Icarex fabric, any use for backpacking?

[Andrea C]

I’ve aquired 1yd of Icarex fabric, wondering what could be the use for backpacking.
there was a useful thread where someone (Tac Blades?) made some test on a similar fabric, essentially ripstop fabric for kites, that ended up with the fabric being good in beading off water but fairly low HH which would drop considerably after use, not great abrasion resistance too.

Aside from the obvious stuff sack -though the one that is not meant to last- or small bag for little gadgets, what would you do with this fabric?
The low weigth, next to zero stretch, and ability to bead-off water would suggest a tarp or a groundsheet. But the material is rather noisy, even if I’m a heavy sleeper I’m not sure it would be a welcome feature.

Also, it seems to requires very fine needles to be sewn, haven’t tried with the Serger machine yet, although the fabric does not seem to fray easy

[Andrea C]

** damn phone keyboard, wanted to say that I’ve acquired one yard of this fabric **

[Ryan Smith]

IIRC, Icarex is coated polyester in the 1oz/yd range, but I don’t know how waterproof it is. I don’t think a groundsheet is the best use given it’s thin construction and low HH.

[Roger Caffin]

Icarex is a kite fabric – moderately windproof but very little water barrier.

Cheers

[Edward John M]

Sounds like just enough to make a windproof vest from or half the shell of an insulated synthetic vest

[Roger Caffin]

Treating it with Nikwax might help.
Cheers

[Colin Krusor]

Icarex seems similar to the “spinnaker” materials that were popular for a short period about ten years ago. Like those, it is stiff and crinkly, more like vellum (tracing paper) than a woven fabric (it is woven). Over the years, the lightest Icarex fabrics have been coated with melamine or polycarbonate, but the current versions are PU coated on both sides. It is very loud in a breeze, and tears run across the fabric much more easily than across silnylon or cuben. I loved my Spinnshelter, but the material was loud and fragile.

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