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Living Coat

moss insulated jacket
  (+8)(+8)
(+8)
  [vote for,
against]

In essence this is a jacket\coat with an outer permeable see-through membrane and an inner breathable layer. Sandwiched between the 2 is a layer of moss.

Moss has several benefits over traditional padding: 1.. will absorb and filter moisture, in a survival situation the water could be invaluable 2.. over time the insulation layer will grow, as you age, (and start to feel the cold more) the ever expanding insulation layer will keep you toasty warm. 3.. excess padding could be sold to your local florist to provide a handy income.

The only problem I can see is that Moss is already a well established clothing brand, in order to make this a household name I will need a decent product name.

loroloco, Nov 10 2013

flip-flops to go with it http://www.unruly.c...a-hyock-450x450.jpg
[xandram, Nov 12 2013]

oh my I need these shoes, too! http://francoisewee...nical-shoes/page/2/
[xandram, Nov 12 2013]

The Pet Coat generates its own heat Pet_20Coat
[DIYMatt, Nov 12 2013]

[link]






       Probably, the inklings of a future spacesuit design but with trousers, this would make an excellent dinner suit. I am a bit doubtful about nutrient supply and the evenness of growth.
wjt, Nov 10 2013
  

       Living coat is an attractive idea to say the least. Although, moss is not very resilient to cold at all. Maybe the least resilient flora in terrestrial ecosystems. If a living coat should be made, it would be best to use anaerobic bacteria or fungi, in cells, decomposing organic matter. However, the coat would have to be refilled often making a dirty smelly task.
rcarty, Nov 10 2013
  

       //I will need a decent product name.   

       Sterling?   

       NB COULD YOU LAY OFF THE CAPITALS please, the neighbours complain.
not_morrison_rm, Nov 10 2013
  

       I guess nutrients would be dealt with by a label in the back of the coat... do not boil wash, feed weekly, water the 'Like n coat' regularly.
loroloco, Nov 10 2013
  

       Thith ith totally growth.   

       I can't find a link for this, (and believe me I looked), but there was an anthropology publishing about a hermit up around Alaska who made his own jacket from beard hair and moss, so I guess movement wasn't much of a factor. The researcher said that it may be the first time any such materials were recorded as used in a human garment.   

       Wish I could find that link. I'm not lichen it.   

       As a casual moss hobbyist, I can contribute only this criticism along with my bun: getting a crop of moss going (or occasionally treating an ill one) produces a horrendous stench, since the only thing moss loves more than slowly spreading across hard exposed surfaces on the floor of arborial forests is bathing in a saucer of rotten buttermilk.   

       "You can tell it's a genuine Sterling jacket because it still has that new moss stench!"
Alterother, Nov 10 2013
  

       I didn't think of that; most moss that I'm familiar with doesn't react well to jostling, nor to being moved at all. It has a hard enough time just keeping up with the seasons.
Alterother, Nov 10 2013
  

       Isn't Coat Moss kinda thin and generally unhealthy looking? Oops! Thats Kate Moss I was thinking of. Carry on.
AusCan531, Nov 10 2013
  

       [+] From the title I thought this would be a genetically modified mink, who continues to live while you wear it as a coat, and don't forget to feed it. I would have voted against that idea... but Moss is OK.
pashute, Nov 11 2013
  

       I'm afraid there always a lot of slugs hidden in the moss. There are many kinds of moss, esp. where I live in New England, so I'm skeptical as to how long the moss would last. Like [21Q] said, will it die, or possibly go moldy? There is the kind of moss that is stuck to dirt, or southern moss that hangs from trees. What kind of moss are you thinking of using?
xandram, Nov 12 2013
  

       I have seven kinds of local moss growing on rocks in my library, and the oldest colony has been thriving for four years. It's a pretty rugged organism if you don't touch it, breathe on it, look directly at it, or acknowledge that it exists. I give it an eyedropper full of rancid buttermilk once in a while and enjoy the nice earthy scent all year round. I've never had a fungal or parasite problem that I know of, but considering how vigilant I am to protect my other plants from such things that's not surprising. The biggest risk factor (as far as I can tell) is the moisture balance; it usually gets what it needs from the air, but in winter I need to water it, and accidentally overwatering moss is as easy as it is deadly (to the moss).
Alterother, Nov 12 2013
  

       Hm. Sounds like a more boring version of a pet coat.
DIYMatt, Nov 12 2013
  

       The Kelabit people of Sarawak wear (on occasion) shawls made of living lichen. Each family has one such shawl, which is worn by the most senior member on ceremonial days.   

       When a new family is established (and this is no simple matter, because the laws defining "family" are rather complicated), the head of the new family is given a sort of pathetic necklace made from pieces trimmed from the shawls of the other families. It takes something like 40-80 years for this to grow into a full-length shawl, after which time the head of the new family is admitted to the council of tribal elders.   

       Some of these shawls are believed to be over 7000 years old, based on radiocarbon dating of the remains of the wooden frame on which the initial necklace is constructed.   

       Ethnologists say that this is a unique custom, and one of the unifying factors bonding the community to both itself and the forest. I say it just shows that the Kelabit have way too much time on their hands.
MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 12 2013
  

       If we ever get the science down we'll be able to make a new animal in the shape of a coat. I imagine some version of a sloth.
Voice, Nov 14 2013
  

       //made his own jacket from beard hair and moss,   

       His own beard hair? Or did he keep a clutch of beardies to be shorn on a regular basis?   

       NB Thanks for the de-capitalisation.   

       NNB Kelabit wikipedia "..supplied weapons by the Australian military and played an essential role in the liberation of Borneo. After the War this remote ethnic group received visits from Christian missionaries."   

       I supposed you were supposed to reward allies?
not_morrison_rm, Nov 14 2013
  

       I was hoping this would be a coat made of two layers of transparent material with a convoluted flexible tubing packed between the layers with thousands of creatures swarming along these tubes - e.g. rats, mice, hamsters, mini-ferrets, tropical fish, etc.
hippo, Nov 14 2013
  

       //His own beard hair? Or did he keep a clutch of beardies to be shorn on a regular basis?//   

       Nope. That's how long he hadn't wanted anything to do with other humans. It was a long time ago that I read the story but I think I remember that it started by just keeping his original coat repaired.   
      
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