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#185722 - 06/14/14 10:57 AM MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project
Wilson Meyer Offline
newbie

Registered: 06/14/14
Posts: 1
Hello everyone. I'm an MBA student, long distance hiker. I would really appreciate some input regarding a project my team and I are working on. It's a portable atmospheric water generator that actually works.

If you're a long distance hiker or could stand to benefit from this product, please address the questions listed at the bottom.

Note:  We are aware there are other similar products on the market. However, ours would improve on existing technology and be more affordable.

Q: As a hiking enthusiast, do you see any value in owning a portable atmospheric water generator?

Q: If we can offer you an affordable, portable atmospheric water generator, would you consider purchasing one for
for future hikes?


Edited by Wilson Meyer (06/16/14 02:38 PM)

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#185723 - 06/14/14 05:06 PM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Wilson Meyer]
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Question: What's the output rate?

Question: Does it have to be stationary to work? (If yes, will it work in the dark? The only time hikers are stationary for any extended length of time is at night. I know, it's solar powered - but solar powered sidewalk lights work at night.)

Question: Does it freeze up in cold weather? (I could see minimal value for me if it worked in the winter, and I could avoid melting snow.)

Question: How much does it weigh, and how big (bulky) is it? (This is a lightweight hiking website, so someone's gonna ask. But, weight is relative: 8 ounces would be too heavy to be of any value to me, but 2 pounds might be reasonable if it worked in the desert.)

Answers to your questions:
Any value in owning one? Not for me; it solves a problem I don't have. However, that's a personal answer, skewed by the fact that I live in the eastern US, and water availability is not usually an issue. Someone who hikes in the Southwest may see things differently.

Would I buy one? No.

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#185724 - 06/14/14 05:50 PM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Wilson Meyer]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
You have got to be joking? Long distance hikers are into light and fast backpacking. Carry that contraption? You could walk to a water source before you "pumped" the water out of your gadget! Sorry, I cannot but think you are pulling our leg.


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#185725 - 06/14/14 05:59 PM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Wilson Meyer]
Pika Offline
member

Registered: 12/08/05
Posts: 1814
Loc: Rural Southeast Arizona
First of all, I live in the desert southwest where water is the limiting factor on a lot of hikes. Before I could answer your questions I would need to know several things: first, how is the unit's performance at low relative humidity? (as I write, the humidity outdoors is 4% at 105 F); how is performance at high and low temperatures?; what volumes of water could one reasonably expect under a range of atmospheric conditions? what does it weigh?; what would it cost? I guess what I am getting at is this: if it weighs 2.5 pounds, will deliver <100 ml of water per hour at a RH of 6% and costs $250, I wouldn't even consider purchasing one.
_________________________
May I walk in beauty.

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#185726 - 06/14/14 09:43 PM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Wilson Meyer]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
Q: As a hiking enthusiast, do you see any value in owning a portable atmospheric water generator?

To be honest, no. frown I hike almost exclusively in the mountains of the Pacific NW. The mountains here act as gigantic units for precipitating snow and rain, storing it, and making it available in useable quantities in every season. This is very handy. Not just for hikers, but everyone who lives here. smile

Q: If we can offer you an affordable, portable atmospheric water generator, would you consider purchasing one for
for future hikes?


Even if I were given one for free, I very much doubt it would ever find its way into my pack. Sorry.

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#185732 - 06/15/14 08:56 AM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Wilson Meyer]
Dryer Offline

Moderator

Registered: 12/05/02
Posts: 3591
Loc: Texas
I hike mostly desert where water dictates the hike.
Q: As a hiking enthusiast, do you see any value in owning a portable atmospheric water generator?
Only if that thing weighed less than 2 lbs. To get enough air moving through it to generate any usable water, it would have to be the size of a tanker truck. Make it work and prove me wrong!

Q: If we can offer you an affordable, portable atmospheric water generator, would you consider purchasing one for
for future hikes?
Sure, but it would need to produce a couple liters a day in desert conditions and be small enough to not notice in my pack. It would need to work at night and on days with no wind.
_________________________
paul, texas KD5IVP

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#185775 - 06/17/14 02:35 PM Re: MBA Student seeking input - hiking product project [Re: Pika]
finallyME Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 2710
Loc: Utah
Others have mentioned what I would want in one. So, to reiterate, and add....

It would need to work in 4% RH. It would need to work at 10000+ ft elevation. It would need to produce more than a gallon a day. It would need to work at night and/or no wind. It would need to work at 100+F. 2lbs is probably a good weight.
_________________________
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.

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