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Re: [RC] [RC] questions! - Truman Prevatt

It's called convection. The air is headed next the the warm body and this sets up a current as the warm moves away and the to be replaced by cold air which draws away more heat.

However, air is one of the most effective insulators known if it is contained in many small pockets. This is how down, thinslate, closed cell foam, fiberglass and styrofoam work. The capture of air in many small pockets keeps  the currents from being established and hence keep the warm air next to the warm body. An air mattress will remove heat from the body very rapidly. The best insulation to sleep on is closed cell foam ( open cell foam air mattresses such as "Thermorest"). I've sleep in a snow cave on a closed cell foam pad and have been quite toasty. Both are available at places like REI.

Truman

RDCARRIE@xxxxxxx wrote:


I've always heard that the layer of air in an air mattress just conducts the cold from the ground right up to you.  My husband and I found this to be true at a Dec. ride several years ago...we were absolutely miserable in our tent and air mattress (about 5-6" thick mattress).  We luckily had a little propane heater, which we had to replace the canister on every 3-4 hours or so.  We spent 3 nights in that tent.  Up side is, the next weekend my husband said "Let's go trailer shopping!", and 10 days later we had our LQ trailer!  I'd have dragged him to a cold ride a long time before that if I'd known that was all it took to get a LQ trailer!  <VBG>

Dawn in East Texas

--
We imitate our masters only because we are not yet masters ourselves, and only

We imitate our masters only because we are not yet masters ourselves, and only

because in doing so we learn the truth about what cannot be imitated.

 


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Re: [RC] [RC] questions!, RDCARRIE