Aerogel Viabilty

"An Aerogel jacket of equivalent warmth will not be lighter than a high quality down jacket. Although the thermal conductivity of the best available Aerogel fabric (Spaceloft 6250) has .5x the thermal conductivity of the best down (twice as efficient for a given thickness), the density is 56x the best down. The Spaceloft density is high because in order to make the Aerogel resilient they inserted the crystals in the lattice of a woven fabric.

As an example, the Nunatak SkakaPlus in size medium provides a garment clo value of approximately 13.8 for a total weight of 9.6 oz and a fill weight of 5 oz. The same size jacket would need four layers of Spaceloft 6250 (.24") to provide the equivalent warmth. The loft of the Aerogel jacket would be half that of the down jacket for the same warmth but the fill weight would be approximately 26.67x more."

(Richard Nisley)

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=4243

Also see: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=43630

It's years later though so maybe it's worth looking around for new products…

Yes, I was wondering if there had been any advancements. Has anyone tested Thermal Wrap insulation? It looks like it is much less dusty but it is still very expensive.

I have had HVAC contractors spray aerogel through existing ductwork to seal leaky joints, and act as an air barrier. I thought to imagine adapting it to wearable technology – neat!

However, one thing is understanding the R value of an insulation. Another is understanding the permeability of an insulation. It never seems enough attention is given to this essential piece of information.

It's not just the warmth/weight ratio of down that I've apperciated, but its permeability.

But thank you for reminding me of the ethical practice behind aquiring the down. For me, I tend to initially concern myself with all the petrolium based products I depend on, and the ethics behind how all that "oil" gets to the user. I guess there's always wool, organic cotton & bees wax.

Matt