WWII US Sleeping Bag

[Aragorn243]

I went out to yard sales this morning and came across what I thought to be an interesting find. An old military sleeping bag. I looked it over and found the tags on the interior dating it to 1944 and appearing to be of US style.

Knowing nothing about these and seeing that it was displayed very nicely by the owner, I figured whatever they wanted for it would be beyond what I was willing to risk. But I asked how much and they told me if I wanted it, it was mine for free. It had a hole in it an no one wanted it.

Can't beat that so I rolled it up and brought it home. I have at least confirmed that it is a US wool sleeping bag with a cover. The wool portion looks like new. The cover is what has some holes in it. I later found the tag on the liner when I learned it was separate, it also is dated 1944 but a few months later. I did not see any other markings until I had it out in the sun to take photos. It has a large but faint US on the bottom of the cover.

I didn't even know the US used sleeping bags in WWII. Not something I've ever seen in the war movies. All I've ever seen were the wool blankets.

Are the dates on the tags the dates they were produced or the date of the design? I guess these were used through Vietnam so there is no guarantee this one was actually used during WWII.

Should I make any effort to repair the holes/tears in the cover? I doubt I'll ever actually use it so it's not going to get any worse. If repaired, how would I go about it? Hand sewing, machine?

Anyway, here are some photos:

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Debossman]

That looks like a "Mummy" bag, very much in demand.

[RT Ellis]

I have acquired two of these sleeping bags and used one of them with the cover, exclusively for quite a few field exercises with the National Guard and Army Reserve. This sleeping bag and the warmer versions which I recall had "intermediate" and extreme cold applications are all popularly known as "mummy" sleeping bags for obvious reasons. I found the wool sleeping bag adequate for the areas in which I used it, mostly desert areas, and on the occasions it was a little cooler I additionally wrapped a poncho liner over the sleeping bag. I found this sleeping bag restricting at times and often slept with the zipper open (the zipper only goes about half the length of the sleeping bag). I had experience with the warmer version which I recall had "Mountain" in the nomenclature and generally found them too warm. Apparently the wool sleeping bag was intended for issue in other than cold weather conditions. When I came across examples of the wool sleeping bag I started referring to it as a "summer" sleeping bag as I assumed it was intended for warmer areas other than the cooler mountains.

Mira Loma QM depot was in California not far from here. It was the principal depot for Southern California during WWII. Philadelphia Depot was a long operating QM depot sometimes known as Schuylkill Arsenal, and is now operated by the Defense Logistical Agency.

West Coast Bags Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., had U.S. Army QMC contracts for Sleeping Bags, Wool Sleeping Bags, Sleeping Bag Cases, and Squad Tents M1942 in 1944-45. Contract W-4104 QM-00218 was signed in June 1944 and completed in August 1944. West Coast Bags Inc. was paid $120,000 for the contract.

Sure Fit Products, Bethlehem, Penn., and Darby, Penn., had quite a few contracts from 1940-45 with the Army QMC and U.S. Navy for sewn products that included Jackets, Trousers, Mosquito Bars, Covers, Mattress Covers, Cotton Cloth, and Barrack Bags. I don't have any information on the Purchase Order (P.O.) that this cover was purchased on, but it is likely it was an extension of a regular contract, or too small to warrant the regular contract bidding process.

I was sleeping in one of these bags one night when a tree branch broke lose and made a disturbing racket falling to the ground. I didn't want to be trapped in the sleeping bag by some predator and the zipper stuck so I couldn't get out. It was extreme anxiety until someone came along and explained it was just a tree branch that got tired. The mountain sleeping bag zipper can be popped open and then reengaged at the bottom, but I don't think the wool sleeping bag zipper has this feature.

My examples are in storage along with my camping equipment otherwise I would get them out and share the label information.

[Sarge]

The dates on the tags are the contrakt dates, not the actual date of mfg.
The wool bag could also be used as a liner in the regular mummy bag for extreme cold weather. There was also a sheet type liner for the wool bag, a hard item to find.
Post Korean War they made 2 sizes of mummy bags for extreme cold weather. The regular Mountain bag went inside the larger one.
They looked exactly alike except one was noticeably larger.
I've got the wool/cover & liner, the mummy bag/cover and the 2 post Korean war bags/covers. I've also got an extreme cold weather mummy bag that is day glo orange. It was an air crew survival item for the artic.
Sarge