Walmart ripstop nylon

[lustreking]

I'm just getting back into backpacking from a time before silnylon, so I don't have any silnylon gear yet.

One of the Walmarts in my area still has a fabric section and I found some dark green ripstop nylon in their bargain remnants. It feels pretty slick, and both sides look/feel the same. I don't think that I was able to blow air through it. I stretched some of it over a large mixing bowl, and poured a couple cups of water into it, which it held overnight.

This all sound like what I've read about silnylon, however, the cut edges do fray, which I've read shouldn't happen with sil. Are there any tests that I can do to make sure that it's silnylon before I go back and buy a bunch more of it?

[JRiker]

the cut edges on silnylon will fray up to the point of the lines for the squares. other than that, it sounds like silnylon to me, but others know more than i do. i'm sure they'll respond with the know all be all answer.

[JRiker]

also, try this link to a topic in this forum.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthre...ht=identifying

[tammons]

I fit is super slippery, lie you probably could not sew it without a serious pinning, its probably silnylon.

I would buy it. If its just DWR you could use it for something else.

Last dwr nylon I bought at wallmart cost $1.99 a yard.

[Jonnycat]

Oh man you guys are so lucky, my local wally only had ripstop once, untreated, and they just did away with their bargain section. According to the woman in the department, they are going to phase out fabric altogether at the local stores, waaaah!

[Tinker]

Put a match to a small section of it. If it goes up like gasoline, it's sil. Coated and uncoated nylon are both required to be flame retardant (unless this batch got by the testers). Silnylon cannot be made flame retardant (the silicone [rubber] burns by itself or on nylon).

[lustreking]

I'm pretty sure that it's not sil, even though it held water over night without leaking. After touching the fabric under the water, it soon started leaking and eventually drained through. It must be DWR then. Just for fun, I will do the match test tomorrow.

I guess tarps, ponchos, and pack covers are out, what does that leave other than stuff sacks that I can make out of this?

[Rocket Jones]

I'm pretty sure that it's not sil, even though it held water over night without leaking. After touching the fabric under the water, it soon started leaking and eventually drained through. It must be DWR then. Just for fun, I will do the match test tomorrow.

I guess tarps, ponchos, and pack covers are out, what does that leave other than stuff sacks that I can make out of this?

Parachutes, although they have a somewhat limited use when you're backpacking.

[bobgessner57]

Hammock, but you will want sil for the tarp overhead. You can also sometimes get stuff to make bug netting in the dollar section. Some of the fabrics are suitable for windshirts or other clothing. My Walmarts are doing away with the fabric dept.

[JRiker]

hammock is a great idea, i made one from camo dwr i got at wally world for 1.99/sq yd

[MagicCityMatt]

I'm pretty sure that it's not sil, even though it held water over night without leaking. After touching the fabric under the water, it soon started leaking and eventually drained through. It must be DWR then. Just for fun, I will do the match test tomorrow.

I guess tarps, ponchos, and pack covers are out, what does that leave other than stuff sacks that I can make out of this?

Be thankful you at least know. I made a rather time consuming project from some walmart bought ripstop that turned out to be DWR. It was supposed to be a water bucket but now it's more of an ultralight sieve.

M

[Rocketman]

My advice to WannaBe silnylon sewers is to actually buy some gear made out of the stuff, so you know what it looks like.

Consider carrying it with you into the store while you are shopping for the mythical $1.50 per yard silnylon at Walmart.

I still frequent all my local Walmarts that carry fabrics, and I haven't found SilNylon or Coated Nylon in the last 2 1/2 years.

Prior to that, I stockpiled about 50 years of SilNylon and 30 yards of Coated Nylon in a little over one year of looking.

My experience is that the supply, at least locally, of these bargain outdoor fabrics is way down.

Anybody else have the same experience?

[Rocketman]

Prior to that, I stockpiled about 50 yards of SilNylon and 30 yards of Coated Nylon in a little over one year of looking.

My experience is that the supply, at least locally, of these bargain outdoor fabrics is way down.

Anybody else have the same experience?

The software wants me to submit a longer message, so I did.

[lustreking]

My advice to WannaBe silnylon sewers is to actually buy some gear made out of the stuff, so you know what it looks like.

That's a good idea.

Does anyone have a small scrap of sil that they could send me? I just found another Walmart that still has a fabric department!