Infantry Combat Equipment (non-firearm): Vests, Body Armor, NVGs, etc.

by78 said:

Oxygen masks are used with pressurized oxygen supplies, with the oxygen either coming from a ventilator or a pressurized oxygen tank. If you're using oxygen masks, you're either too weak/sick to breathe normally on your own, or you're a fighter pilot cruising at 10,000 meters or above.

Then there is the issue of portability. Generators that provide pressurized oxygen supply are way too bulky to be man-portable, and you certainly also don't want to carry an oxygen tank while on foot patrol at 4700 meters.

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All supplemental oxygen requires pressurised gas, I don't know what you mean by that. They certainly don't need to be airtight unless you are talking about active ventilation like CPAP.

Using a nasal cannula has the advantage of leaving your mouth unobstructed making it talk easier, eat and drink and so on. The disadvantage would be it limits the maximum oxygen flow rate, around 4-5L/min. With a full mask you can go up to 15.

Also, just because he has it on doesn't mean he's actively using it. It probably only gets turned on if the soldier starts getting symptoms of hypoxia. If someone needs more, you can pretty easily switch out the cannula for a mask.

Abominable said:

All supplemental oxygen requires pressurised gas, I don't know what you mean by that. They certainly don't need to be airtight unless you are talking about active ventilation like CPAP.

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Thank you, and let me clarify. The OP wanted to know why the soldiers weren't wearing something similar to a fither pilot's mask. My reply was that the portable oxygen generator doesn't put out enough pressure to warrant something like that. Yes, even a portable concentrator provides oxygen at pressure, but it's only at single-digit psi, which is comparably negligible. By pressurized I was referring to sources such as ventilators or cylinders with their regulators set to double-digit psi, which do require that a mask be worn to ensure a good seal.

Aniah said:

I understand what you're saying but and I agree but what I'm saying is they couldn't design this to look a lot better. I am not exactly one for looks but this to me just looks like sending a bunch of sick people to fight. I was hoping for something like this example. They don't even need to be high-tech or expensive, just less silly looking.

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No this would be terrible for combat if it can be avoided. I tried it once in airsoft wearing a gas mask shaped face guard where the "filters" are actually fans keeping the inside ventilated. Those filters get in the way of you looking down the gun sight, even after I removed the filter on the right side. To use gunsights with gas mask you'll probably need special sights with a much greater rise over the gun.

They also make voice communication with your squid difficulty. This might be able to be overcome in real military setting with throat mike or something but still one more source of inconvenience.

A closer look at the new backpack.

Saru said:

If anyone wondering when

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Did anyone record the segment?

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Unlikely. If you are intending to fight at higher altitudes it’s not likely that you could carry the burden of an oxygen generator. It’s too big. They can be built into an airplane or large vehicle but for infantry it’s not an option. As such it would have to be in bottles.

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Oxygen generator are mostly based on a chemical reaction, no pump, no electricity, nothing... just a powder that you burn with a catalytic or two chemical mixed together releasing oxygen. A bit like using candle oxygen generator (chlorate candle) in submarine.

Atomicfrog said:

Oxygen generator are mostly based on a chemical reaction, no pump, no electricity, nothing... just a powder that you burn with a catalytic or two chemical mixed together releasing oxygen. A bit like using candle oxygen generator (chlorate candle) in submarine.

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Yet you would need to control the reaction, carry it and refill it. It’s easier just to pack a bottle. Especially as in this application the function is to augment the air the user is taking in. Why complicate or take on more risk?

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Yet you would need to control the reaction, carry it and refill it. It’s easier just to pack a bottle. Especially as in this application the function is to augment the air the user is taking in. Why complicate or take on more risk?

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Maybe it was a bad traduction at the start with ''oxygen generator'' and it was more an oxygen cannula with tank.

You can bring a bottle ofcompressed oxygen. It's quite a dangerous stuff if pierced or with a leak...it burn right through anything. Reload need a bigger bottle in a vehicule that need to be carried to the front or a pile of bottle that you discard on the way.

It could be a portable concentrator like this one, need battery tho :

A 4 lb device vs a 2lb bottle in the mountains on a field March which do you choose?

TerraN_EmpirE said:

A 4 lb device vs a 2lb bottle in the mountains on a field March which do you choose?

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If your bottle is working for 4 hrs and your generator for days... what would you choose ? It all depend of the situation, availability of supply or energy, etc... If they say they have generator, it's probably not a tank if there's no errors...