DIY Material Source Comparison

[Pilate de Guerre]

A very helpful youngin' over at Hammock Forums by the handle "the scouter" compiled a spreadsheet[1] that compares the prices of various DIY/MYOG fabric suppliers. I found a few minor errors, but overall it's very useful. Scott (I think he posts here too) at DIYGearSupply[2] née BackWoods DayDreamer is really holding it down in offering great prices.

It may not be the case, but it looks as if Scott's decision to only offer one to a few colors of each fabric really drives his prices down compared to the other shops that offer a wider variety.

[1] https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq6B5SHKA8kUdEZMbnJ4bUYycDBFZldIYzQ4YzRlYUE&hl=en_US#gid=0
[2] http://www.diygearsupply.com/cgi-bin/isle.cgi?type=all

[Jerry Adams]

Nice spreadsheet

I bought some 1.1 oz nylon from diygear.com, great prices, prompt delivery

[Javan Dempsey]

It's not correct to draw a correlation between color, and Scott's prices. However, you are correct in saying that he's holding it down.

It's more correct to say that color availability is a by-product of the pricing. Mostly Scott is very adept at sourcing overruns and cosmetic seconds of fabrics that are very desirable to the MYOG crowd. Although, that nature of these fabrics is what creates such a large disparity between the prices of these materials, and the lightest, newest, cutting edge fabrics.

Don't think you're being gouged for a half oz difference in sq yd weight by comparing Scott's 1.1oz(unfinished or uncoated) fabrics, to the lightest available ~1/2oz fabrics, because the companies offering these fabrics are shouldering much higher financial burdens "bringing them to market" in the first place.

5,000 yard minimums are nothing to sneeze at, especially when you consider that sub 1oz fabrics can cost 3-4+ times as much per yard to get produced.

That being said, I'm pretty much Scott's biggest fan. Any MYOGer without a lot of confidence in their skills, would be foolish not to proto with the calendered 1.1oz olive ripstop or heavier offerings from DIY-GearSupply (backwoods daydreamer).

[Brad Walker]

Not on the list, but Bearpaw sells DIY fabric, hardware, and soft goods at competitive prices.

http://www.bearpawwd.com/fabrics_misc/fabrics_misc.html

Shipping was fast and reasonably priced. I haven't dealt with many of the other companies, but I definitely recommend them.

[Pilate de Guerre]

Javan,

Of course you are right. That was foolish of me to assume without knowing more (much of anything, really) about how these places source their fabrics. Thanks for setting me straight.

Pilate

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