Identifying Mystery Ripstop

[Dwight Shackelford]

I bought some ripstop nylon fabric yesterday because I couldn’t pass up the deal. $2.50 per yard. I bought 10 yards of white, which was the only color discounted that low.

I bought some other ripstop which had a softer drape than the white. The white seems a bit stiffer, but they seem to be the same, or nearly the same weight.

Both will bead water and run off when help up to the shower head. For the white, I cut a square, held it by the four corners and filled it with water. From one side, it had some small leaks. When I flipped the fabric over, it really leaked. Not sure if it was because I had just wet the other side or not.

I haven’t tested the green drapeable one yet in the same way.

What does this sound like? Both fabrics look the same from both sides. I can see the weave on both sides the same.

I’m guessing its just 1.1 oz uncoated ripstop.

Dwight

[Vick Hines]

uncoated ripstop sounds like a good guess. Calculate the actual square yards and weigh it. Betcha it’s 1.8 because 1.1 is pretty rare.

It isn’t unusual for uncoated nylon to be more water resistant on one side than the other. Water pressure that approximates raindrops hitting will spray through it (a shower or garden hose is not enough). And if you hang a bag of the stuff, touching the outside will start leaks as you break the surface tension. In other words, treat it with DWR and don’t use it for a fly or rain gear. On the other hand, you can make a lot of other stuff and $2.50 is a great price for any ripstop.

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