cans, opened with a key and everything, for use in emergency situations in cold weather areas. This Youtuber found one on ebay and opens it some 65 years after it was packed.
It looks serviceable, believe it or not.
A goose down bag with a light cotton shell and an internal zipper, aside from the aged patina, it looks like something you’d find in an REI today. According to Popular Mechanics, this bag was packed for the U.S. Air Force’s F-84 fighter pilots in the early 1950s, meant for service in alpine or arctic environments. Being sealed in metal meant that the bags would be guaranteed dry and free from mold and mildew when opened. Pretty ingenious, actually. And clearly a better preserver than the mesh sacks today’s sleeping bags come in. But my goodness, opening one of these cans with frozen fingers after crashing in Siberia, or North Korea, or somewhere like that could not have been much fun.
Enjoy this little time capsule of gear.
Crazy Russian Hacker! … “Welcome to my laboratory, where safety is #1 priority.”
Is potato
Thoroughly entertaining, cool and a fun watch! Right on to this young man for searching for it, finding it, buying it, and sharing this rare discovery with the world. Thanks again, AJ, for getting deeper into the unique aspects of our planet. Thumbs up!
Very cool find, but I’d disagree with the Author that 60 years vaccum packed is better than a mesh bag in a dry location for a down bag.
After being compressed for so long I bet the down only insulates to a fraction of what it could when new.
But again, very cool piece of kit!
That interior cover (plastic bag?) did exist in 1950’s?