"DRASH" (Or "Why I think I've gone crazy and everyone else is sane")

[chrisf]

Alright, am I the only one who looks upon the DRASH with a sense of loathing? Does anyone else feel this is an absolutely ridiculous piece of kit?

Over priced, fragile, and a logistical pain to transport, what were we thinking?

Unfortunately, due to it's double layer of canvas, it's relatively well insulated. So everyone who walks into this warm (or cool) space-age-looking "marvel", who wasn't inolved it it's set-up, transport or maintenance, looks upon it, and in their best leadership pose, states "Ah, what a fine piece of kit, isn't this a great piece of kit?" to which I always reply "No sir, it's a terrible piece of kit" and follow with a detailed list of why I'd like to burn them all.

I could understand perhaps, if it was being used as a semi-permanent shelter, and you had a flat bed with a HIAB crane to transport it, but no, we (and many oher reserve units) are jamming them into weekend exercises.

Again, it looks space age, so everyone thinks it's brilliant... I'm begining to feel like I'm a lone crazy person, shaking my fists at a domed monster that only I can see... though unlike most (Unlike pretty much everyone)who gaze upon the beauty of the DRASH with love and admiration, I've had the opportunity to trial it against it's major competitor, the BASE-X expedition series shelters... which are easier to transport, maintain, and substantially more durable, while including all the same features (Double layer of canvas with air space between for insulation, hang points for wires, map boards, etc, ducting for heating/cooling systems, fully able to be sealed in the event of the need for  a sterile enviroment or in the event of NBC conditions) of the DRASH... but it doesn't look space age... it just looks like a plain ol' mod tent on the outside.

So am I crazy, or are there any other nuts out their shaking their fists at our shelter system?

 

[Sig_Des]

Eh,

They serve a purpose. They're not the end-all-be-all, but they're "OK".

They are a pain to pack up, and once the support struts start cracking, pieces can't be replaces as easily as with other tentage.

I am, however, laughing, picturing you shaking your fist at them...probably because at some point they've been picked up by the wind, leaving everyone to see you in your pantslessness

+edit to add - Besides, you were crazy long before drash came around.

 

[chrisf]

We did have one taking a flying leap... I've heard it was impressive... I however was in an LSVW at the time, with my foot flat on the accelerator, pants on, fully commando...

My major beef with the damned things is there's better items on the market, that have been on the market just as long, serve exactly the same purpose, and are cheaper (a DRASH XB6 racks in at about $30 000, a comprable BaseX racks in at $27 000).

If it makes you feel better, I'm sans pants as I type this. Wearing shorts though... it's been muggy lately.

 

[chrisf]

Oh, and as a bonus, the BaseX comprable to the XB6 packs into two compact 200 lb packages instead of one 400 lb package, can effectively be handled by two people (I've seen it handled by one beefy person) and can be tossed, dropped, and flicked around to your hearts content... once it's packed, unless you happen to back over it with a truck, no worries of breaking anything, unlike the babying involved in transporting a DRASH.

 

[PuckChaser]

My unit uses a DRASH exclusively for its CP during field ex's (one that we borrow from a Res unit, that can o worms is staying shut). I personally find it way more manageable than a mod tent system. I don't think its great for quick moving CP's, you need something basic like mod for that, but in a static location for a 2 week exercise, its an excellent resource. It has some learning curves, and some repair issues, but you can solve that with some training on it. We have a tendency to be hard on our kit when we don't need to be, and the DRASH won't break if you take the extra 5 minutes to do things properly instead of smashing and crashing about.

My only issue with it, is that it gets real warm in the summer as we don't have AC units. The 2 layer construction helps, but its still very hot inside.

 

[Pearlina]

Has any units considered working with the J-series or worked with them already?

 

[RCR Grunt]

Have you ever deployed a CP using the old mod-tent carefour (sp?)?  My old unit's BHQ uses carefour exclusively, takes the CP about 3 or 4 hours to set up proper, a comparable time to tear down, YMMV.  DRASH is a vast improvement, IMO, over the old school mod-tent.  If you brought some DRASH to my old unit, the Sigs platoon there would treat that tentage like gold and baby it like it needs to be, all in an effort to leave the modular tentage at home.

 

[armyvern]

DRASH ... 

An f'n logistical, maint & admin nightmare.

The sigs world does not have a dedicated shelter system, ie "all DRASH - all the time" ... and that's not a bad thing. You can't write up your requirements to "meet" the specs of a "certain" type of shelter - also a very good thing or I fear we'd see more than we already do of some of the available nightmarish systems on the market because someone thought X was better over another. Usually that someone is someone who only looks at it, rather than has to manage, pack, load, set-up, repair or otherwise give a &*%% about it.

Different shelters serve different units to different levels of impact. A smallish ResF unit with limited transport and other logistical resources is going to be impacted more negatively by the high maintenance & loggish nightmare that is DRASH. Other Units with redunadancies won't notice those same negative impacts upon their resources. The trick is to balance your Unit's actual requirements while considering your purple requirements and access to such; then to write up what you need that equpiment to accomplish. What they end up getting you may or may not be DRASH, but at least you won't be getting "X" for the sake of having "X" when your Unit would have been much better served by using "Y".

 

[George Wallace]

Have you ever deployed a CP using the old mod-tent carefour (sp?)?  My old unit's BHQ uses carefour exclusively, takes the CP about 3 or 4 hours to set up proper, a comparable time to tear down, YMMV.  DRASH is a vast improvement, IMO, over the old school mod-tent.  If you brought some DRASH to my old unit, the Sigs platoon there would treat that tentage like gold and baby it like it needs to be, all in an effort to leave the modular tentage at home.

I take it you be long to a "Fair Weather Unit" (FWU) that only deploys when the sun is shining and the Temps don't drop below +15.  Drash is a very neat system, but does not handle being manipulated in extreme weather conditions, especially extreme cold, very well.

 

[Swingline1984]

Drash is a very neat system, but does not handle being manipulated in extreme weather conditions, especially extreme cold, very well.

Especially when it is end ex and everyone just wants to get the hell out of there.  At the best of times a 6XB is a six man job, and it only takes one of those guys with little experience on the tentage or his mind on a cold beer or warm cup of coffee to break a "whack" (imperial measure which is equal to a "whole bunch") of the flimsy fiberglass support pieces.  The repairs usually fall to the Mat Techs in our unit and they bloody hate the stuff.  From a Line guy's perspective they are great once set up; all sorts of nifty loops for running cable.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I've said it before in a similar thread on this equipment. If you hate it that bad and don't want it, feel free to send it my way and I'll put it to good use here.

 

[Swingline1984]

I've said it before in a similar thread on this equipment. If you hate it that bad and don't want it, feel free to send it my way and I'll put it to good use here.

I would, but unfortunately for you, our Officer's (if they could) would probably dedicate a day to it (the tentage) and award it with a CO's commendation or medal.  I can see it now..."For conspicuous gallantry in the face of an imaginary enemy the DRASH remained cool under fire and continued to shelter our coffee pot from the rain."

 

[PuckChaser]

In these "extreme cold" failures, what were the temperatures? Was there a heater running into the tent?

I left a DRASH for a week and a half on top of a hill in Meaford in February, with a torpedo heater running inside to keep it warm. Folded and packed up with no problems, and no broken stays.

 

[Swingline1984]

It was a Petawawa winter i.e. -30 to -40 with windchill.  Heaters were the norm and therefore so was ice buildup at the base (although an issue with any tent).  When you tear down in those temps with the last item obviously being the tent itself, not the heater, things get cold quite fast with everything opened up.  The other contributing factor is (as I mentioned) user error or lack of care.

 

[PuckChaser]

The other contributing factor is (as I mentioned) user error or lack of care.

I think that's the major issue with the DRASH, people treat it like they treat Mod Tent. You can throw a purlon, but you can't throw DRASH.

 

[Swingline1984]

You can throw a purlon, but you can't throw DRASH.

Considering what it weighs.  No...no you can't.  You would look pretty funny trying though. 

 

[George Wallace]

I think that's the major issue with the DRASH, people treat it like they treat Mod Tent. You can throw a purlon, but you can't throw DRASH.

So?  Does this mean that you would not be wize to take DRASH into an area where bullets and bombs may be flying about, where it may be subjet to such flying objects or where one may have to drop it from the back of a vehicle or aircraft in a hurry?

 

[wildman0101]

You had a tent. Try sleepin in a slit beside your (armoured fighting vehicle) leopard
in a six inch trench (required) on dismount. Tarp-sleeping bag-roll the other half of
tarp over you. Or on the rear deck on said AFV. Better yet inside on a 6-7 week ex.
Just sayin.
Scoty B
more to follow: you work with what ya got ,,,make the best of it or improvise, or make
suggestion to improve what you have to work with.

 

[PuckChaser]

So?  Does this mean that you would not be wize to take DRASH into an area where bullets and bombs may be flying about, where it may be subjet to such flying objects or where one may have to drop it from the back of a vehicle or aircraft in a hurry?

I think a mod tent is just as vulnerable to bombs and bullets as a DRASH. Its only slightly more robust than it when dropped. You can take 3 hours to set up a whole CP worth of mod, or take 30 minutes plus an extra 10 to make sure the DRASH comes off the truck carefully.

Yes, there may be better tent systems out there. But lets be honest, the CF isn't going to buy them for us. DRASH is far superior to mod unless you're hurtling it out of the back of a HLVW or MSVS, but that's solved by spending a little bit of time sweet talking a mat tech to make you a ramp to roll it on and off. You won't convince me to go back to mod tent.

 

[George Wallace]

I ........... You can take 3 hours to set up a whole CP worth of mod, or take 30 minutes plus an extra 10 to make sure the DRASH comes off the truck carefully.

This is the second time you have mentioned "3 hours to set up a CP with Mod Tentage".  I am curious as to how big you are building this CP?  I have worked in CPs quite a bit and running out three or four sections of Mod, or a Penthouse, have never taken 3 hours.  The "Hubs" at Div Main and Div Alt may have taken up to three hours, but the "Hubs" have all been replaced by Containers dropped by PLS.  So I am curious as to how big this CP of yours is and how many people are setting it up.  With enough people who have set up Mod Tentage before, as you would find in the CP group, you should have the tentage up in approx 45 min.