I keep mulling the same ideas over and over as I'm walking and jogging. I could sleep in the water with nothing more than a life jacket, and the same could be a cushion (sleeping pad) for use on land. But it wouldn't compress, and would likely be too hot to wear all day. Unless there existed some kind of aeration system to flow cool air over the body underneath the clothes. Then one could even wear a wetsuit and/or drysuit all the time without overheating. Specially-made shoes, with a hinged heel and a bellows opening at the toe, would compress air for this purpose and also serve as a cushion when jogging. Then again, not many people jog on their toes as I do; a different model would have it the other way, with the hinge at the toe.
Another variation on the flotation idea would be inflatables. Those can be made of silicone-impregnated ripstop nylon, which is very light and compressible. But without the airflow mentioned, it also would be too hot to wear all day; you'd have to compress it into stuff sacks and carry it. I'm trying to eliminate things that have to be carried in favor of things that can be worn all the time. Then again, if something could be designed that would have several purposes: boat, paraglider, sail, tent, ... it might work out.
I've got a project sitting back home, a steel-belted tire I'm trying to make into soles for sandals. I'm slowly cutting it with a carbide hacksaw blade, but it's slow going. I could get one of those cutting wheels and mount it in my 12V drill, but those things, I think, have fiberglass in them, and I'm trying to avoid using, and breathing in, carcinogens. I wonder if someone makes a carbide bandsaw blade, hmm...
last updated 2013-01-10 21:10:02. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com