PMCI - September 2021

realised that if the new company was going to be successful they
would need to manufacture products with year round appeal
rather than the seasonal body warmer. Sleeping bags were the
logical choice.
By 1984 the company had grown and the number of
machinists had increased to seven; by 1986 sales had grown
so strong the company had to move to larger premises. The
company moved down the road to a Grade II listed old woollen
mill in Silsden where they remain to this day.
Brett knew that the way forward for the company was
through innovation. Man made sleeping bags using synthetic fill
rather than traditional down were large, heavy and bulky. Down
though loses most of its insulative properties once wet; not an
ideal product for the ends envisaged so a synthetic alternative
had to be found. Brett wanted to produce a cheaper, man made
equivalent to the expensive down filled sleeping bag and in
1987 Snugpak launched their Softie 6 and 12 sleeping bags into
the market; I recall seeing one of the original models and being
amazed at the tiny pack size and light weight in comparison to
their competition. The two bags were the smallest synthetic
sleeping bags on the market and sales rocketed. Today the Softie
range consists of many different models all based on this initial
idea but they have been constantly upgraded as new insulation
and fabric technologies have emerged.
Now firmly established in the camping and outdoor market
word started to spread within the military about the superior
performance of Snugpak sleeping bags and insulated clothing,
and it was not long before olive green options of the products
were widely available. When first launched in 1989 the Softie 3
Merlin sleeping bag caused a sensation. A combination of state
of the art insulation and a highly breathable space age reflective
barrier technology giving 0°c performance with a minimal weight
of just 750g and packing to the size of a of a 24 hour ration/MRE
pack was a revelation! The Original Sleeka jacket that has been
used worldwide by tens of thousands of forces personnel is also
from this era and is probably still the benchmark for many of
the “old and bold” in the Snugpak range; although it has been
updated over the years it STILL offers an ideal balance between
warmth, weight and pack size.
With some superior products and a reputation for
performance Snugpak entered the 2000’s in a massively strong
position, moving from being a well reputed British manufacturing
company into being an internationally recognised brand, twice
winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
In 2009 Snugpak were visited by Princess Anne. Armed Forces
minister Andrew Robathan followed and visited the company in
2013. Having created the “World’s Largest Sleeping Bag” in 2014,
Snugpak reinvested in new machinery to see them forward into
their next generation, and in 2017 they celebrated 40 years of
making high-quality gear that has earned a hard-won reputation
worldwide, and they keep on pumping out new additions to all
the gear we already know and love!
NEW MODELS AND NEW TECH!
With such a vast range of products, from sleeping bags to bivvis
and shelters, rucsac covers and accessories, clothing and hats it
would be impossible to cover everything Snugpak offer so I’ll
focus instead on some key models that I’ve been using myself
and new models tested over the past winter.
I mentioned earlier that the original Sleeka jacket first came
into being many years ago now, but this jacket model has a
huge reputation and fans literally worldwide. Designed with
every possible benefit in mind, the Sleeka Original has become
a best-seller, and for good reasons. The Paratex Light outer shell
makes this jacket lightweight, windproof and water repellent but
importantly, it’s also breathable with great moisture wicking away
from the body. The inside is filled with Softie Premier for warmth
with a finer, softer, more durable insulation. Fondly known simply
as ‘The Softie’, this jacket has been tried and tested in every
kind of outdoor activity and in every conflict since the Falklands
War.
Many have tried to emulate it, but this is the one truly
original, high performance, mid layer insulated jacket. I would
guess that many of you reading this will have a “Softie” of your
own already!
One of the things with being involved in testing new gear
“tech” is that I spend a LOT of time on ranges and in the great
outdoors, and when you’re doing that you do spend a fair amount
of time in a cold, static position; you might be attending the
range briefing first thing in the morning or breaking for lunch,
but it’s a rarity to find a heated outdoor range, isn’t it (Trampas
and I have spent some pretty chilly range days at SHOT in the
Nevada desert!)? For years I’ve always had a Snugpak “Softie”
jacket in the back of the car or scrunched in my pack for just such
times, for when you want a bit of instant warmth, but this was
replaced a couple of years back now with their Military Mountain
Leader (MML) Smock . Developed by Snugpak with input from
professional navigators, mountain leaders, climbing instructors,
meteorological staff, and military personnel, the functional MML
Smock was created to support the user in a diverse range of
operational environments, especially when exposed to extreme
cold weather.
SNUGPAK