ECWCS Gen III Level 6 is a specialized wind and moisture protection layer from the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) Gen III, a multilayered clothing system that is shipped under government contracts to the United States Army.
If the previous layers of ECWCS Gen III can be considered universal, then the sixth and seventh layers are not commonly used. This is due, firstly, to the fact that the need for them is not always available, not everywhere and not at all, and secondly, that it is a highly specialized product for solving specific problems. If we talk about ECWCS Gen III Level 6, the main task of this layer is to withstand wind and rain where the protective properties of ECWCS Gen III Level 5 are simply not enough.
If you remember from our previous review, Soft Shell is designed to be an easy and quick solution in the event of a sudden deterioration of the weather, or a sharp change of conditions (climbing to high mountains or climbing above the tree line, sudden weather, protection from wind and snow when traffic and other things). To be lightweight and comfortable, ECWCS Gen III Level 5 material must be breathable and flexible (hence the name Soft Shell), so it cannot be too dense at the same time. It is because of its low density that it can protect against wind, and even withstand a few hours under rain, but sooner or later it will still get wet. Time, however, is highly dependent on the type and intensity of precipitation, temperature and humidity, the integrity of the moisture-repellent coating, and several other factors. So, if you know that you will have to stand all day in the gusty breeze, ambush in the continuous rain, or work near the coast, which is constantly raging stormy waves - a specialized layer for such conditions - Hard Shell will come to your aid. or ECWCS Gen III Level 6 endowed with the following characteristics.
- Insulating layer for protection against wind and high intensity rainfall.
- Lightweight and compact.
- Adjustable collar hood.
- Glued seams for additional waterproofing.
- Openings to access the pockets of the lower layers.
- Ability to wear \ remove pants without removing shoes.
- Main Material: Gore-tex Paclite.
- Available colors: Multicam.
With its protective properties, ECWCS Gen III Level 6 is due to its membrane-effect Gore-tex Paclite double-layer fabric. Thanks to specialized pores, the Gore-tex substrate acts as a certain "semiconductor", allowing the moisture to move from the body to the outside while completely blocking its path from the outside to the inside. Therefore, this layer is characterized by vapor permeability within 25,000 g / m2 \ 24 h, with high moisture resistance - 20,000 mm. of water. column. Instead of the third inner layer, which is familiar to most Gore-tex membranes, the Gore-tex Paclite uses a thin layer of carbon-repellent grease that prevents membrane pores from clogging over time from contact with skin and perspiration. The use of two layers instead of three also reduced the overall weight of ECWCS Gen III Level 6 by 30% compared to previous generations.
The outer layer of the membrane is made of dense nylon in a multicam camouflage pattern designed to break the outline of your silhouette against the background of the terrain and protect the membrane from mechanical damage. The ECWCS Gen III Level 6 camouflage effect not only in daylight, but also in the dark, when it is characterized by near-infrared (NIR) reflectivity, reduces your visibility in night vision devices (PNBs).
However, the protective properties of this layer are not limited to the base material, so let's look at the features of ECWCS Gen III Level 6.
Extreme Wet/Cold Weather Jacket
The cut of the ECWCS Gen III Level 6 jacket is broadly similar to the cut of the fifth layer jacket, but is somewhat simpler. There are no shoulder pockets, no-mats, and extra vents under the armpits, and instead of full breast pockets, there are only through holes with valves for protection against water. However, there is a reason for these simplifications: the more details a product has - the more it will have seams, and the more holes will be made in the main stitching material. The holes in the seams are the main way of seepage of water, so the design of membrane products is first tried to simplify to the required minimum of justified seams, and the remaining ones are additionally taped with tape for additional waterproofing. ECWCS Gen III Level 6 is no exception and has both a relatively simplified cut and a ribbon on the inside of all seams.
ECWCS Gen III Level 6 has a large, adjustable hood that folds into a 9 cm inner collar to protect head and neck from rain and wind. , and the adjustment on the oval of the face is carried out with the help of shock cord with plastic cord locks, and the volume - a velcro bush with a height of 16 cm, located on the nape of the user.
When folded, the hood folds up and is placed between two layers of the base material that the collar is formed of, and access is provided through a slot in the rear lower seam that closes with Velcro.
The center clasp, as in the case of ECWCS Gen III Level 5, has two wind and moisture shields 5 cm wide, but in this case they are both located in front of the lightning. Due to this, the clasp is completely covered by two layers of base material along the entire length, which completely blocks the possible ways of seepage of precipitation and water flows.
On the breast of the manufacturer had to give up all the velcro for the placement of marks of distinction and personal information, ie. each Velcro is an additional opening in the base material and essentially a container for water storage. Instead, there is a small 4 cm high lapel on the center clasp to accommodate the ranks of servicemen.
On both sides of the central clasp at the level of the breast are two zippers 26 cm high, which are overlapped with a moisture bar from the base material. Unlike the previous layers where these zippers gave access to the mesh pockets, in the case of ECWCS Gen III Level 6 these are not pockets, but through holes, and there is no mesh backing here. This decision was made, firstly, because the membrane materials have quite limited vapor permeability and, at high levels of physical activity, periodically there is a need to ventilate the inner surfaces to prevent condensation. Therefore, a large through hole of such length works much better than a small vent under the armpits. Second, ECWCS Gen III Level 6 is in most cases put on top of other layers of the multilayer system, elements that already have pockets in the chest area. Accordingly, there may already be some objects in these pockets, and the through hole allows you to freely use the pockets of the layers covered under ECWCS Gen III Level 6. Be it a mesh lining, you would need to open the main zipper to open the zipper hole just enough to miss inside and take out the little things you need.
As I said above, ECWCS Gen III Level 6 had to give up shoulder pockets to simplify the design and reduce the number of stitches. It is not surprising, since the greatest amount of rainfall falls on the shoulders, so that the accumulated water flows down easily and unimpeded. instead of lingering at the seams of pockets or velcro identification panels. Therefore, the sleeves with structural features should be noted only adjustable cuffs, the position of which is regulated by a 10 cm long velcro and a length of 13 cm. With their help, you can easily lock the sleeve neck over the gloves to protect against the flow of dripping rainfall and block the movement of water and wind. sleeves.
Extreme Wet / Cold Weather Trouser Pants
For the sake of simplifying the design and minimizing the number of seams, ECWCS Gen III Level 6 pants also have no pockets and look extremely simple.
The width closes on the zipper and the button, and on the diameter of the belt are 7 belt slots about 5 cm high. Four of them are in front. If you do not use a belt, the belt diameter can also be adjusted with a shock cord and two plastic cord locks located on either side of the front buckle. If this is not enough for you, it is possible to attach suspenders to the trousers, for compatibility with horizontal loops of textile sling on the inner surface of the belt.
Three more slots are located at the back of the belt, and these are all design features at this level.
The side seams of ECWCS Gen III Level 6 pants have two 16 cm wide through holes. The task is the same as the holes in the jacket's chest - providing access to the pockets of the lower layers without having to remove or lower the pants. For protection against precipitation and water flows, these openings are additionally protected by valves 20 cm high, the position of which is fixed by two Velcro.
The main design feature of ECWCS Gen III Level 6 trousers is probably the longitudinal buckles in the side seams about 60 cm long. if necessary, or toes in case of injury. The zippers of these fasteners are also protected by two strips 3 cm wide, which are periodically interconnected by means of Velcro.
The knees on the ECWCS Gen III Level 6 pants are further reinforced by a layer of base material that extends service life by reducing mechanical stress on this area, which is subjected to constant contact with dirty and moist soil.
The neckline of the trousers has an adjusting lenght of 9.5 cm in length and a Velcro of 12 cm in length. They can be used to adjust the diameter of the lower part of the trousers, especially if you use specialized mountain climbing, skiing and more together with ECWCS Gen III Level 6. Zippers in the side seams can also help with this, revealing which can also affect the diameter of the necks.
All in all, ECWCS Gen III Level 6 Material Selection and Cutting are all about the same task - leaving you and your clothes dry where it's not possible without Hard Shell. So, if you need to stay clear of the rain for a long time (rain, tropical rain, stormy weather, storms and hurricanes) or the breeze blows away, you should definitely pay attention to ECWCS Gen III Level 6.
Thank you to punisher.com.ua for the sample ECWCS Gen III Level 6 kit 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
