I have heard of using Tyvex and was thinking of using it as a ground cloth for my thru that i am planning to do in about 5-8 years, secondly have any of you looked at the commercial wrap pther than the homewrap, the commercial wrap is thicker and stronger, or any other ones other than homewrap, finally can anyone give me a price for it
thinks

I dont know much about tyvek but this web site mite help you.

DuPont.com/Tyvek

If you use tyvek, remember it is directional! It is made to let moisture out of your house. Put the lettered side down or it will let the moisture into your sleeping bag.

Worked well. One hint: don't wash it in hot water, or put it in a clothes dryer. It gets rumpled and soft, less useful IMO.

I used it on all 3 thru hikes. Hint-wash in cold water on gentle with no soap then hang dry first. You won't slide around that way. Also when you cut it before washing to fit your tents footprint allow for shrinkage. One piece lasted thru 2 hikes . Didn't matter which side i used and i didn't use a tent-just my rain fly and the tyveck. Highly recommend it. Also keeping it on the outside if your pack you can quickly pull it out at breaks to sit on to avoid ticks.

Aren't frogg toggs made out of tyvek material?? Directions say to wash in cold water anad hang to dry. Do not put in dryer.

Check construction sites. They may give you a scrap piece that would be big enough for your purposes. You can practice your yogi skills.....;)

These two artices are a great source of info for Tyvek, written by our own Headchange4U.

The Definitive Tyvek Artice, Part 1 (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=525)

The Definitive Tyvek Article, Part 2 (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=524)

Aren't frogg toggs made out of tyvek material??

Check construction sites. They may give you a scrap piece that would be big enough for your purposes. You can practice your yogi skills.....Geek alert! Geek alert! Leave now to avoid geek speak. This is your last warning!

Frogg Toggs are not Tyvek. FT's are a thermally bonded laminate consisting of exterior layers of monofilament fibers and an interior layer of microfibers. Look, you were warned, ok?

IOW FT's have three layers, the middle layer has itsy bitsy fibers, and its all held together by small welds. FT's are made out of polypropylene. The middle layer of microfibers have spaces between them that are so small that they do not allow liquid water but will allow water vapor to pass.

Tyvek is one layer and is made out of polyethylene. The polyethylene is dissolved in a solvent then pumped through little holes under high pressure, whereupon the solvent vaporizes and the polyethylene fibers form. If you've ever seen cotton candy being made, it's the exact same process only done with polyethylene and a solvent instead of sugar and water.

The Tyvek fibers have small gaps between them and if you look at them through a microscope you'd see that the individual fibers are also fibrillated and tend to split into smaller fibers which split into even smaller fibers which...and so on. The Tyvek fibers are very strong, much stronger than the FT material. The material doesn't tear easily.

The gaps between the Tyvek fibers and whatever you want to call the fibers they split into - fibrrettes?- are small enough to allow water vapor to pass but not small enough for liquid water to pass. They are like Frogg Togg material in that way.

And now you're going to see my big but...BUT for both of these materials if you use enough pressure, water will leak through before the fabric rips. So they can't legally be called "waterproof", only "water resistant".A thin plastic film is completely waterproof until it rips. Tyvek may be waterproof at much greater pressure than that film, but it still legally can't be called waterproof.

For our purposes both Tyvek and Frogg Toggs are waterproof. Both allow water vapor to pass. The water vapor will pass almost as quickly one direction as the other, it's not directional. Frogg Togg material allows more water vapor to pass compared to Tyvek, and you can check this by going to the hardware store and buying a set of Tyvek paint coveralls and wearing them while you cut your grass one day. Then put on your Frogg Toggs and cut the grass. This will accomplish two things: (1) You will see that Tyvek ain't that breathable compared to FT's and (2) your neighbors will be convinced that you're nuts.

Of you can just ask surgeons who spend a lot of time standing around under hot lights. Their gowns are made of either cotton or Frogg Togg type material, Tyvek hasn't caught on in the surgical gown market for a reason.

Tyvek's strong, It's tear resistant. It's functionally waterproof. It doesn't matter which side is up or down. It's light.

It works great as a groundsheet.

If you use tyvek, remember it is directional! It is made to let moisture out of your house. Put the lettered side down or it will let the moisture into your sleeping bag.
Cut & pasted from the DuPont FAQ's

4. Can DuPont™ Tyvek® be used with the lettering facing in?

DuPont™ Tyvek® HomeWrap®, DuPont™ Tyvek® StuccoWrap®, DuPont™ Tyvek® DrainWrap™ and DuPont™ Tyvek® CommercialWrap® are equally effective in both directions. However, DuPont™ Tyvek® StuccoWrap® and DuPont™ Tyvek® DrainWrap™ have a specially engineered surface that should be placed with the grooves in a vertical direction.

Couple of more questions, should the Tyvex sheet be bigger than the tent? Smaller? or the same width and length? Also i have heard to fold it in a different directions than the same way everytime so that you do not thin it out at the creases, eventually wearing it down

cut the tyvek smaller than the footprint of your tent. otherwise, if it sticks out, water will get on top and run under your tent. You are now protecting the ground from getting wet......

"Check construction sites. They may give you a scrap piece that would be big enough for your purposes. You can practice your yogi skills.....;)"

Man, I tried this the other day and I got shut down, I even said please! Guess I wil have to work on yogi skills!! :)

I have heard of using Tyvex and was thinking of using it as a ground cloth for my thru that i am planning to do in about 5-8 years,....

In 5-8 years I'm sure they will have invented something new.

Panzer

True but i am going to be doing some section hiking when i can, i am a junior in High school and 5-8 years would be we i would get out of college maybe even 9

"Check construction sites. They may give you a scrap piece that would be big enough for your purposes. You can practice your yogi skills.....;)"

Man, I tried this the other day and I got shut down, I even said please! Guess I wil have to work on yogi skills!! :)

Wait till they're done with the job and get some out of the dumpster. We always had plenty of big pieces to throw away after we wraped a house.

I would'nt ask for a new piece off the roll, that's money out of the man's pocket.

Tyvek works great. When I bought my Tarptent solo tent from Henry Shires I went ahead and got it from him. Like he says, it may be overkill for a groundsheet but, it works. I washed in cold water so that it became more pliable (did not put it in the drier) and now it doesn't crackle everytime I moved around on it and it is easier to fold up. Been in the rain and no water in the tent yet. It's light and exceptionally durable.

Hey when you wash it (in cold water and no soap), does it mess the washer up with anything?

Not that I know of-the vapor transmission is a mechanical property of the fibers, not a surface treatment that might wash off- thing to watch out for is any water caught in the folds during the spin cycle- this will end up on the floor when you remove the tyvek from the washer- ask me how I know...
HTH, Betsy

Creative. Good idea for a groundcloth.

I saw many hikers using tyvek as a ground cloth or to go under sleeping bag in shelters. It looks to be a very good idea!

David

How well does tyvek hold a grommet?

If you use tyvek as a ground cloth, it will likely envelope you & kill you in your sleep. It may clone you first... perfectly replicating you & replacing your corpse with a replicant. DuPont is diabolical.

If you use tyvek, remember it is directional! It is made to let moisture out of your house. Put the lettered side down or it will let the moisture into your sleeping bag.


Not true, Tyvek is not directional. They tell you to mount the tyvek with printing side out so the advertising is showing, no other reason.

Yes when using it you should put the printing side down and keep the ugly printing hidden.

I'm still planning on replacing my 2 pound gortex bivy with a tyvek flap taped to my full sized blue foam pad along one side. I would drape it over my sleeping bag and tuck it under on the other side and the bottom, but it would roll up flat with the blue foam pad. I would also like to try one of those tyvek suits in winter as an overgarment for extreme cold.

5-8 is a prison sentence. Are you in prison? I've never heard of someone actively planning a thru 8 yrs in advance. You have my applause and incedulity.

My ankle is wearing away. I asked my doctor, should I stop hiking? Am I eating up the fixed # of miles I have left. Dr. responded that in 20 yrs they'll have ankle replacements - don't worry.

As for Tyvek, 8 yrs from now hey will have invented something "better", if that's at all possible.

That's a good point BlackCloud. I think all people should endeavour to finish a thru-hike alot healthier and happier than when they began. It doesn't have to be a death march. It should be just normal healthy living. That said, our bodies don't last forever. and were never meant to. Good luck with those ankles. When one goes, you've still got the other until those spare parts finally show up. Cheers.

That's a good point BlackCloud. I think all people should endeavour to finish a thru-hike alot healthier and happier than when they began. It doesn't have to be a death march. It should be just normal healthy living. That said, our bodies don't last forever. and were never meant to. Good luck with those ankles. When one goes, you've still got the other until those spare parts finally show up. Cheers.

THX 4 the "support"

I used it two years ago and when I folded it up I used magic marker to write, "Hiker to town" on one side and "Hiker to trailhead" on the other side. I thought it helped as a sign.

I was doing a little search on the subject myself; including multiple suppliers on-line. This site had the best prices (cheap) beyond looking for a free construction handout. www.zpacks/accessories/tyvek.shtml. I'll be ordering some before my next hike. $8.75 for a 4.5 x 7 foot piece.

Hey when you wash it (in cold water and no soap), does it mess the washer up with anything?
NO. i use warm with fabric softener. works good. after softened it takes stain perty well. i was using mine for a tarp,. wanted the white out of it. used a oilbase deck stain. whit still shows through, but not as stark.

I'm still planning on replacing my 2 pound gortex bivy with a tyvek flap taped to my full sized blue foam pad along one side. I would drape it over my sleeping bag and tuck it under on the other side and the bottom, but it would roll up flat with the blue foam pad. I would also like to try one of those tyvek suits in winter as an overgarment for extreme cold.

Nice call JAK... that might work pretty well... and be dirt cheap...

I'm still planning on replacing my 2 pound gortex bivy with a tyvek flap taped to my full sized blue foam pad along one side. I would drape it over my sleeping bag and tuck it under on the other side and the bottom, but it would roll up flat with the blue foam pad. I would also like to try one of those tyvek suits in winter as an overgarment for extreme cold.

If you tape your groundcloth and sleeping pad together, IMO you'll find thoroughly cleaning either to be more difficult.

I bought a box of six six XL paint suits on eBay the other day for like $10.00. Going to wear one out in the rain to see how well that works in a storm. Yea, my neighbors will think I'm nuts ! Will let you know when I make the test ! LOL

If you use tyvek as a ground cloth, it will likely envelope you & kill you in your sleep. It may clone you first... perfectly replicating you & replacing your corpse with a replicant. DuPont is diabolical.

Tyveklicants?

Help Help .... the world is being repopulated by Tyveklicants .....

Sounds like a bad 50's sci fi flick.