Vectran vs. Dyneema for guylines on Hilleberg

Any thoughts?

Personally, I liked the Hilleberg Vectran lines so much, that I bought a bunch of extra to replace all the cords on my stuffsacks and whatnot with it, and to carry as spare cordage instead of cheap paracord with a separate core and sheath that drove me mad.

Have you considered replacing your guylines with 2mm Hilleberg Vectran and the smaller cord locks they sell and use by default on their lighter-duty tents?

Vectran is actually stronger than Dyneema. It is what is used for the tethers for EVA activity for astronauts. It is however very susceptible to heat.

But it is a pain to knot and it has zero stretch, which is not always what you want for a guyline. And the stuff has so much strength that a 1 mm line would be more than adequate anyhow. 3 mm Vectran is way overkill.

Personally, I find 2 mm or 2.5 mm Dyneema more than adequate, even for winter storms, and you can get it coated so it grips better.

My 2c.
cheers

“you can get it coated so it grips better.”

What do you coat your dyneema lines with?

Sorry – I meant you can buy it coated.
What with – no idea right now.

Cheers

Thanks for the replies, I think I’ll get the 2mm Hilleberg lines and also try out the 2mm dyneema, either way it sounds like they will both work!

Btw: coated Dyneema is usually available from kite shops as well. They need to be able to hold the strings.

Cheers

“Vectran is actually stronger than Dyneema. It is what is used for the tethers for EVA activity for astronauts. It is however very susceptible to heat.”

I think you’re getting this backwards, Roger. Dyneema is the one that is stronger but sensitive to heat. Dyneema and Vectran are both available in several grades, but the common Dyneema SK75 has a tenacity of about 43 grams per denier, and Vectran HT has a tenacity of about 29 grams per denier (in the same neighborhood as para aramids like Technora, Twaron, and Kevlar). Dyneema is substantially stronger, has a lower density, is very sensitive to heat, is very slippery and holds knots poorly, is relatively resistant to damage by sunlight, and it creeps when under constant load. Vectran has lower tensile strength, higher density, is less slippery, is more sensitive to damage by sunlight, tolerates very high temperatures (again, like the para-aramids), and has essentially zero creep. Both Dyneema and Vectran have extremely low stretch (tensile modulus) and, like polyester fibers, they absorb very little water (unlike Kevlar and nylon, which absorb a lot of water).

Hi Matt,

I swapped all the guiltiness on my Hilleburg Soulo for these and am really, really pleased with the weight saving, strength and just how well it turned out. I also cut off all the metal zipper pulls and used the off cuts from the guy line swap to make new ones. Then I changed my poles for Carbon finer and the pegs for the Ti Shepard’s crook ones plus I swapped all the bags for Cuben stuff sacks (also from Lightwave). All told it cost me a bit of time and money but It was such an enjoyable little project and I love my tent more that any tarp setup. Oh yeah I also purchased the mesh inner for the Soulo for even more weight savings in Summer.

Hope it helps and good luck!

Lawrie