lame fabric heatshield experiment

**stevebo** · 11-26-2013, 13:12

Hey guys, I tried something the other day that seemed to work pretty well---I would be very curious to see if it worked for others too. I bought some lame fabric from joanns- http://www.joann.com/search?q=lame&simplesearch=Go ------its that shiny fabric they make fancy dresses out of. Anyway, I hemmed the ends, and sewed one end up with a foot pocket , so now its kinda like a top quilt. It weighs very little, takes up almost no space, and really seems to reflect radiant heat back at you. It doesnt cost much, its breathable, and seems like it would work as a TQ liner to boost your bags temp rating. I used it last week in 40 degree weather inside my TQ , with no condensation problems.
I came across a website where a guy was using this material as a bedspread. He mentiond that if you wash it too much, the shiney particles get kinda dull and it doesnt reflect heat as much. Also, its kinda scratchy and probably doesnt feel too good on bare skin. (but if that wasnt an issue, maybe use it as a ultralite weight summer sleeping sheet/quilt? ) Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone else has tried this? (and if so, what were the results?)

**gmcttr** · 11-26-2013, 14:01

Why would I buy anything that the seller labeled as lame?

Oh....they meant Lamé.

Nevermind.

**Pipsissewa** · 11-26-2013, 14:11

It would be interesting to take a piece of lamé and put it between the hammock and your underquilt to see if it would reflect body heat back to you without having to suffer the scratchiness of it.

P.S. Columbia is thinking the same thing as you! Shhh....!

omniheat.png

**stevebo** · 11-27-2013, 04:58

Originally Posted by Pipsissewa

It would be interesting to take a piece of lamé and put it between the hammock and your underquilt to see if it would reflect body heat back to you without having to suffer the scratchiness of it.

P.S. Columbia is thinking the same thing as you! Shhh....!

omniheat.png

I've seen those sleeping bags at the sporting goods store--interesting! I would say mine is a "low budget, low tech" application of the same concept! (a redneck version!) Anyway, it seems to work ok--just wanted to pass it on for others to use if they desire.

**Redoleary** · 11-27-2013, 05:42

Cool idea Stevebo, thanks for sharing.

**Gqgeek81** · 11-27-2013, 21:09

I've been wanting to try something like this with silver tulle.

my idea is to make a cozy out of the fabric and put a hot water bottle in it and time how long it takes to cool down and then try it with something none reflective and see how it works in comparison.

Potentially lots of applications here. Sleep systems, the top layer of a dual layer hammock, something that would look like a bug suit you'd wear under your insulation to mimi the Omni-heat dots, freezer bag cozys ect.