Is there much of a difference between the rockywoods '4mm foam sandwich mesh' and 3d mesh from thru-hiker and/or diygearsupply? There is quite a price discrepancy..
thanks,
steve

I've never handled the 3d mesh, but the 4m works well for contact areas on packs.

No, not much difference IMO. They all work well for packs, etc.

Ryan

The 3d spacer mesh is much more breathable than the foam-padded material, in my opinion. I'm starting work on an MYOG pack, and I'm trying to find an affordable source for thicker, more breathable 3d spacer mesh like the material in the image below.



Several German and Chinese companies are using 3d spacer mesh materials up to 5cm thick for mattresses, particularly for boats (where air circulation through the mattress aids in controlling mildew). The polyester monofilaments in the z direction are very springy and resilient, and do not become crimped or permanently compressed. The firmness and density can be controlled by adjusting the number and direction of the z filaments, and there are very firm materials that resist compression even when used for insoles.

You didn't ask for all of that information, I realize. I just think it is interesting and I've been reading about it lately.

thanks for your replies,
the thru-hiker stuff says it has a fabric layer, the rockywoods doesnt mention it. Is this fabric layer enough to make a difference, say in convenience or strength? For pack straps is it enough to use rockywoods mesh, foam, then fabric like xpac? or do you need another layer of fabric next to the mesh?
thanks,
steve

Colin - do you have any links to 3D spacer mesh?

Rockywoods mesh has quite a bit of stretch to it, but will work good for padded shoulder straps. Thru-hikers 3d mesh is much nicer face mesh with little to no stretch and is a little lighter. Either will work fine, but I like thru-hikers mesh much better.

Moving a little further down the road to a functional shoulder strap, if you use a coated fabric on top of the mesh then the breatheability of the mesh is severely compromised. Use an uncoated fabric like a 330 denier cordura so that moisture can escape. I am using a 330 denier wickaway cordura from Rockywoods which seems to work well.

Jerry, the only place that I know of that sells it by the yard and has not yet been mentioned in this thread is DIY Gear Supply. Theirs is dark gray, 1/8" thick, and $5.85 per linear foot (60" wide), I think.

Standard spacer mesh is ubiquitous in outdoor products (mostly shoes and packs), and non-standard types of spacer mesh (thicker, interesting face fabrics, etc) are very common in consumer products in Europe and Asia (mattresses, seat cushions, etc), but I have had very little success finding small-quantity suppliers for them.

Spacer mesh with out fabric backing is Aquarium foam but it very expensive in large sheet form.
Terry

Unless you plan on making a few thousand shoulder straps, 3d mesh is gonna cost you and you are definitely limited. The best stuff I've found is the mesh used in IOTV armor sold here....

http://www.ahh.biz/mesh/military/mesh_nylon_fabric_military_iotv.htm

Still haven't pulled the trigger on buying some, but when i decide to finally build a new multiple-day desert hydration pack, this will be what I order.

$48 for 1 yard x 54 inches - not cheap

Considering the thickness of the material and that it's considered mil-spec, I think the price is fair. I just invested in a machine, so I'm going to get some practice with it before I spend on materials.

I'm 6'5" and have yet to find a camelback pack that fit me. I'm drawing up a design to hold the 6L MSR bladder and some other riding gear for multi-day trips. If it turns out the way I want it, I'll sell off some of the packs I currently have to help pay for the project.

The big hydration packs are over $100. I figure I can spend about $100 in materials and a bit more for the bladder and be comfortable with huge water capacity.

That IOTV spacer mesh looks sturdy, and it's more than twice as thick as the 1/8" stuff available from other sources. The 36" x 54" piece that you get for fifty bucks would be enough for four or five small packs.

If you decide to buy some and you don't need all of it, I'd be interested in buying a couple of square feet from you.

I purchased a yard of the IOTV mesh in Foliage green. It appears as a light grey color. It's VERY thick. I think it may be too thick for shoulder straps as when it compresses it kind of folds over. I haven't sewn with it yet as I'm awaiting some mil spec grosgrain and a binder foot for my machine. I'm planning on cutting ergo shaped panels for my back panel....not using an entire sheet to cover the back panel. I'm basically going to copy a couple packs I have now but make them longer.

I'd be willing to share a couple square feet for $20 shipped. Or I could send out a couple square inches for $3 to anyone who wants to check it out.

I know this thread is worthless without pics. I'll try to remember to post some this weekend.

Colin's got a 2 sq. ft. sample on the way. I think he's going to dig it.

I did some practice sewing to see how it would work. The idea is to cut out the shapes I want, sew the edges down, cover them with binding tape, then sew the bound edge to the nylon that makes the back of the pack. I've got a camelbak like this as well as an REI daypack that follows the same procedure.

For practice I sewed down the edge....a bit of bunching at the start despite my walking foot machine. I think I forgot to hold down the threads before starting the first stitch. This is a bad habit I'm having trouble breaking.

After that I sewed it to a layer of 1000d cordura. Then I bound it with 1" tape. After doing it that way I realized that I need to bind it first then, sew it to the cordura. Anyways...just practice. It looks pretty good despite being compressed a bit. I think it's going to work well.

I've got some other pending projects with priority over the pack, but I can't wait to get going on it. I may throw the back panel together one night soon just to see how it turns out.