Do you think 3/8 or 1/2" thick industrial felt would be good for a underpad as far as insulation goes? It won't be as soft as foam, but I think it would be a good insulation barrier.
Do you think 3/8 or 1/2" thick industrial felt would be good for a underpad as far as insulation goes? It won't be as soft as foam, but I think it would be a good insulation barrier.
I hope you would not be planning to backpack with it... Sounds wicked heavy.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I would be using it with my kayak.
I don't have any experience with felt that thick, but in your application it seems like if the felt happened to be exposed to water it would soak up and hold a lot. A comparable thickness of evazote padding would not have the same problem.
“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy
Good point about soaking up the water. I would think that felt might act sort of like this capillary mat for watering plants.
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs
Ever dry a thick felt boot liner? It's a long slow process. My wife and I own Steger Arctic Mukluks for snowshoeing that are 3/8 felt with a leather and canvas shell. Ideal for cold (like below zero all the time), as the surface of the mukluk is ambient temp so nothing melts on them. They are not as efficient in New England, as it is too warm even in the coldest months, they slowly wet out (but are awesome for hut based trips where they will dry by a stove overnite). The big advantages to them are that they sort of form to your foot (when you buy them there is no way to tell right or left except by the tag, they BECOME right and left) and are very comfortable as a result; they are also super BREATHABLE, which is part of the reason they stay so warm. So as an underpad felt might provide these same two things, form fit and breathability. You can probably keep it dry if you are careful and pack well. But the deal breaker in my mind would be the weight and bulk of it. I don't mind bulk like a foam pad, but it better be light and warm if it's getting that much real estate!
I played around with carpet padding at one point- very similar to what you are talking about. Keeping it dry is the key. Yes, it's heavy, but it works wicked good for insulation and if you aren't carrying it on your back, it's OK. Buy or make an extra long dry sack for it, keep it dry in the kayak, and you would be all right. But play with it in your backyard first!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks