Nylon is the most abrasion resistant of these fabrics. Fabric that does not stretch as much reduces that issue. polyester) can achieve a more aesthetically pleasing pitch, as much of the wrinkliness in the fly is caused by nylon stretching along its bias (diagonal with respect to the way the fabric was woven). Nylon’s stretchiness has a downside, however. Another benefit of fabric stretch when designing a tent is that it works better for shaped 3-dimensional panels. If, however, the fabric does not stretch, all the force is concentrated at the reinforcement, leading to much higher stress on the fabric and a higher likelihood of tearing. For example, if a guy point were attached in the center of a fabric panel on a tent’s fly on a 1” x 1” reinforcement, the surrounding fabric would stretch, and the stress of the guy line being pulled would be distributed over a much larger area than just the 1” x 1” reinforcement. Because nylon stretches, it distributes stress over a larger area than less stretchy (we say more “stable”) fabric would. Much of nylon’s strength comes from its inherent stretchiness, which can be a blessing and a curse. Nylon has a much better strength-to-weight ratio than polyester, which is the main reason it is usually the fabric of choice for tents. This is largely due to its good strength to weight ratio, good abrasion resistance, and relatively low price. It is the standard for the majority of outdoor products, from tents to apparel. It was originally developed by DuPont in the 1930s and was used extensively for parachute production during WWII. Nylon is by far the most common material used in tents. If there’s a topic that you’d like to know more about, let us know at image is compliments of Rainy Pass Repairs. Rather than serving as a buying guide, this article is intended to provide users a very basic level of understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the most common fabrics used in tent and tarp design: nylon, polyester, and DCF (Dyneema Composite Fabric, formerly known as Cuben Fiber).Įditor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series aimed at providing users with detailed information about design, materials, and construction, so you can make informed purchasing decisions to best suit your needs. In fact, your fabric of choice will almost certainly be pre-determined by the kind of shelter you plan on buying. It’s unlikely that you’ll be confronted with a decision between two identical designs with different fabric choices. Are you going to be on exposed mountains where you’ll die if your tent fails in a storm? Are you going to retreat to your van as soon as it starts drizzling? Once the parameters have been established, the optimal fabric choice is often clear. The same is true of people who are purchasing tents. Fabric selection is similar in that before designers make a choice, they have to explicitly decide on the goals for the product. A top of the line tent for thru-hikers would probably implode in winds that even a basic four-season tent would shrug off. You could pretty quickly trash a fancy sports car on a dirt road that your late 90s station wagon could handle with ease. This may be true for hammers, but for fabrics and tents, there is no “best” option. A common assumption is that by buying an expensive product, you’re automatically getting the “best”, most durable product. Do you want it to be light, strong, or inexpensive? You can pick two, but you sure as hell can’t have all three. As in all aspects of tent design, fabric selection is a balancing act.ĭifferent materials have unique strengths and weaknesses and selecting the “right” fabric is really about choosing which compromises to make.
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