Frost Fortified: The Benefits of Guardian and MECS for Winter Missions

Winter is in full swing, and the need for shelter systems, temperature-controlled containers, and cold-weather military tents are more relevant than ever. When the mission gets critical, you can’t let the environment dictate how you perform. Whether you like the cold or not, there are undoubtedly challenges intertwined with low temperatures and snow. You will need all the cold-weather necessities, such as insulation, heating, durability, and a purpose to warrant purchasing a shelter. With all this in mind, the winter poses multiple obstacles that can affect mission-critical performance. But that’s where Western Shelter comes in. We have the tools, camp shelters, air conditioning heating, and much more to ensure you and your entire team prepare correctly for any winter scenario.

Keeping everyone safe in natural disaster zones is of the utmost importance as many challenges can arise from it. Military shelters and tents alone can’t stop the cold, so we design our products with the highest tech on the market. Cold temperatures significantly affect human function and metabolism while working. Physical depressors like these can hinder the ability to make decisions and obstruct physical activity. Both of which can’t be compromised. Cold stress, additionally, disrupts field hospitals and other similar functions for specific purposes. During the winter, hypothermia and other cold-related conditions can be life-threatening to military personnel, humanitarian aid workers, and refugees. That’s why we make every Western tent and shelter with the highest care and innovation to enhance your safety and stability this winter season.

The GateKeeper is a tried and true product that has assisted our customers since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast of the United States. Its versatility is outstanding, which is why the tent's been a trusted product for years. The GateKeeper operates as a dependable community control center or controlled temperature tent. However, we offer two great options, other than what the GateKeeper can provide, for colder climates. Both are to the integrity and satisfaction we produce at Western Shelter, and both work great in wintertime environments. 

The Guardian is a fantastic shelter tent, holding multiple uses and abilities to ensure your mission gets completed no matter what location. Our durable MECS (Mobile Expandable Container System) is perfect when you need your operations up and running as fast as possible. Both options will optimize performance, so let's dive into what each shelter can do for you in the snow and cold. 

The Guardian

The Guardian first came about when our engineers wanted to redefine mission capabilities. It hails from the Quonset hut design, which you can read more about here. To make travel and installation more convenient, we created the shelter as the fastest and lightest deployable tent rivaling anything on the market. Due to this, it works great for the military or as a disaster relief tent. The Guardian can take on winds of up to 120 miles per hour, adding wind shelter to its many capabilities. With newly integrated technology, the army tent offers more component capacities than any other shelter and provides versatile setups and solutions beyond protection. Combining all these things, our engineers designed the Guardian with flexible functionality that can adapt to any critical mission. It’s something military units and defense contractors can rely on with certainty.

The Guardian currently has two models. The 2032 (20’x 32’6”x 10’4”) and the 3065 (30’x 65’x 15’4”) act as our two sizing options. However, the modular design gives the shelter infinite length with optional wall configurations that can swap with each other for ease of use. Four people can easily set up the tent in under 30 minutes, and it only needs two people, in general, to deploy in the first place. The articulated single-piece arch system makes its rapid installation possible. The advanced end cap frame reduces the parts needed as well. Common uses for the Guardian have been wind shelter tents, shelter housing, sleeping accommodations, a mobile command center, storage, and a morale-boosting area. Additionally, the army has used it as a winter tent, combat fitness center, and field kitchen. If there is a portable shelter you need, this is the one to get.

For winter scenarios, the Guardian is equipped with many capabilities to help you every step of the way. The high-performance build ensures your shelter stays at an ideal temperature for each activity you undertake. The key to staying warm is an insulation that works well with the overall design. We use insulation technology that allows you to maintain warmth and durability but is also portable to fit any need that comes your way. We accomplish this through a patent pending quick release allowing for the implementation of accessories. One of these accessories is a thermal liner that furthers your winter protection and mission dependability.

You can’t have a catastrophe happen at work. Structural collapses occur all the time with an increase in snowfall, so we created the Guardian to withstand 24 pounds of snow per square foot to ensure this never happens. You can work, rest assured, knowing you will be safe even in the worst blizzard. If you need anything more added to your shelter, we offer custom tent options to meet the rest of your needs. Just ask one of our representatives, and we’ll get you covered. Guardians protect, and our Guardian will protect you this winter season and all the winters to come.


MECS

If you're looking for something other than the Guardian, MECS (Mobile Expandable Container System) could be your best bet for stellar winter performance. Directly from the innovative mobility platform of Western Shelter, MECS looks great in an army camp or works well for disaster relief. We designed the MECS with the idea that some missions need shelters with rapid deployment and can set up quickly when needed. It also contains extreme weather resistance for both summer and winter temperatures. As portable emergency shelters continue to rise in necessity, we designed the MECS to withstand temperature and the elements with high mobility. Add on its legendary durability, and you have the perfect protection to help you complete your mission in the best way possible. 


The size of the MECS (H 19.8’ L x 8’ W x 8’ H) allows for multiple interior purposes in any base of operations. Regular uses include housing, mobile urgent care, mobile medical facility, army field kitchen, mobile command center, shower facilities, and much more. The prefabricated building houses standard cargo container doors with options to add even more doors and windows if needed. The steel frame offers rapid deployment as it only takes two people to set it up in roughly ten minutes. No winch cables or manual lifts are needed. Since we use optimized shipping methods, the shelter travels through either land, sea, or air to simplify delivery and deployment. Additionally, we added heavy-duty 110v LED lighting to improve energy efficiency and keep the lights on even under extreme environmental stress. 

MECS have many features that make them perfect for winter deployment and use, from their build to how we designed the inside. The built-in insulation allows MECS to be a temperature container. We use high-quality R-foam insulation to keep anyone inside warm and protected from the cold. Combined with the LED lights, the MECS is a very energy-efficient shelter to add to your military or response in disaster efforts. With a steel frame, heavy-duty hinge mechanisms, and light but strong aluminum shelter panels, the MECS is designed to handle the toughest transportation and deployment conditions imaginable. The design even allows you to stack each shelter, helping you optimize space and your environment while at base camp. To make MECS the ultimate environmental controller, we built a military-grade heater with our HVAC ports that allow fantastic air conditioning and heating. If you put all aspects together for winter preparedness, the comfort and living space have an R-value of 6 -10. 

Western Shelter knows winter months can get challenging and the need to protect is at an all-time high. Outdoor tents need more than just a canopy to keep you warm. It needs insulation to trap the heat and keep the cold out. It needs air conditioning and heating to keep a steady supply of warm air flowing. And it needs structural support to deploy quickly and withstand gusts of wind and heavy snowfall. At Western Shelter, we prepare you for all of this and build foundational support that you and your mission can rely on, even in the harshest winter environments. Our shelters will prepare you for this winter season and all the winter seasons to come. Optimal transportation gets you there with an easy setup and deployment to get you ready. Whatever your mission needs, we’ll protect you, your mission, and all those who need help from the elements.


To learn more about the benefits of Western Shelter’s winter protection, contact us at sales@westernshelter.com or call 541-344-7267. You'll spend less on maintenance, save thousands of dollars, and like how they function and look. Whatever your mission and whatever your challenge, Western Shelter will get you to complete mission-critical success. Something, not even the cold and snow, can stop you from accomplishing.


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