Is anyone aware of thermally conductive foams that have characteristics that would allow them to be used in place of the insulating foams currently used for padding in backpack backpanels, shoulder straps and hipbelts?
Many companies have attempted to vent the foam parts of backpacks, but it occurs to me that the insulation value of the foams used for these parts may be a bigger issue than their relative lack of ventilation. E.g. Gossamer Gear recently started offering a removable foam backpanel with air channels as an alternative to the egg crate foam they’ve used for many years in the Gorilla, et al. If this foam also conducted heat aware from the back, I think it would be far more effective.
If thermally conductive foams with necessary comformability, hardness, resilience, hydrophobicity, etc. were available, it seems that backpacks could be made much more comfortable.
