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brack
02-18-2004, 17:14
looking to make some waterproof stuff sacks, pack cover, etc... for an upcoming trip. just wanted to see if everyone thought this was to be the best material. and if so where is the best place to buy it off the net? also any good or bad experiences with working with this material? thanks...

DeoreDX
02-18-2004, 17:36
looking to make some waterproof stuff sacks, pack cover, etc... for an upcoming trip. just wanted to see if everyone thought this was to be the best material. and if so where is the best place to buy it off the net? also any good or bad experiences with working with this material? thanks...
I've worked with a lot of silnylon. The stuff is tought to work with, because it's so darned slippery! When I sew silnylon I almost always use a taut sewing technique, pulling on the fabric in front and behind the needle to keep the fabric in tension (not pulling it through the machine though, just keeping it in tension). I use a hot knife to cut my silnylon. You can seal the seams with a mixture of about 2 parts Mineral spirits to 1 part 100% silicone sealant (like GE silicone II). I've bought all of mine from Noah Lamport out of California (http://www.noahlamport.com). If you are buying a large quantity of Silny this is a good place to buy it. $2.75 a yard for second quality with a $5 cutting fee and shipping. Ask them to ship it off the roll because the rolls add a bunch of extra weight you would have to pay shipping on that you won't need. All the 2nd quality stuff I've ever purchased has been very good. Only time I can tell the material is seconds is when I get a section with too much coating which gives portions a whitish splotchy appearance.

papa john
02-18-2004, 17:52
Do they charge a $5.00 cutting fee for each order or each different type of fabric? Like, if I were to order 5 yds of 10 different colors would it be a $5 or $50 cut fee?

Rambler
02-18-2004, 17:57
Thru-hiker Kits (http://thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp) You will save a lot of weight making your own stuff sacks out of waterproof silnylon. Beyond Backpacking has an "extende collar" idea that makes the opening more water tight. The design is also used by Golite in some of their bags. Questoutfitters and Outdoor Wilderness Fabric., Inc. also sell silnylon in a variety of colors including bright yellow and orange. Make bags of diiferent colors to help you locate your gear or food. By no means a master at sewing, I do not find silnylon that difficult to work with. Use a rotary cutter to cut it. Quest (http://www.questoutfitters.com)
OWF (owfinc.com) Instead of using a garbage bag or trash compacter bag to waterproof the gear in your pack, make one large stuff sack out of silnylon. sewing tools and stuff sacks (community.webshots.com/album/98509133USxVCE)

DeoreDX
02-18-2004, 18:09
Do they charge a $5.00 cutting fee for each order or each different type of fabric? Like, if I were to order 5 yds of 10 different colors would it be a $5 or $50 cut fee?
Yeah... it's $5 per cut they have to make. So if you want 5 colors it's $5 per cut (sometimes they don't have to make a cut to sell you your fabric, but it's rare). For smaller quantities of different colors there are better places to make your order. Thru-hiker, owfinc, etc.

Peep
02-18-2004, 20:04
I'm in the process of making stuff sacs from silnylon myself. Ordered mine from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics for around $5 per yard. www.owfinc.com
It IS very slippery - try taming it down a little by using double sided tape...
Here's a link to some stuffsack patterns:
www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=12&cid=5
Peep

DeoreDX
02-18-2004, 20:18
Here is the stuff sack pattern I use that does not require a button hole. In the first step when dog-earing the corners it's easier with Silnylon to just go ahead and sew those down.

http://www.mindspring.com/~jine/sack.jpg