Vietnam Load Bearing Equipment

[old tanker]

The dreaded Spaghetti straps.

How to build a "Tanker's Roll"

Start with your shelter half (half of a pup tent), lay it out flat. Then fold one army blanket length wise and lay it on the shelter half. Then lay the air mattress (deflated) full length on the blanket...then lay the sleeping bag on the air mattress. Take your second blanket, folded length wise, and lay it on the sleeping bag. Finally, cover it all with your poncho, tucking the ends and sides under between the shelter half and the first blanket. Now you have a bedroll... fold the ends of the shelter half up onto the bedroll. Then fold the sides up onto the bedroll...like a big OD colored burrito. Starting at the foot end, roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can, making sure all the pieces stay covered by the shelter half as you roll it up. The bedroll carrier (we called them "spaghetti straps" because there were a bunch of straps and they always seemed to be tangled up and no one knew what they were for) is then used to secure the roll, you can attach it to the turret rail with those straps.

When you had a chance to sleep...roll out the bedroll...blow up the air mattress... get undressed...and climb in. The fewer clothes you had on, the warmer you would be. Put your boots under the poncho, pull you clothes in the sleeping bag with you, if they are dry. The shelter half protected the bedroll from rocks and twigs and helped to keep things dry. The first blanket was further protection for the air mattress and provided a layer of insulation. The air mattress kept you off the ground...more insulation and comfort. The sleeping bag then could do it's job efficiently. The next blanket insulated from the top (these days a poncho liner replaces the second wool blanket), the poncho kept it all dry. You could sleep in -20 German weather and stay warm and dry out on the ground...even if it rained or snowed. Any tanker worth his salt had a half dozen air matress repair kits in his gear.

The value of the tanker's roll has no monetary sum...it is priceless.