The Army and the heat.
Discussion
To any of our military friends out there, how do you manage in places like Afghanistan and Iraq wearing all that gear even gloves?
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
croyde said:
To any of our military friends out there, how do you manage in places like Afghanistan and Iraq wearing all that gear even gloves?
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
There's a lot about this in the book Sniper One by Dan Mills - a great read if you like that sort of thing. As others have said, drinking loads of water is the key, but it seems that even the locals keep indoors between 11am and 2pm. In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
From my experience some years ago in 40 degree heat wearing body armour, webbing and associated kit and then having to sit in the back of a tightly packed warrior that acts like an oven. Its simply a case of grin and bear it, you just get used to sweating coupious amounts, there is nothing you can do to cope with it apart from just drink water.
My hat off to you guys, as my way of coping with 40 plus degrees of heat are a T-shirt, shorts and some flip flops, oh! and a pool to jump into when it gets too much.
Plus you have to fight in all that stuff.
I was watching the Ross Kemp thing and the boys don't even look hot or bothered.
Plus you have to fight in all that stuff.
I was watching the Ross Kemp thing and the boys don't even look hot or bothered.
As said, tons of water.
Also, remember how fit these guys are and that they would have conditioning training. I remember having gone through training, then one opertional posting and then going on leave and having a game of footy with my old mates.
When everyone around you is getting fitter and stronger as you are, you can't put it into perspective. As soon as I stepped out of it and had a 'test' with my civvy mates, it was very obvious that I had gone up to a different league. About 8 leagues higher!
Also, remember how fit these guys are and that they would have conditioning training. I remember having gone through training, then one opertional posting and then going on leave and having a game of footy with my old mates.
When everyone around you is getting fitter and stronger as you are, you can't put it into perspective. As soon as I stepped out of it and had a 'test' with my civvy mates, it was very obvious that I had gone up to a different league. About 8 leagues higher!
EdJ said:
croyde said:
To any of our military friends out there, how do you manage in places like Afghanistan and Iraq wearing all that gear even gloves?
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
There's a lot about this in the book Sniper One by Dan Mills - a great read if you like that sort of thing. As others have said, drinking loads of water is the key, but it seems that even the locals keep indoors between 11am and 2pm. In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
EdJ said:
croyde said:
To any of our military friends out there, how do you manage in places like Afghanistan and Iraq wearing all that gear even gloves?
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
There's a lot about this in the book Sniper One by Dan Mills - a great read if you like that sort of thing. As others have said, drinking loads of water is the key, but it seems that even the locals keep indoors between 11am and 2pm. In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
Terrifying stuff and it makes you realise how well trained they are as well as brave. That bit about getting used to the heat, 20 litres of water a day at the beginning, blimey!
Cara Van Man said:
We go through quite a bit of pre-deployment training....this involves getting up to speed physical wise and breifings in the form of medical training and awareness of the effects of heat etc.
The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
Is your combat caravan not air-conditioned then?The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
rhinochopig said:
Cara Van Man said:
We go through quite a bit of pre-deployment training....this involves getting up to speed physical wise and breifings in the form of medical training and awareness of the effects of heat etc.
The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
Is your combat caravan not air-conditioned then?The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
croyde said:
To any of our military friends out there, how do you manage in places like Afghanistan and Iraq wearing all that gear even gloves?
In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
Afghanistan is a desert, where temeratures can fluctuate wildly. The altitude plays a part in this too. Day time and night time temps can vary 25+ degrees. So you get caught out with the wrong clothes on could easily lead to hypothermea.In previous conflicts ie Vietnam and the Pacific theatre, the soldiers appear to be wearing very light weight clothing compared to the modern soldier.
How do you stand the heat.
Vietnam has consistant, reliable, hot humid weather.
Bloody difficult conditions. I'd guess theres been more casualties (although short term incapacity) caused by heat exhaustion than by enemy contact.
Reminds me of the good old days - pull up a sandbag and swing that lamp....
A plane with a platoon of paras hit a mountain in Djibouti (think Ethiopia/Somalia) some years back and every year the unlucky para detachment at the time would have to trudge up this whooper of a mountain all day for a ceremony at dawn. This was in mid-summer so temps got up about 45 degrees.
Me and a mate decided that one of us could carry the others sleeping bag, therefore making room in the other sac for a case of vitamin K (Kronenbourg).
So...we spent a day climbing up very slowly, about 4 - 6 people had to be dripped or medivacced for heat exhaustion/dehydration. We were fooked (this was in the days before camelbacks).
We got to the top in bits, me and mate settled down and I got the crate of beer out. My mate looked at me, looked at the beer and said quite sheepishly 'I thought I was bringing the beer', so it turned out we only had 2 cases of beer to ward off the plummeting temperatures and no bags. Balls.
Anyway - hydration is definitely the key, especially coming down a desert mountain with a hangover.
A plane with a platoon of paras hit a mountain in Djibouti (think Ethiopia/Somalia) some years back and every year the unlucky para detachment at the time would have to trudge up this whooper of a mountain all day for a ceremony at dawn. This was in mid-summer so temps got up about 45 degrees.
Me and a mate decided that one of us could carry the others sleeping bag, therefore making room in the other sac for a case of vitamin K (Kronenbourg).
So...we spent a day climbing up very slowly, about 4 - 6 people had to be dripped or medivacced for heat exhaustion/dehydration. We were fooked (this was in the days before camelbacks).
We got to the top in bits, me and mate settled down and I got the crate of beer out. My mate looked at me, looked at the beer and said quite sheepishly 'I thought I was bringing the beer', so it turned out we only had 2 cases of beer to ward off the plummeting temperatures and no bags. Balls.
Anyway - hydration is definitely the key, especially coming down a desert mountain with a hangover.
sprinter885 said:
Asterix said:
We used to have a vehicle that we fought over on exercise - it was the REME wagon that was kitted out for checking diesel injectors - had the best AC I've ever known!
I bet it would hit you like a brick wall when you step outside to 40 deg though 
Thank God for Aircon though.
Tony*T3 said:
sprinter885 said:
Asterix said:
We used to have a vehicle that we fought over on exercise - it was the REME wagon that was kitted out for checking diesel injectors - had the best AC I've ever known!
I bet it would hit you like a brick wall when you step outside to 40 deg though Thank God for Aircon though.
I've also served up in Norway during the winter so I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. As they say - no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. The heat does push it a bit though.
rhinochopig said:
Cara Van Man said:
We go through quite a bit of pre-deployment training....this involves getting up to speed physical wise and breifings in the form of medical training and awareness of the effects of heat etc.
The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
Is your combat caravan not air-conditioned then?The main thing is drinking lots of water...constantly.
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