New Dimension Polyant X-series 420denier fabric in Olive green.

Very cool. Nice fabric.

What's your opinion on the X ply layer. Do you think it does anything beneficial? Or should they ditch this too?

For a fabric of this high a denier, it does little more than add minute bias stability.

And it looks cool.

But good luck convincing DP to make x-pac without the x!

Not sure who convinced them to take the x ply from DX40, maybe that same voice of reason can push for a similar transition with other heavy duty fabrics.

a side question perhaps, but why offers DP no fabrics between 7 en 20/21 ? Something like e.g. X14 looks like a nice option.

Good question, you should pass that along to DP customer service. Maybe they will yield if there is demand.

Likely they don't see the benefit from a cost or functional standpoint. Saving an oz or two on an item may not be worth the durability concerns for most folks.

A 140 denier xpac fabric would likely be just under 4oz/yd2. Not significantly less than x21 @ 4.4oz/yd2, though more abrasion resistant an tx07@ 3.2oz/yd2. It seems to me a bit unnecessary to produce a fabric between those two.

I am of the mind that significantly stronger fabrics are worth an oz or two in added weight for a pack.

And cost is 1/2 of cuben..

Heck , Id argue tx07 is more abrasion resistant than 50d cuben hybrid for less than .25oz/yd2 more weight.

the 140 was just an example. 120 or even 100 denier would perhaps be as interesting and something like X10 would perhaps weight around 3,7 oz. and given that their spec. sheet shows VX03 as the lightest offering at 4,2 oz. in the VX- or X-series, a 0,5 oz. drop in weight seems not that insignificant.

What applications are you talking here?

For a pack, the savings in weight say for 2 square yards of fabric used on a full single fabric 40liter pack. You save maybe 1oz? I'd rather have the 200 denier fabric and keep it longer.

For packs, there comes a point where weight should cede to durability.

I try to think of pack fabrics based upon how much actual hard use they can withstand.

100-ish denier pack fabrics are in the same realm as 70 denier ones IMHO, relative to 200+ denier weaves, they aren't going to last for a pack.

I treat my gear well. But it isn't that hard to split, say a 150D Cuben Hybrid or 140D Dyneema ripstop open on granite, sharp branches while bushwhacking,etc I've done it without much effort. Heavy use fabrics are worth it for the long haul.

Notice that Zpacks has gone to using Dyneema-X for packs, which is HEAVIER than the cubens they used to use exclusively.

Attached pack is 12.9oz in full X33. Said pack in X21 will save maybe 2 oz. saving another 1 oz for 100 denier. Buckles, daisys etc are going to add more weight than that easily. I don't have to worry about an x33 pack having a long life ahead of it.

But a 420Denier fabric in Olive Green that is Cheaper, and only 1oz/yd2 more than x33?
Camo isn't really my thing personally, but I can get down with Olive Green easily..

Oh, it's just about having more options. An actual decision is based on all sorts op factors and not only weight and it could be that in the end I would opt for the heavier fabric.

Nice job matching the camo of that strap patch to the main body.

X42 sounds good. I like the lightness of the white scrim in the VX series, but haven't found it to do much else of utility.

@Nathan
just got an answer from DP and although they once produced a 150 denier fabric (VX15 I think), no one was acyually interested and so they stopped producing it.

Thought I would raise this Phoenix from the ashes.

I’ve been comparing the weight of X-33 to X-21 and looked at fabric providers.  X-33 is 7.9oz/sq. yd while X-21 is 4.4oz/sq yd.

If a 4,800ci bag (with water-bottle pockets)  uses 2 sq yds, wouldn’t an X-33 bag weigh 7oz more than an X-21 bag?

When I compare the weight of a SO Unaweep in X-42 vs X-21 the difference is only 4oz so X-33 would have to be less.  A pack has to be more than one sqare yard so I’m not sure why the math isn’t making sense.

https://www.rockywoods.com/X-Pac-Expedition-Series-laminated-ripstop-fabric-MultiCam-Camo_2

https://www.adventurexpert.com/product/x-pac-x21/

X-Pac without the X!

https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/x-pac/products/x-pac-v15?variant=7910219022384

The guy who made X-Pac is now with a new company (Challenge Outdoors) and has a new line of very similar fabrics that are more environmentally friendly and supposedly better. Looks very similar:

https://www.challenge-outdoor.com/

10yard minimum buy is a bit more than I need but that Challenge fabric looks decent. I don’t really like that it is poly, and would rather have nylon for a bag application, but I am sure it likely performs just fine. I also wish the x-ply was the same size at the rest, or at least a little less noticeable. RBTR has a type of weave they call “hybrid” which has 20D main fibers but with 80D grid in the warp, weft, and bias directions, and while there is a big difference in fiber diameter, the larger fibers don’t seem to stick out as much. I think that is a more elegant solution, but I admit it does not have the same visual “pop” if  that is one’s thing.

It is very nice that dimension polyant has been able to provide so many different variations to fit certain needs.

They have also dabbled in some of their standard vxo7 using a spectra microgrid rather than the x grid. (Just a sample I have seen/used)Weighing in closer to 184g/m2 compared to 171g/m2 but significantly stronger. I wonder (cost prohibiting) if this could be a better alternative…assuming they actually produce this fabric.

You can buy the Challenge EcoPak in MYOG quantities from Rockywoods:

https://www.rockywoods.com/FABRICS/Technical-Fabrics/Challenge-ECOPAK