Source for 10D PU or sil/PU Nylon?

[Jon Solomon]

I’m looking for a lightweight (less than 40gsm) waterproof fabric for use in a tent floor that isn’t made with slippery siliconized coating. Something like the 10D sil/PU fabric used in the GG The One. If anybody knows where to source such fabric, please let me know. I’ve checked the DIY suppliers that I’m familiar with and unfortunately there’s nothing available. Perhaps I’ve missed something. Or is silnylon the only choice for sub 1 ounce waterproof fabrics available to the DIYer?

[Jerry Adams]

If you coat the floor with a silicone:mineral spirits 1:10 the floor will be less slippery

 

[Jon Solomon]

Thanksm Jerry. Yes, I’m familiar with this technique and it has been discussed at length right here on BPL (some suggesting 20:1 ratio, whatever). I’d prefer an integrated fabric solution. Floors that have been recoated are much harder to clean. Since the difference between 10D silnylon and 20D sil/PU silpoly is only a little more than one ounce for a small sleeping area floor, I’ll just opt to accept the weight penalty.

[Jerry Adams]

yeah, better to get already prepared for use fabric, and the silicone/mineral spirits can attract dirt

[Jon Solomon]

Follow up

A little more digging around and I came up with the following two choices:

7D sil/PU nylon from Rockywoods, claimed 0.68 osy / 23gsm weight and 150mm HH.
https://rockywoods.com/products/7d-ultralight-coated-ripstop-nylon-fabric

10D sil/PU nylon from AdventurExpert in Europe, 40gsm and 2000mm HH, claimed.
https://www.adventurexpert.com/product/10d-nylon-pu-sil/

Anybody use either of these fabrics for a floor?

[Paul Hatfield]

I’m not a fan of PU coatings. I live in a humid environment, and they often become gummy and delaminate over time, due to humidity in the air.

You might want to read this article on PU vs. PE vs. Silicone:
https://www.slingfin.com/blogs/the-beta/fabric-coatings-101-pu-vs-pe-vs-silicone

[Jon Solomon]

Yeah, when I used to live in Taiwan, hydrolization of PU coated nylon was a huge problem.
Not so much now that I live in France.

I’ve read that informative article from Slingfin before. Read it practically the first day it was published. It’s always useful to share the link with others, but at this point you can assume that the article has had a very wide readership in the community.

Unfortunately, we’re limited by what’s available to the DIYer. If low denier PeU fabrics were available, it goes without saying that this would be preferable to simple PU. If you have some fabric to share, or some links where such 10D PeU nylon can be purchased, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

[Sam Farrington]

I’ve never been OK with such fabrics.  The payoff was when I ordered some “membrane” and it leaked like a sieve.  And when I complained, they just sent me more of the stuff from the same roll.  Know this, because the gentleman who was testing the fabric for me got almost exactly the same weights and WP as the first batch.  Tried some of the Dutchware products and they were better, but heavier.

So I began testing fabrics from tarp makers.  Some have suggested that this approach is too expensive; but less than $200 is many times less than the cost of DCF, and even though it has been improved with cross threading (TNT), DCF still uses extremely fine translucent material for WP that is fragile to say the least, and it has almost zero stretch, which makes no point with a tent canopy that will perform better with some elasticity that maintains tautness.

And I did not have to look further with buying tarps.  Right away found the Sil/Poly tarp fabric from Yama was much stronger and WP.  Did order a few more tarps just for comparison, and they were not as WP and strong, and some were almost an embarrassment.

While I was looking for lighter shades for a tent canopy, that was not so with a floor, so no problem.  With respect to bunching, I’ve replaced many floors, and all have maintained tautness; and some posts on BPL suggest that tarp designs allow some protected air flow to keep tent walls dry; so no problem there either.

Weighing the Yama tarps, I found their weight was consistently 1.08 OSY to the nearest tenth.  While a lighter material for a canopy would be desirable, would use this material even in a darker shade.  And since the design will require a partial inner tent, this opens several possibilities for a lighter interior.  And the polyester eliminates most of the fabric issues with Sil/Nylon.  As far as the coating is concerned, tests with the Yama fabric were as good or better than anything found.  But as Jon notes, coatings may have improved; but I’m satisfied at this point.

[Sam Farrington]

Some other points that I left out.  And those involve tent design.  First, the floor should be taut against the ground.  That can be done with 4 pegs, especially if the tent is self-standing.  But those points are pointless if the site selection is neglected.  Those looking for ‘bomber’ tents that pitch anywhere, may be looking up the wrong tree (and often getting little or no sleep).  Not to mention a lot more carry weight.  Those who begin BPL with tarps usually get this by necessity.  Did not get this myself until much later when found Moss tents, that educated me with designs that allowed more than just modified tunnel tarps.  Sold my two Moss tents at a yard sale, and began designing and making my own.  Wonder why the tent maker companies stick to the same old-same olds.  Dan Durston has some new ones though, that look promising.

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