Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Nate Alder, CEO of Klymit (http://www.klymit.com/) Nate took an idea that came to him somewhat unexpectedly, and turned it into a reality. 
Klymit has a very new way of providing lightweight insulation to outdoor products. The insulation value is adjusted by the user by turning a dial that controls the Argon gas canister. Really – Klymit uses Argon gas as an insulator. It is extremely light, efficient and totally non- toxic. I was intrigued by the uniqueness of the idea, and was fortunate enough to be able to ask the CEO, and developer of the idea, Nate Alder a few questions. I’m looking forward to meeting him later in the summer, so if you have any questions for me to pass along, please email them to me at: leesaj@4alloutdoors.org. 4alloutdoors.org will also be reviewing the new camping sleeping pad, as soon as samples become available. Read on for Nate’s responses, and also check out: http://www.klymit.com for more information about their products and details about how Argon gas is used as an insulator.
1. What benefit does Argon have as an insulator, over more traditional insulators?
Using Argon gas as an insulator has multiple benefits over traditional insulators, both natural and synthetic. First and foremost, Argon is a more efficient insulator because it has a low thermal conductivity. The noble gases used in the Klymit Technology are more effective than existing insulations at harnessing your body’s natural warmth. Putting it into numbers, 4mm of argon has the same thermal conductivity as 14mm of the best synthetic or natural fibers currently on the market, and 4mm of our 2nd generation gas has the same thermal conductivity as more than 20mm the best synthetic or natural fibers currently on the market.
The other huge advantage of the Klymit technology is that it is variable. Our Klymit Kontrollable Insulation is paper thin, the waterproof breathable airtight chambers are 1/10 of a mm when they are deflated. It’s like wearing an ordinary windbreaker. The more gas you add, the warmer it gets – up to the level of a heavy winter parka. You can dial up the perfect level of warmth as you need it. But even at its maximum warmth, the Klymit Kontrollable Insulation still offers complete freedom of movement.
The gas comes in a small, lightweight 100% recyclable canister, which fits easily into a pocket or backpack, and is the same size as your thumb. This makes it very portable, taking up much less space than dressing in layers and only weighs 50 grams (1.75 ounces). How many times have you wished you could add or remove layers while you were skiing or hiking, without having to carry all that extra clothing around with you? This is instant, adjustable insulation that you can adjust up and down all day long, up to 8 complete fills and deflates with 1 canister. A single canister can last an entire season for most people, so you don’t have to worry about running out of gas either.
Argon gas holds its loft for the life of the product. Since you inflate it yourself, you just add more gas if needed. Synthetic and natural insulators pack out up to 40% in the first year you own them, and there’s no way to get that back. Argon is also lighter than any fabric or fiber insulation, which means lighter weight products and more freedom.
Klymit Kontrollable Insulation really makes a difference in wet conditions. You can submerge Klymit products without losing warmth because gas doesn’t get wet. Other insulators loose 3-4 times their insulating ability when they get wet as they replace their loft with water.
Klymit insulation is also eco-friendly. You will never see our insulation in a landfill. The Klymit insulation is extracted from the air that you breathe and the canisters are 100% recyclable. The gas is safe and widely used today in EnergyStar windows, dry suits for scuba diving, and even fire extinguishers.
2. How long of a process has it been from your original idea, to actual production?
This whole thing started when I was in college. I was on a trip to Brazil and went scuba diving with some friends back in July of 2006. I learned that divers used noble gas in their dry suits to help them stay warm while diving into frigid waters. As a snowboard instructor and avid outdoor enthusiast, I wondered “why couldn’t this concept work in other outdoor products like snow gear and camping equipment?” I started recruiting a team that could help me build this idea into a business while I was still in school at BYU. The team came together about a year later, and by the time I almost graduated but dropped out of school in 2008, we were ready to start working on prototypes.
3. Did you have past design experience?
I didn’t have any formal product design experience, just a lot of experience with various outdoor products over the years. I became so passionate about making Klymit Kontrollable Insulation a reality that I went out and found people who are geniuses at product design to help me out while I take care of the business and technical side of things.
4. What motivated you to move from the ‘that’s a good idea’ stage, to ‘let’s actually do it’?
It was one of those “aha” moments in life. Who hasn’t dreamed of building a better mousetrap? Most of the time, you’re just sitting around with your buddies dreaming up ways to make things better, and it never goes anywhere. But this felt bigger than a daydream. It made so much sense to me to use Argon as an insulator as proven in other industries that I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and just kept talking to people and figuring out how to make it a reality.
5. Anything you’d like to share with those who read about Klymit on 4alloutdoors.org?
It’s a very exciting time for us. We have so many projects in development right now. We are working on our own camping pad, but we are also teaming up with several OEM companies on projects such as coats, ski pants, gloves, ski boots – you name it.
One of the cool things about our camping pad is that we are working with Autoliv, the world leader in automotive airbags for safety. Due to the economic downturn, they were able to make time to help us out with the technology for the camping pad, and we were able to bring them some business during a tough time. It really worked out well for both of us.
