>>1124211>>1124706>>1124986>>1125130>>1125435>>1130053Regular force infantry soldier and /out/ enthusiast here. Will chime in my 2 cents.
Lots of time using pictured shelter half. it is definitely serviceable, even decent. I will say most run of the mill equipment will probably not compare to high end consumer stuff, remember 9 times out of 10 shit is made by the lowest bidder - the military is not in the habit of binge spending on the latest and greatest. Whats more important is utilitarian function and robustness.
Issued shelter half/ground sheet works well. It can be tied low profile and some guys are proficient in making excellent lean tos. Its very quick to set up, and importantly very quick to tear down. I generally use a couple of bungee cords and very light weight tent pegs, the whole thing only ways a couple pounds. It is indeed waterproof. Will only fit 1 person laying down in a low profile position. Think its tactical use and harden up, or dont - spend on more luxurious quality equipment. You can wrap it over you as a blanket kind of or drape over a hole to use as overhead protection, like a poncho - checking nav at night and shit.
Issued shelter half will actually block IR signature, for a time - from even advanced optics systems.
I've recently switched to a more modern shelter I procured from SOF supply chain. Same idea but it is significantly lighter, larger, and packs up into a smaller stuff sack. About 1/3 the size and weight. This style is generally only limited by end user creativity, they have a lot of tie down points and configurations for use.
The benefit, imo of this style is its packing size and ease of use, and versatility. A shelter with poles is limited and use, takes up more bulk in packing, often weighs more and is slower to set up and tear down. Also I find the fabrics are easily perforated and prone to building condensation, not that it matters cus you should be used to being wet anyways.
