View Full Version : New Super Suit for Everest
At 3mm thick it will look pretty thin compared to everyone else's stuff.
http://theadventureblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/champion-unveils-super-suit-for-use-on.html
fiddlehead
02-21-2010, 21:48
That may just revolutionize a lot of sports if it works.
Looks amazing.
Jester2000
02-21-2010, 21:52
I like that they made it red so it will be easier to find the bodies.
fiddlehead
02-21-2010, 21:52
hat may just revolutionize a lot of sports if it works.
Looks amazing
Skidsteer
02-21-2010, 22:13
Looks like a company finally got serious about aerogel.
superman
02-21-2010, 23:30
I'd wear it if it had an S on the front.:)
trailangelbronco
02-22-2010, 00:14
Some fool from NYC named "Nigel" will probably be wearing that along with his LL Bean boots, 6pack helmet filled with bottled waters, EMS umbrella taped to his 60lb pack on the approach trail any day now.
We should get a pool going on MSRP.
fiddlehead
02-22-2010, 04:43
I wouldn't ridicule it too much.
If successful, you'll all be wearing some of this fabric in a few years
And raving about it.
Don't know what MSRP means.
Manufactures suggested retail price.
I'd like to know the weight. Could be heavy with a gel membrane.
mister krabs
02-22-2010, 07:22
Where is my super suit?
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/tanyonghoe/frozone.jpg
mister krabs
02-22-2010, 07:22
http://i32.tinypic.com/jicb40.png
I wonder how it packs down for carrying in a pack. Probably not so good.
fiddlehead
02-22-2010, 10:03
I'm thinking socks, gloves, hats, maybe a vest, a sleeping bag?
Weight is what will be important to us of course.
Graywolf
02-22-2010, 10:14
Cant ridcule a project until you have seen it wt work.. Looks like the weight is slimmed down along with the size. If you look at some of the packs used now days, you could wonder about them too, but they do seem to work..
I would be very interested in seeing the performance of this suit, at 3mm thick, that isnt too much..
Graywolf
JustaTouron
02-22-2010, 10:57
I am guessing it weighs more than the down coat. One reason is it sounds like it is made of heavy materials...plastic, gel, etc. But the most important reason is if it was as light or lighter than down that would have been in the press release.
My guess is the first few years it hit the market the cost will be insane - $5,000 plus, in 10 years it will cost somewhere between half the cost of a down coat and twice the cost of a comparable down coat.
As for compressibility...so what. It is already pretty thin, even if you get zero compressibility it is still only about the same size as as a comparable coat compressed. Personally I care a lot more about weight than volume.
Let say two radically new materials were invented for sleeping bags.
Product A is highly compressible but heavy, capable of manufacturing a 0 degree bag that compresses to half the size of a can of soda. However, it weighs 6 lbs. Product B is extremely light, but not compressible at all, capable of making a 0 degree bag that weighs only 1 oz. However when rolled up it takes up 15 liters of space. Both cost the same. Would anyone choose the 6lb bag? For me it would be a no brainer. Lash the massive 1 oz bag to the outside of my pack.
white_russian
02-22-2010, 11:15
I knew areogel was some good stuff, but I didn't know it was this good.
Jester2000
02-22-2010, 12:59
I like that they made it red so it will be easier to find the bodies.
It appears that my monitor was off and it's actually orange. Still a good choice, though.
I wouldn't ridicule it too much.
If successful, you'll all be wearing some of this fabric in a few years
And raving about it.
Cant ridcule a project until you have seen it wt work.. Looks like the weight is slimmed down along with the size. If you look at some of the packs used now days, you could wonder about them too, but they do seem to work..
I would be very interested in seeing the performance of this suit, at 3mm thick, that isnt too much..
Graywolf
Hmmm. Well, I can ridicule anything at any time, although you could argue the wisdom in doing so. What I'm choosing to ridicule is not the product itself, but the manner in which it's being marketed before the fact.
I too am interested in seeing the performance of this piece. And down the line, as Fiddlehead notes, it may lead to some cool advancements in outdoor clothing. But for right now it's an untested, incredibly expensive "signature" piece that has little application to hiking and won't be offered for retail -- the line Columbia plans to put out Fall '10 has pieces "influenced by" and "inspired by" the Everest expedition, which seems like a bit of a bait and switch operation to me.
Here's what they say:
"Champion will introduce Cold Weather Gear that can be layered in various combinations to promote warmth and comfort, a technique that will be used during the Mount Everest expedition. The Champion Cold Weather gear is value-priced training activewear made from lightweight fabrics to maximize mobility and reduce bulk, even while layering for warmth in modest temperatures."
Wow! Layering! What a fabulous new technique they've discovered!
mweinstone
02-22-2010, 13:07
the dead air space that bulky insulation requires gives it a life saveing property that no jellyfish goorag foam filled skinny chick bikiniwear can. the difference is that thin insulation requireing less dead air space and closer contact with body warmth assumes the body warm to start the heating. wearas a hypothermic person with very little heat remaining to radiate has a much better chance of rewarming in a bulky down suit or fiberfill marshmallo man from mifflin suit witch depends on much dead air space and looser fit. the reason is because a well managed air pocket between hiker and clothing is far easier to start the warming/insulating prosses than a peice of wetsuit is.
mweinstone
02-22-2010, 13:11
the micro air turbulances that are managed by soft fluffy air filled materials about an active hiker in cold conditions cannot be disregaurded. the stiff fanning of the bodys micro climate just above the skin by fabrics such as these is a recipie for failure as an everest standard. nothing can replace down and nothing ever will.
mweinstone
02-22-2010, 13:17
wearing clothes to keep killer cold at bay is like starting a fire. your food is your yule log, your clothes are your kindelling, the tinder is the airspace between you and your clothes, and you are but the match. you must use that match to start a fire that keeps you warm until you return from the wilds. failure is unacceptable. you cant thro one of these super suits over a chilled person and warm them as you can with other materials. risk factor of these clothes is high in my opinion.
Skidsteer
02-22-2010, 14:58
I am guessing it weighs more than the down coat. One reason is it sounds like it is made of heavy materials...plastic, gel, etc. But the most important reason is if it was as light or lighter than down that would have been in the press release.
The "gel" they are talking about is aerogel. Look it up, it's pretty amazing stuff and so light that it's difficult to weigh.
My big question is about the durability.
3mm of dead air space is 3mm of dead air space
Like all cutting edge products, its gonna have issues at first.
As someone else mentioned, we may see the results of tinkering and fiddling after real-world-use in a decade...
scottdennis
02-22-2010, 17:55
I'm just bummed I didn't find out about this sooner! They're right in my backyard and I'd have love to been on that expedition (provided that they sponsored the whole thing of course)!
Oh well! Perhaps next time.
The reason it is going up Everst first is because Everest is an extreme, really cool, and looks good on marketing material. It is also a relatively short duration in extreme weather conditions. So if the clothes only last a few weeks, no problem.
By the way, the difficulty weighing aerogel is because it can be made in many different densities. So it's not difficult to weigh it; just difficult to state a generic weight for the material. I understand that the stuff they are trying out here is relatively dense. Don't know what it's made of, though. Would like to.
Aerogel insulates well becouse of the extreme subdivision of the air cells in the foam (aerogel is a micro sized foam), and the extremely thin cell walls. Together they mean that the dominant heat transmission mode is by high multiple radiation gaps in the material. This means that it is better than a comparable vacuum gap, in some cases. I doublt the material in these clothes is that good, but we'll see, no doubt.
Rain Man
02-22-2010, 18:42
You might notice they never actually say this stuff is what's being worn to climb Everest. They talk about "high altitudes" on Everest instead. Well, the base camps on Everest are at high altitudes.
Nor do they say but one guy is gonna wear the stuff. And he's going to wear it in conjunction with standard gear, as one layer, from the sound of it. They discuss the "team" is gonna summit, but do not mention this one guy summitting in particular.
Until they tell me an entire team is going to summit Everest wearing nothing but this stuff, then seems to me as if this all might just be some slick marketing double-talk. I am definitely a cynic when it comes to big corporate marketing.
Rain Man
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Until they tell me an entire team is going to summit Everest wearing nothing but this stuff, then seems to me as if this all might just be some slick marketing double-talk. I am definitely a cynic when it comes to big corporate marketing.
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It is marketing..but it is also field testing. Everest is both adverse conditions AND high profile marketing. As someone mentioned , the use is pretty short term, though. One mountaineering friend told me "I'd never use your gear to climb an 8000m peak". I said 'That's OK...I'd be pretty miserable hiking a trailess ridge with 13ers in plastic boots'. ;)
Different tools..different tasks. Right now, the Aerogel clothing in the very first testing stages. What happens a few years from now? Who knows. :)
fiddlehead
02-22-2010, 21:40
One mountaineering friend told me "I'd never use your gear to climb an 8000m peak". :)
I climbed a 6,000 meter peak in Nepal a few years ago using the same exact gear that I use for a thru-hike with the only exception that I had "super-gaiters" on.
Even used my Montrail Vitesse trail running shoes. Hit black ice for only 20 meters or so and chopped steps.
Anyway, this thread is very interesting and informative for me.
Keep the info coming please.
I wouldn't ridicule it too much.
If successful, you'll all be wearing some of this fabric in a few years
And raving about it.
Don't know what MSRP means.
You know it is possible to ridicule something and rave about it at the same time.
MSRP stands for Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price.