Aerogels

Aerogel is often hailed as the greatest insulation in the world.  While it is a remarkable insulator, it isn't remotely flexible (as the 'gel' part of the name would suggest) it's crumbly, has low strength, and is almost unworkable for garment applications.  Having handled the stuff, I can only describe it as horrid to the touch - a horridness that's half way between the dry feel of that green foamy stuff they use in Church flower pots and the 'my skin is about to be permanently contaminated' feel of glass loft insulation!

Anyway, the news is that a Nasa off-shoot have made a strong flexible aerogel batting which has seen high-altitude testing.

Aerogel's make great brickstands!

In 2006 Anne Parmenter, a British mountaineer, climbed Everest using boots with aerogel insoles, and used a sleeping mats (which Oliver haven't hit the market yet) containing the material. She has been quoted saying “The only problem I had was that my feet were too hot, which is a great problem to have as a mountaineer.”

Visit by clicking the link:

http://www.aerogel.com/everest/everest.html

Incidentally, the brand of footbed that currently features this technology also produce face masks, heat exchanging face masks!

PolarWrap website: http://www.polarwrap.com/index.html

In the mid noughties The North Face produced a very odd looking heat exchanger mask. A boxy unit little unit was fixed to the front of a neoprene-like mask. The PolarWrap Heat Exchanger Mask looks like an improvement.

The Exchanger Mask not only keeps one's breath warm, but also moist. Both extreme cold and (more over) high altitude increase the danger of dehydration. Much of this is lost in the breath, so if the marketing is correct and heat exchanging masks really do lower moisture lost from breath this will be welcomed by high altitude climbers.


UPDATE May 2011:
The Aerogel sleeping mat from Pacific Outdoor Equipment did come to market, but then silently disappeared.  A comprehensive test report was written up for BackpackGearTest.org:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Sleep%20Gear/Pads%20and%20Air%20Mattresses/POE%20Hyper%20High%20Mountain%20Sleeping%20Pad/Test%20Report%20by%20Edward%20Ripley-Duggan/