Source for Evazote foam for hipbelt & shoulder straps?

[Sam C]

I am not sure what makes Evazote foam so special but at one time I did seek it out myself…. and thanks to McHale as well.

MYOGing packs for a little over five years and what I have found to work the best for me so far is the 1/4″ tan CCF from The Rain Shed.  I know The Rain Shed gets little love around here but they price their CCF by the yard and not by the inch or foot–making them cheaper than their competition.

https://www.therainshed.com/shop/Fabrics/UNIQUE-FABRICS/p/Closed-Cell-Foam—14-inch—Black-x20859291.htm

My local Jo Ann’s sells a black 1/4″ CCF that is a little softer than the CCF from TRS, but it also tears fairly easily and is 2.5X or so the price.

A trick to make CCF more squishy is to simply drill rows of holes into it.

Another thing to try is to glue a piece of open cell foam to a 1/4″ CCF.  I got this idea from an old Jan Sport Rockies that had the most comfy shoulder straps and hip belt I have even seen in a commercially available pack.  The foam I had used for this also came from Jo Ann’s.  It will eventually become saturated with water but not nearly as fast as sponge or as fast as you might think.  While I have never used such a construction during an extended rain period (or in the shower), as far as I can tell the open cell foam as always stayed dry.

[Doug Coe]

Sam—Thanks for the tip on The Rain Shed. I only need smaller pieces of foam, so the price of buying it by the inch at OWF works for me.

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