RE: [Philmont]: ThermaRest patches

Not familiar with these but I'll take a shot at this. Assuming you want to
repair
these rather than replace them. You may be able to trim some excess
material
from somewhere on the LiteFoam and patch the holes. For a glue there are
numerous products on the market which may work. Superglue would be one to
try. Apply in a very thin layer so the patched hole isn't "bumpy".

If you are willing to replace these, and the product has been satisfactory,
you
might look for an identical replacement product.

All plastic material will degrade with time, due to the loss with time of
antioxidant
agent, unless said agent was well encapsulated or embedded throughout the
plastic,
in which case the plastic can hold up well for quite a long time.

Personally, I have had better luck selecting socks with the right texture
and support
characteristics for hiking, and, as a result, have not used specialty
support products.

Getting a foot comfortable in a shoe or hiking boot is --- well --- worth
the effort as
foot comfort is of central importance to having a great hiking experience.

I have no specific product recommendations to make but will make the
observation that it is
of central importance to find the right inside-the-shoe support system and
shoe system
that works for you. Price is no reliable guide to performance. In the
electronics realm I
found that experimenting with a variety of microphones purchased retail
resulted in finding
that one of the least expensive microphones performed the best. Over time I
have found
the same to be true of shoes as well.

Feet are not all the same, anymore than people are all the same.
Feet sweat. Feet are susceptible to friction in the shoe when you walk.
Feet can get
hot and irritated when you walk, unless you change socks at regular
intervals.

If you have found an in shoe support product that works for you it may be
well worth
trying to repair the holes or find a new equivalent product that keeps your
feet happy.

At Philmont I found it useful to have many changes of socks of a variety of
kinds.
Depending on the particular hiking challenge of the day I would select socks
that - by
experiment - would be up to the challenge of that day. The temperature and
humidity
can have a surprising effect on in shoe/hiking boot foo comfort. Frequent
changes of socks
was usually a valuable practice.

Here's wishing you ---- Happy Feet (with apologies to Steve Martin) !

Joe Jansen
JAJansenJr@gmail.com
Philmont 1965; 1978

>From: "cletus robinson" <cletusrobinson@gmail.com>
>Reply-To: philmont@troop47.com
>To: Multiple recipients of list philmont <philmont@troop47.com>
>Subject: [Philmont]: ThermaRest patches
>Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:29:53 -0600
>
>I have a casualty from the weekend - my LiteFoam Ultra Lite has four holes
>at the nozzle - 2 pairs about 1 inch apart above and below in the same spot
>(top and bottom). It's from 1998 and been a great pal... what are the
>chances of patching these and having them hold for a few months?
>
>Just curious what you all think.
>
>Uncle Cletus

-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Tue Mar 28 12:14:36 2006