Tents with new fabrics on the way?

Could you post a link to the fabric you are considering for a tent?  The lightest woven Dyneema I’ve found is Ecopac Ultra 100, and at 3 0z/sq/yd is more suitable for a pack.

Porcher, a French company that makes Paraglider fabric, now makes Skytex fabrics with the suffix ‘T2’  which has been claimed to be suitable for tents.  But I’ve been unable to obtain some.

Why not ask Henry at Tarptents?

Henry’s latest that I’ve seen on BPL is a silpoly, but I don’t have much in the way of specs.

There are lots of new materials, but nothing that is going to dethrone DCF in the near future because none of the major new materials are anywhere close to DCF weights. As mentioned, ultra is at least 4-6x heavier. There are some other neat new materials too, but not much sub 1oz/yd.

Regarding DCF, the packed size is primarily larger if the tent has a DCF floor because the heavier weights of DCF used for floors use 2.5x as thick mylar which is a lot more bulky and makes the entire tent bulky. That’s one of the reason we use a woven floor instead (arguably better durability at the same weight and smaller packed size).

Thanks for info everyone. I didn’t realize the significant weight difference of Ecopak Ultra fabrics. That would clearly put them out of the race for larger products like tents. Thanks also Dan for explaining about the pros/cons of DCF floors. Perhaps Skytex will be a fabric of interest for the future, but that is far down the road if at all.

Very grateful for the wisdom and support of this community!

Peace,

~TC

TC,

A current thread on the MYOG forum revealed that RBTR is now selling a fairly light weight eco woven silpoly tent fabric.  That thread is at:  https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/myog-1p-trekking-pole-tent-for-demanding-conditions/#post-3763397

The product page at RBTR is at:  https://ripstopbytheroll.com/products/1-1-oz-eco-silpoly?variant=28551516913712

The eco is spec’d at 1.29 oz/sq/yd, a bit more than the 1.1 oz RBTR silpoly that weighed in at 1.24 oz/sq/yd, and the eco is spec’d with sil coated on both sides with no mention of PU in the coating.  But it’s best claim to fame on the site seems to be the use of reconstituted poly.  And the lightest color is Moroccan Blue, whereas the 1.1 oz silpoly that RBTR has been selling for years was available in some light colors, including green tea, but now appears to be being phased out, and RBTR sounds very strong on its extra wide 1.1 oz silpoly due to greater strength and waterproofing.  That does come with a weight penalty, however, as it is spec’d at 1.75 oz/sq/yd, which is considerably higher than extrem textil’s 30 denier, 1.33 oz/sq/yd silpoly that comes in sand, as well as darker colors.

But if you are looking for something new and prefer fabrics in medium to dark shades, the eco might be worth looking at.  No telling how durable it is.