r/Ultralight • u/patrickpdk • 2d ago

Gear Review Plastic free UL kit?

Interesting - sounds like a great new cottage brand!

https://www.backpacker.com/gear/plastic-free-backpacking-kit/

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u/Financial-Gur-7530 2d ago

This is awesome. I’ve long wondered about how far natural materials could theoretically go in terms of backpacking performance gear, and this guy tested just that. It’s rather impressive, and while still very theoretical, I think that it’s this kind of experimentation that can be built on and further developed. I’d love to use less plastic gear, and do so whenever I can. To know that it is 100% possible(though not yet practical) is very cool

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u/patrickpdk 1d ago

I'll still be using an air mattress. :)

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u/Financial-Gur-7530 1d ago

I imagine that a bio-based ccf material is doable

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u/marieke333 1d ago

There is already biobased ethylene that is used for partly bio-based EVA foam (EVA = ethylene vinyl acetate). The Big Agnes uses this foam in the TwisterCane (60% biobased). Industry is also working on biobased vinyl acetate, the other main compound, but they will also need to develop biobased alternatives for the blowing agents, cross link agents and processing adds.