Learn about Fabrics for Tents, Backpacks, Sleeping Bags, and Shells
Table of Contents
Fabrics Used for Backpacking Gear
Nylon and polyester are the most common polymer fabrics used for backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, and shells. Both fabrics can be impregnated with silicone to increase strength, durability, and water resistance. Silicone-impregnated nylon is called silnylon. It’s commonly used for tents. Silicone-impregnated polyester is called silpoly.
Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF), also called Cuben fiber, is used in some high-end tents and backpacks because of its strength, water resistance, and low weight. DFC consists of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) coated on both sides with polyester. It’s extremely expensive.
| Cost | Weight | Strength | Abrasion Resistance | UV Resistance | Heat Resistance | Water Absorption | Stretchiness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | DCF | Polyester | DCF | Nylon | Polyester & DCF | Polyester | Nylon | Nylon |
| Nylon | Nylon | Nylon | Polyester | Polyester & DCF | Nylon | Polyester | Polyester | |
| Lowest | Polyester | DCF | Polyester | DCF | Nylon | DCF | DCF | DCF |
Due to its polyester coating, DCF has abrasion resistance and UV resistance similar to those of polyester.
Ripstop Nylon
Ripstop nylon is highly resistant to tearing because it has strong reinforcement fibers interwoven at regular intervals in a crosshatch pattern.
Fiber Weight, Strength, and Denier
The heavier the fiber, the greater the strength and abrasion resistance. The unit for fiber weight is the denier (D), which is the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of fiber as stipulated by ISO standard ISO 20601.
Water-resistant 10-20D ripstop nylon is the most common shell fabric. Backpacks should be made of at least 210D ripstop nylon to prevent abrasion. Most tents are made of 20D to 40D nylon. Utralight silnylon tents are typically made of 10-20D silnylon. Many DCF tents are made of 5-10D DCF.
Weave Density
A fabric’s weave density is the amount of fibers per area and indicates the amount of space between the ibers.
Fabrics with high-density weaves are warm and water-resistant. They are also down-proof, meaning that feathers and down quills aren’t lost through their pores.
Fabrics with low-density weaves are less warm and water-resistant and are more likely to lose feathers and down quills through their pores. However, loss of feathers and down is usually not significant enough to affect insulation warmth.