Xenon Wide

[Matthew / BPL]

Dutch now sells a 74″ wide Xenon fabric. I like the idea of a really simple 6×9 flat tarp but it sounds like Richard tested the normal width Xenon and it doesn’t do very well with a little bit of wear. Any thoughts?

http://www.makeyourgear.com/fabrics/xenon-wide/

[Jerry Adams]

It isn’t that difficult to sew two pieces together

[Matthew / BPL]

Yeah not much harder than helming the edges however I like the idea of not having a ridgeline when tensioning the tarp in a diamond or half-pyramid.

My question is more about the quality of the fabric… Is Xenon worth using? What’s the consensus around here?

[James Marco]

Well, this Xenon weighs the same as silnylon, ~1.3oz/yd.
It is weaker than silnylon by about a third or more.
It has less durability since it cannot be re-coated. It is silicone + Polyurethane.
It is more expensive than silnylon. $9yd vs $6.30 (Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics, cosmetic 2nds)

[Sam Farrington]

Matthew,
The thread which included Richard Nisley’s tests of the initial width fabric was at:
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/107266/
Scrolling down, Richard reported that simulated ageing equal to several weeks of rain brought the HH below 1000mm.
Thought you might want to check it out.

[Matthew / BPL]

Yeah. I think I’ve decided Xenon isn’t very interesting to me. Thanks for the link.

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