Another Option?

[Doftya]

Hey, I was at the local Home Despot recently getting some underlay for an area rug... and I saw something I had not seen before. Right there beside the regular underlay (that cheap mass of bits of foam glued together) was something new. They have this stuff called Eco Foam™. I asked if they knew whether it was ocf or ccf, but they didn't know. Here's the description from the Despot's website:

Eco Foam™ makes carpet living smart, using advanced technology to produce a closed cell virgin polyethylene carpet cushion that provides sustainable cleaner and healthier indoor air quality while greatly outperforming conventional carpet padding in strength, support, firmness and comfort throughout seasonal temperature changes and traffic conditions in all rooms and on all floor levels. In pioneering industry environmental standards, we eliminated the three VOC chemicals in carpet cushions monitored under the guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency, and designed it to naturally repel water, mould and odours without chemical additives that are increasingly scrutinized for their adverse effects to humans and the environment. Eco Foam™ provides area rugs excellent protection for floors, but is not intended to be used as an anti-skid cushion. We take a world-wide conscious initiative to recycle Eco Foam™ into environmentally safe outdoor construction products.

After searching for a while, I think I found the manufacturer's website at www.ecosolutionsintl.com and they describe it this way:

ecoFoam™ is made from our eco-friendly, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material using a proprietary process of foaming and cross-linking that does not require toxic phthalates or PVC. ecoFoam™ is a virtually odorless, closed-cell, lightweight foam that can be utilized for many types of applications and is 100% recyclable. eccoFoam™ has excellent resilience, anti-slip and recovery properties.

It looks to be about 3/8" thick. I have no idea how well it insulates, but does something like this hold any promise? Should I pick up some and test, or is it not worth my time and money?

Dave

[Cannibal]

Is it heavy?

Heck yea you should test it. Kind of like the 'he who smelt it dealt it' rule.

[fin]

Cannibal, you beat me to the punch.

I've used carpet padding as insulation in my backyard, and it is a lot heavier than normal camp pads. That said, I haven't heard of this stuff. Is it heavy? And what Cannibal said, "he who smelt it dealt it." Let us know how the test goes!

[Cannibal]

I wonder if this is the stuff warbonnetguy has been playing with? He's posted a couple of times about it and I remember seeing it in his garage, but can't remember exactly what it looked like. If it is, Brandon thinks it's a viable option and has used it a couple of times I'm pretty sure.

[fin]

Man, Cannibal - you need to pay more attention when you visit Brandon. All these cool things you think you've seen at Brandon's, or can't quite remember what the package said on it or where it was from....... I'm starting to think you are just teasing us!

[te-wa]

here's what they say about their TPE Yoga mats: 24” W x 72” L x 3mm, 5mm, or 8mm* thick if this stuff is lighter than the other yoga mats ive seen in stores, something on par with say, evazote, Im interested. How big a piece was on the Home Depot floor?

*about 5/16"

[Cannibal]

Nope, just CRS (Can't remember errr...stuff).

You try remembering odd and ends when you're getting a sneak peak on what he's about to unleash upon hammocking communities. I was in shock the whole drive home to Denver when he showed me the BlackBird. I'm still surprised I found my way home that night.

"So look at this, this is the new version of the ElDorado. I'm calling it the BlackBird. Yeah, go ahead check it out. Comfortable isn't it? Yeah, it's a bit bigger. Oh, by the way, this is that padding I was telling you about and try these tri-ring things out when you get a chance."

Which part of that conversation would you be thinking about?

I'm tellin ya, it's like Santa's workshop in his garage, but you can be on the 'naughty list' and still get the good stuff! I don't even think he checks it twice!

[fin]

here's what they say about their TPE Yoga mats: 24” W x 72” L x 3mm, 5mm, or 8mm* thick if this stuff is lighter than the other yoga mats ive seen in stores, something on par with say, evazote, Im interested. How big a piece was on the Home Depot floor?

*about 5/16"

Especially if it is less expensive than a yoga mat, and comes in different widths. Cut it/score it to the width you want. My interest goes up by the minute. I'd really like to know the weight on this.

[fin]

I'm tellin ya, it's like Santa's workshop in his garage, but you can be on the 'naughty list' and still get the good stuff! I don't even think he checks it twice!

I'd love to raid that garage. Heck, he probably has more interesting stuff in his garbage can than I have in my whole garage.

[Doftya]

Ok, here's some info from the Home Despot website (the Canadian site, since I'm a Canuk).

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/s...k=P_PartNumber

Specifications:
Assembled Depth 0.31 In.
Assembled Height 108.0 In.
Assembled Weight 4.4 Lbs.
Assembled Width 72 In.
Country of Origin Israel
CSA Certified No
ECO Options Certified Yes
Item Depth 8.0 In.
Item Height 72.0 In.
Item Weight 4.4 Lbs.
Item Width 8.0 In.

For those that are having a hard time interpreting the above info, that's a 6x9 sheet of the stuff. It comes also in bulk in a 6' wide roll. I can't remember the per foot price... but it seems to be around 55 cents a sq.ft.

So if you want a full sized pad... say 30x72.... you're looking at around $8 or so.... give or take if my math is right. Not much cheaper, but what if it's warmer. I think the thing about it being mould and odour resistant, as well as recyclable.

I'll see about getting some... I'll let you know when I do.

Dave