Love the creativity. I have an idea that may or may not be useful. Let me know what you think:
Look up spinal immobilization vacuum mattress. They use them for EMS instead of rigid backboards. Basically they are an airtight material with a seal and some type of spongy foam inside, so they can pack up right into a bag. Then to use them you lay them out under the patient and adjust to the shape you want, then instead of pumping air in to give rigidity, you suck all the air out. When you suck all the air out, the vacuum effect makes the previously spongy foam collapse in on itself and lose all its air pockets, which makes it turn rigid.
That same concept could maybe be adapted to work in your platform. Instead of pumping air into the valve, which will make the platform puffy and unstable like an inner tube. Suck all the air out instead and the mass/volume will decrease dramatically, turning the spongy flimsy platform into a rigid platform. Then you can shape it to the individual tree you are in too. The other advantage is when you want to put it in your pack you can stuff it in the pack with some air left in it so it flexes and moves easily and then you would suck the air out again and it will condense down and conform to the shape of the inside of your pack. Takes up even less space than rigid foam supports and isn’t an awkward shape to pack. It would be like carrying another jacket.
Seems to me like it might work in theory, but who knows if it will in reality. If the concept does actually work then the only problem you’d have to figure out is how to create the vacuum effect. You could maybe do it with your mouth since the platform is tiny compared to an actual emergency vacuum mattress, or carry a big plastic syringe type thing! I’m not sure, maybe you all have better ideas for that.
Might not be realistic, just brainstorming here. What do you think?
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