Parachute Lumbar Bladder

On Monday, January 15, 2018 at 4:36:40 PM UTC, Roy B. wrote:
Does anybody know a source for the inflatable lumbar bladder (with hose & pump bulb) that goes in some parachute packs - like the old Security 150s?
ROY

Hi Roy,

I use an adapted old anaeroid blood pressure cuff but you can buy the same thing marketed as inflatable lumbar supports e.g.

https://www.amazon.com/Tcare-Multifu...2Bsupport&th=1

John G

I used an inflatable rubberized fabric camping pillow for a while. Just bought a rubber inflating bulb from a medical supply house and connected it with some plastic tubing. Worked great. The bulbs are available as replacement parts because they eventually crack and fail, probably faster in a cockpit environment than in an office.

Two other reasons I stopped using it. First, the firmness varies with altitude, so you can find yourself adjusting it.

Second, I started to worry about how it would behave in a crash. Would it fail catastrophically just when I needed lumbar support the most?

I went to the memory foam approach. Not as easy to adjust. But when it's stuffed behind your back, it doesn't harden up in the cold.

Chip Bearden