Material for hammock tarp

[taipan821]

Hello all.

I'm getting ready to begin ordering material for a D.I.Y hammock Hex Tarp and the different types of waterproof fabric seems a bit disconcerting.

so I have questions:

1. is there any differences between silnylon types (0.9, 1.1 etc) other than weight?
2. is there a difference between silnylon and silpoly? does one need more care than the other?
3. is there any tips and tricks with sewing silynylon/silpoly? particular way to sew it? useful gadgets to help?

[Mark F]

1. The base fabrics vary in weight but there are many other factors you need to consider - head height of the proofing, type of proofing (full silicone, silicone/pu etc) The addition of pu tends to stiffen the fabric and decrease the tear resistance but adds to the waterproofness. You should be looking for a fabric with at least 1,500mm head height and preferably more.

2. Nylon is stronger but stretches more. It would only be in extreme circumstances that the strength of nylon was required over polyester. Polyester is also more uv resistant. The nordic brands of tents have used polyester fabrics for many years - eg Bergans, Fjallraven. Most big brand tents tend to use sil/pu as it allows them to tape the seams but Hilleberg and a few others use multi layers of silicone both sides to achieve very high head heights. These high headheight, full sil fabrics can be quite hard to source but extremtextil.de usually has some.

3. Pins - when joining two sections make sure you pin the seam before sewing. Seam sealer will fill the holes.

[simonm]

Mark has pretty much nailed it.

Polyester is very popular among the hammock crew due to its lack of stretch. Not all polyester is created equal though and some has a higher tear resistance than others just as nylon does. Some of the polyester we tested had a tear resistance that was a bit low for our liking so we wont be stocking it in future though other people/manufacturers use it happily it seems. It just depends on your needs I guess.

[taipan821]

so now the question is does anyone know where I can buy sil-polyester in grey and orange?

[Mark F]

Try ripstop by the roll https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/lightweight-coated-non-breathable-fabrics/products/membrane-silpoly - sorry simon

[simonm]

Try ripstop by the roll https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/lightweight-coated-non-breathable-fabrics/products/membrane-silpoly - sorry simon

You *&%$#! . We wont be stocking as many colours going into the future, so overseas options are bound to appeal to some people.

I would avoid the membrane silpoly though if you want decent tear strength. Look instead at the 1.1oz poly, I don't use RBTR for various reasons but the fabrics are very similar to what we use.

[Scottyk]

so now the question is does anyone know where I can buy sil-polyester in grey and orange?

maybe http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/online-sh ... c-And-Mesh