Frag Out! Magazine

CLOTHING AND UNIFORMS level 3a in field Unfortunately, winter 2014/2015 was in central Poland rather pretty little like a real winter and actually one cannot effectively verify in how low temperatures the level 3A can be used. I used it while jointed with the long thermal underwear and a hard-shell jacket during a march where the lowest temperature during the day was circa about –12°C, and actually, during a march and stops I felt comfortable. To the everyday urban use under the lightweight soft-shell and hard- shell jacket I wore an insulator in the temperatures of the –5 do +10°C range, and if it warmer it can be also worn alone. An external material effectively protects against the wind – checked during riding on the open semitrailer of the car with the speed of circa 60 km/h and while cycling at the speed of circa 30 km/h. The thin layer of the DWR repellent ensures a protection against light rain or snow. The nylon material is rather slippery to the touch so the rucksacks with smooth stripes can slide a bit when worn. The pockets are arranged comfortably although a waist strap can lock an access to those placed on the hips. The best, suggested in the SOF PCU specification, application of the Level 3A is an additional insulation under the Level 4-6 and actually in this role, a jacket works excellently. Not used it can be easily compressed to the volume of about 2 litres, but a longer storage of the jacket in such a form may influence negatively its condition. Block 0 Block 1 Block 2 l1 Polartec Power Dry Polartec Power Dry Polartec Power Dry (?) l2 Polartec Power Grid Polartec Power Grid Polartec Power Grid l3 Polartec ThermalPro Polartec High Loft 3A – Polartec Alpha 3B – Primaloft Fusion + GORE-TEX Fast Pack l4 Nextec EPIC Praetorian 70D Nextec EPIC 40D Nextec EPIC l5 Nextec EPIC Praetorian Nextec EPIC Glacier Nextec EPIC Glacier l6 Travco Nylon 2-layer GORE-TEX 2-layer GORE-TEX l7 Nextec EPIC Praetorian + Primaloft Sport Nextec EPIC Glacier + Primaloft Fusion 40D Nextec EPIC + Primaloft Fusion /Climashield APEX Not in every variant the trade names specify the same fabrics, sometimes also their later generations. SOF PCU - SCHEME

• Cover