Science News Archive

Puffa Jacket Tents

Last year the cold killed hundreds of people in refugee camps in Afghanistan - but a Cambridge scientist is hoping to change this. Next week Joseph Ashmore will travel to Afghanistan to test out a new kind of tent lining which he has developed along with a team of engineers and scientists from Cambridge University. The high-tech lining consists of a sandwich of polyester wadding, just like you would find in a puffa jacket, with a layer of polyester in the middle. It is breathable, cheap and light, and the tent's occupants will need 75% less fuel to keep warm. The lining has already been tested in a wind tunnel simulating a gale force wind - but the true test will come in Herat, Afghanistan, where they will be used for real to see how well they perform.

10th Mar 2002