Originally Posted By Dryer
Fun and interesting project! Some thoughts...

Carbon fiber comes in many forms. Bike crank arms and some frames are so stiff they beat you to death. No flex at all. And then, the carbon spars I use in my kites can be torqued all around and can be very flexible and shock absorbing. Maybe design a simple and light external frame that can be "contoured" to ones back curvature by using tiny loop/buckle tabs along the rods.
I'd fore-go the cot idea. Emptying the pack to make a cot would not be attractive, to me. Instead, tarp supports maybe?
Telescoping from the pack frame? Could the tubes be thick enough to store something inside? Thick doesn't mean "heavy", as your tubing walls could be thinner.

I have an antenna design (for back country communications) on this website where I store the elements inside the shaft when collapsed...a carbon arrow shaft. The whole thing is 2.1 ozs. You'd be surprised what you can store in an arrow shaft.


Now you have me thinking....thanks.
_________________________
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.