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> The synthetic fibre is an aerogel coated with polyurethane and is flexible, washable and wearable.

"Biomimetic, knittable aerogel fiber for thermal insulation textile" (2023) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8013 https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=&journal=Sci....

If lab grown meat is possible, so should lab grown fur. A lab-grown fur with some sort of way to verify that it's lab-grown with a jeweler's scope or similar might be a viable product?

FWIU arctic survival folks can explain the types of fur, and why no synthetic is even really comparable.

From "xPrize Wildfire Competition" (2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35660231 re: airogels and hydrogels:

>> Problem: #airogel made of CO² is an excellent insulator that's useful for many applications; but it needs structure, so foam+airogel but that requires smelly foam

>> Possible solution: Cause structure to form in the airogel.

"Superelastic and Ultralight Aerogel Assembled from Hemp Microfibers" (2023) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202300... ; flax might be sufficient, too

You’re talking about the scene from Blade Runner when Deckard talks with Abel Ben Hasan as to who made the artificial snake.
Potential aerogel application: low-VOC washable waterproof sleeping pads

"Are there any closed cell foam sleeping pads with an R-value of 3 to 4? Tips on hacking non-inflating pads to make them more winter proof?" (2023) r/Ultralight https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/16h19h1/are_the...

What is the difference in R-value of (sleeping pads) with these materials?

- Add high R-value reflective tape to the ground side

- Add a mylar emergency blanket -like windshield sunscreen below the pad

- Double the (closed cell foam) pads

- Add aerogel to the (closed cell foam) manufacturing process

- Add aerogel to XPS Extruded Polystyrene

Criteria: Recyclability, Washability, Waterproofness, Mass, R-Value,

This would be fucking dope. I'm currently backpacking and have a Patagonia Nanoair as my sole mid layer and even that still takes up a sizeable amount of room in my backpack. If anyone has any other suggestions please comment.