Tuesday, 8 December 2009

British Army PLCE Bergen Maintenance

Well it's that time of the year where I give my main bergan a soak in the bath.
It's been hung up in the shed for a few months and has taken on that damp smell.
 
All I use to wash it is shower gell, as I've found in the past if I use washing powder it takes forever to rinse it out.
 
Now some people will be crying at the thought of me washing a bergan and killing its waterproof qualities, but save your breath, no bergan is waterproof, ok it might be for a few days when it's new if you're very lucky, but it's never going to be 100%, not even close.
 
The best way to keep the contents of a bergan dry is to line it with strong heavy duty rubbish bags.
You don't need fancy drybags, just a good strong rubbish sack to line the main compartment.
For extra security and peace of mind I also seal my sleeping bag inside a rubbish sack.
 
Water will find its way through the best bags in the world and even spraying the bergan with a proofing agent is a waste of time and money.
 
Save your cash and line the main compartment with one HUGE sack, then find smaller sacks to line the side pockets.
Nothing will get through plastic bags unless you puncture them.
 
Now I have to go and do a few fixing hoop modifications that are long overdue, including replaceing the worn out thin bungee that holds my Trangia fuel bottle on the one side of the bergan, and also replace the worn out bunjee on the other side that has held my Fiskars Axe in place for the past five or so years.
 
I will post a photo of the finisshed bergan and the mods soon...........
 
 
 
 
 

2 comments:

  1. I think the Brish Army PLCE and Webtex equivelent Bergans have a PU coating on the inside to keep the water out, but yes they do need a good clean every now and then to stop them smelling (and they do after a while). I occassionally spray waterproofing on the top of mine, mainly for peace of mind more than anything else, you will also have to watchout for water wicking up from the bottom when you place the bergan on damp ground hence I agree with the heavy duty bin liner, it's cheap, light weight plus it can be used as an emegency shelter should things get really bad. Look forward to seeing the mods to your Bergan.

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  2. Yeah TG, mine also has the PU coating on the inside. That wicking up the bergan from a damp floor is a real pain but atleast with the bin bag liners idea you can keep your kit dry.

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