[TheForge] inflatable castle

[Jerry Frost]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Freeman" <FREEMAB@pt.fdah.com>
To: <theforge@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 11:31 AM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] inflatable castle


As I'm sure I've bored everyone here with the telling, I used to live nearly
year round in a tent on the job. And while the market in large inflatable
structures may have early entrants there is still the small structure
market. Tents.

You just haven't lived if you haven't had to set up a tent in a sleet storm.
I don't know how many times I wished for my old Coleman "Pop Tent" even
though it was about as water proof as a cheap blanket. What I designed
instead was a tent with inflatable "poles". It had an integral rain fly,
floor, bug netting, windows and even a stovepipe jack.

I intended it to be inflated with bottled nitrogen for it's low coefficient
of expansion (thermal). Of course a person could use a hand pump if there's
no hurry but being able to just toss the thing on the ground and pull a
trigger is a major draw in foul weather.

So Bruce, while there're already dogs in the large inflatable structures
race, I think there's still a place for the small ones. Lastly, here's
something for the chemist in you. If you can come up with an insulating foam
like urethane that will react and set quickly in sub-zero temps you could
save many lives with self inflating emergency shelters.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.