ECWCS Gen III Level 4 - Lightweight insulating jacket from the US Army Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) Gen III multilayered clothing system.
If the previous three layers (ECWCS Gen III Level 1, ECWCS Gen III Level 2, ECWCS Gen III Level 3) focused mainly on removing moisture from the body and warming it, ECWCS Gen III Level 4 is the first representative of the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System ( ECWCS) Gen III isolation assignment. Its main purpose is to block heat loss by convection, which is most typical under the influence of strong wind.
Like ECWCS Gen III Level 3, the fourth layer of the system does not have trousers, but includes only a compact and light jacket that can be easily packed and worn with you almost everywhere, even in the large thigh pockets of your trousers. This was done intentionally, because such compactness allows you to quickly protect yourself if the weather has deteriorated sharply, or you have risen above the line of trees, where the strength and speed of the wind significantly increases when moving with a vertical relief. In addition to the wind itself, this jacket will also protect you from small particles of dust, sand or dirt, which the wind often carries with it. Therefore, as you understand, it can be effectively applied both in regions with a temperate climate and in hot deserts, which is facilitated by the following design features.
- Insulating layer to protect against the effects of wind, dust / sand and rain.
- Lightweight and compact.
- Elasticity and vapor permeability.
- Two pockets.
- Main material: Milliken Nylon nylon with moisture-repellent finish.
- Available colors: Multicam.
ECWCS Gen III Level 4 is a layer where Polartec materials are no longer used, and since isolation from negative environmental factors is the primary concern, the material must also be appropriate. In this case, it is nylon from Milliken, which has good wear resistance, as well as elastic properties due to the presence of spandex in the material. As a result, you get a tight but flexible jacket that outperforms conventional BDU, ACU, OCPU uniforms in terms of comfort. Against this background, ECWCS Gen III Level 4 is lighter, stronger, more elastic and better ventilated. The latter feature makes this jacket an ideal protective complement to ECWCS Gen III Level 3 intermediate heaters, which lose their wetting and soiling performance. Therefore, this windmill will not block excess heat and moisture from flowing through the air in the lower layers, but at the same time protect them from the effects of wind, moisture, pollution and precipitation. To enhance the protective effect, the material is additionally treated with a moisture-repellent compound, which allows the jacket to delay for a short time also low and medium intensity precipitation.
So, if we are more or less familiar with the purpose and properties of the material, I suggest paying attention to the cut ECWCS Gen III Level 4.
The features of ECWCS Gen III Level 4 cut can be considered the younger sister of the ECWCS Gen III Level 5 soft-shell jacket, because it is made of the same material, but is much simpler in design. It has no hood, reinforcement inserts, additional vents and adjustable cuffs. However, the absence of all these features makes it easier and more compact.
ECWCS Gen III Level 4 has a 6.5 cm collar that protects the neck of the user not only from wind and rain, but also from discomfort and mechanical stresses associated with long wearing shoulder straps, bullet proof vests and bibs.
In front is a central zipper that opens to the full height of the jacket. A 2.5 cm wide windshield is placed on the inside of the zipper, blocking the lightning's purge in high winds and preventing the runner from jamming the mesh on the inside of the jacket. The small edge of the strap is turned outwards, providing you with a fold where you can hide the lightning slider, thus reducing the likelihood of contact of your chin with cold metal. Unlike ECWCS Gen III Level 5, there is only one lightning bolt on the lightning, and therefore it locks only in the bottom-up direction.
On both sides of the central clasp at the chest level are placed sections of velcro for fixing the marks. On the right is one square section measuring 5 cm x 5 cm (width / height) for chevrons depicting the rank of servicemen. Below are symmetrical strips measuring 12.5 cm x 2.5 cm (width / height) for the name (nametape) and the lineage. At ECWCS Gen III Level 4, these Velcro have a tilt to the outside of the breast.
Under the Velcro on the outside of ECWCS Gen III Level 4 are two vertical zippers with a length of 23 cm through which access to the inner pockets with a useful size of 14 cm x 28 cm (width / height) where it is convenient to place related accessories such as hats, gloves , buffs and more. Vertical lightning orientation also allows you to access your pockets even while wearing personal body armor.
The inner surface of the breast pockets is made of double mesh function. First, the mesh facilitates jacket construction and does not delay the air circulation between ECWCS Gen III Level 4 and the layers beneath it. Secondly, when you open your pockets, you get vents that allow you to combat condensation inside the jacket and serve as an outlet for excess heat.
The photo above should pay attention to the plastic cordlock and elastic that is removed to the breast pockets and is responsible for tightening the jacket at waist level. They can reduce the internal volume of the jacket, partly limiting the air circulation inside.
Another pair of cordlets are on the same elastic and are located in the corners near the central clasp. This pair is responsible for staggering the jacket on the bottom edge, allowing you to adjust the lumen of the jacket and thereby blocking the path of cold air from entering.
Also in the photo above is clearly visible mesh from which the inner surface of the breast pockets is made.
Similar to the previous layer, there are no seams on the shoulders of ECWCS Gen III Level 4. In addition to improving the comfort of wearing long backpacks and armor at the expense of the absence of lapels of the base material, there is another argument for this solution. Since it is an insulating layer designed to protect against fallout, it is not entirely reasonable to position the seams in the center of the shoulders, as they would serve as an additional way for moisture to seep through the holes into which the thread is passed. Therefore, underestimation of the seams on the shoulders - in this case is the right decision.
There are two pockets on the windmill sleeves with useful sizes of approximately 12.5 cm x 13 cm x 2.5 cm (width \ height \ depth). When folded, pockets are flat, but when filled, the back wall can expand up to 2.5 cm, which allows you to place inside these pockets not only documents and flat objects, but also other useful little things.
The pockets are accessed through velcro valves. On the outside of the valves is a small black sticker that reflects the radiation in the infra-red spectrum. At night, when using night vision devices (PNBs), these stickers are used to distinguish allied forces. When PNB is used on both sides, you can hide your position by closing these stickers with small straps that are fastened with Velcro on the outside and inside of the valve. Both states of this sling can be seen in the photo above.
As I mentioned above, the ECWCS Gen III Level 4 cut is a bit simpler than the next layer, so there are no additional zippers for ventilation under the armpits. For these purposes, you will still need to use vertical zippers of the breast pockets.
Similar to the third layer of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) Gen III, this jacket can be used both as an outer layer and as an intermediate layer. For this reason, the cuffs are as simple as possible to create unnecessary accumulations under the sleeves of layers that are worn over ECWCS Gen III Level 4. There is no elastic sling here, but some flexibility is present due to the elasticity of the base material.
In general, I can say that the main motto of ECWCS Gen III Level 4 is simplicity, lightness and good insulation qualities. This combination of this layer will provide equally good protection from the sand in the desert, in case of bad weather in the warm season, and to protect from wind in the winter. And light weight and volume will allow you to take it with you without much thought about expediency. Better be it with you and not be needed than the other way around, especially if you pay attention to the fact that the cost of this windbreaker is much less than the ECWCS Gen III Level 5 jackets.
We thank the shop punisher.com.ua for the sample ECWCS Gen III Level 4 jacket provided for review. You can always find out about the size and current cost of the kit on the store pages.
Source: secretsquirrel.com.ua
Author: secretsquirrel.com.ua
