Your overwatch position is getting renovated. Outdoor Research has updated and militarized their co-branded Exped Wallcreeper walkabout shelter. The original Wallcreeper was just a walkabout sleeping bag. The big news is the cover OR has developed in conjunction with SOCOM. It’s lightweight (1.7 lbs) and very compressible despite it’s size. The cover uses a ruggedized, ultralight 2-layer Gore fabric that’s new to the shelter scene. Similar products use a heavier and less packable 3-layer fabric.

There are three configurations for the cover, which can be used with or without the insulated Wallcreeper bag. In poncho mode it has an articulated hood, zippered arm holes and a waist cinch that gives decent mobility. In hanging shelter mode, there are lots of bar-tacked tie-down points around the edges so it can be guyed out into a sizable shelter. In bivy mode, it buttons up and features a guttered design that guides rain water away from the face opening.

OR made the first run of the cover in desert digital, but they are looking at making commercial versions in Multi-Cam, a solid earth tone, and maybe another digital pattern; possibly Army UCP or woodland digital.

There are a few changes to the bag portion, too. Notably, they’re offering a synthetic fill version. Weights are 2.45 lbs for the down bag, or 2.97 lbs with Primaloft synthetic insulation.

These were made as a special run for a special customer, so pricing is sketchy and development is ongoing. But, look for a commercialized version to be released in spring 2010.