Argon Silnylon Pyramid Tarp – Hex

Lots of folks over at HF are still clamoring for SilArgon, so I bet Dutch will stock it again if he can. Ripstopbytheroll.com has 20D silnylon at 1.2oz/yd in a lot of cool colors. For some reason I really want something made out of Robin Egg Blue silnylon.
HH is 1800mm per their website, I know you have to take some of that with a grain of salt until tested. Their stuff would be my next choice though.

P.S. – That inner looks great John.

Ryan

I emailed Dutch before and after he ran out of the fabric. He said he'd ordered a bunch and possibly had some interest from other cottage manufacturers. After he ran out, he'd said that he was keeping what was left for making some items himself. He also said he wouldn't be getting any more for some time. I really hope it wasn't a one time thing that never pans out again.

I just received my four yards of brown argon sil in the mail (in Aus Via a warehouse address-it had to wait for other things before it shipped). Definitely lighter stuff than that of say my trailstar. Feels like it has plenty of silicone coating. It's just the fabric is noticeably finer. 4 yards was around 200 grams (using old crap scales, i need to get myself some new ones)…Given this will go into a poncho of around 3yards I'm drooling.

One thing that is very noticeable is how easy it drapes compared to regular silnylons. It does not seem easier to stretch. But it folds and falls so much easier. Very compact. Will conform well when worn which will mean less snagging.

I'm sure in the steep walled application it will work fine

Used the tarp this weekend and got about 4 hours worth of light wind and rain. The tarp did excellent! The inside felt dry. The hex shape spills wind gusts noticeably better than my Black Diamond Megalight. And the partial solid inner worked well too. I was able to leave the door half-way open and still had room to cook. No condensation. Still waiting for a heavy rain. I'm taking it to the Pecos in a few weeks.

I would say that when wet, the hex tarp stretched more than my SMD Haven (which seems to have extremely little stretch) and about the same as my Black Diamond Megalight. Whether this is material difference (lower HH stretches more) or design difference (i.e. smaller panels stretch less), I do not know.

For a steep-walled UL shelter, I think Argon Sil is a viable material (assuming it ever becomes available again). I still need to use my tarp MUCH more to give the material a full recommendation, to evaluate longevity and performance in heavy rain. The material seems strong enough and waterproof enough, and is lighter and more compact than 30D silnylon. Add in the low material cost, and it all seems good to me.

Now the real question: is it worth it to use Argon Silnylon? Here are my estimated fabric weights for my specific shelter (note: fabric only! no hardware, zippers, etc included in weights below):

Amount of Material: 10.92 square yards
Argon Sil: 12.12 oz estimated, 12.0 oz actual
20D Silnylon: 13.87 oz estimated (source: Ripstop by the Roll, claimed 1.27 oz/sqyd finished weight, I have never used the material)
30D Silnylon: 15.29 oz estimated (assuming 1.4 oz/sqyd weight – most samples I've gotten are heavier)
0.75 oz Cuben: 8.19 oz estimated

So you can see that Argon Sil kind of splits the difference between cuben and 30D sil.