View Full Version : organic Fabric choices
rappglenn
06-28-2009, 22:05
I am just getting into the idea of making some of my own more complicated gear (packs and such) and i was wondering has anyone used ore even heard of any good light weight earth friendly fabrics to use in tents and or packs things like hemp, organic cotton and such anyone used them
Snowleopard
06-29-2009, 11:57
The best cottons are good for reliably dry and cold conditions.
A tight weave Egyptian cotton is pretty good for tents but extremely hard to find. People that do very cold weather backpacking in places like Maine and Quebec tow sleds and use canvas tents and wood stoves. Ventile cotton fabric is preferred for parkas for arctic/antarctic conditions -- very cold and very dry. Silk was used for tents 90 years ago; it isn't waterproof, but if pitched very taut sheds most of the rain.
When there is any possibility of getting wet and cold the saying "cotton kills" is true. Use cotton only
For cold/wet, wool is pretty good. Generally, for clothing: wool, a bit of silk, and down are all natural.
For packs, canvas is OK, but heavy.
All these fabrics can mold/mildew if they are left wet.
I admire your interest in Earth fabrics, as opposed to synthetic fabrics made from largely from oil.
One route to investigate is mountain man living history arts, specifically "period trekking". They use historically accurate packs which are not very heavy and perform fairly well in foul weather. They seem to use linen, wool, and leather. There is also info available on making period shelters, generally out of waterproofed linen. They have certain advantages (including esthetics); they are not flammable.
There is an interesting article on "Peiod Trekking" by Mark A Baker in The book of buckskinning, vol. Vi, p. 152-179. Field tested and well researched gear and methods.
Maybe not what you were looking for, but there is a lot of good information on effective natural gear that people used before all the synthetics came out after WWII. After all, people have been travelling and living in the woods for a long time.
Modern ways are not necessarily the best (view the angst of any group of novice hikers using modern gear).
Snowleopard
06-29-2009, 22:50
A good source for info on old fashioned gear, including MYOG is:
Camping and Woodcraft, by Horace Kephart, 1917 (reprinted and still available).
This is my favorite book. There is a mountain named after Kephart on the AT.
http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Woodcraft-Handbook-Travelers-Wilderness/dp/0870495569/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1
Available free online at: http://www.archive.org/details/campingwoodcraft00kephrich
sil-nylon doesn't harm the earth
World-Wide
06-30-2009, 03:43
I am just getting into the idea of making some of my own more complicated gear (packs and such) and i was wondering has anyone used ore even heard of any good light weight earth friendly fabrics to use in tents and or packs things like hemp, organic cotton and such anyone used them
Might want to ask the Vegans on WB!!! ;) W-W
World-Wide
06-30-2009, 04:05
Might want to ask the Vegans on WB!!! ;) W-W
Before I piss-off all the Vegans on this site, my comment above is genuine. The 3 or 4 Vegans I know don't just focus their practice around food, they mold it into their entire life-style. example: one girl I know only wear's hemp clothing. (an organic material) W-W
Rockhound
06-30-2009, 10:32
Fact: Vegans tend to have more gas than us omnivores. All that methane is destroying the planet! It's the vegans fault!:rolleyes:
Snowleopard
06-30-2009, 11:02
sil-nylon doesn't harm the earth
This is not as silly as it sounds. Some of the waterproofing treatments used on wool and cotton 90 years ago may have used more petroleum based products than just using silnylon instead. For example, from Kephart's book: make a solution of anhydrous lanolin in gasoline and soak wool garments in it for 3 minutes.
Maybe you can do some sort of waterproofing with bees wax that would be purely organic.
I applaud your intention to use natural materials.
Got my hands on some bamboo clothing and towels recently.
Amazing. Can't quite see how it would apply, but worth checking.
rappglenn
07-03-2009, 11:04
hemp is naturally resistant to mold and mildew so I'm thinking hemp canvas would be a good choice to use and it is incredibly durable just have to see how light you can go before it get to weak and i would probably treat it with beeswax for water proofing
mister krabs
07-03-2009, 11:58
hemp is naturally resistant to mold and mildew so I'm thinking hemp canvas would be a good choice to use and it is incredibly durable just have to see how light you can go before it get to weak and i would probably treat it with beeswax for water proofing
I have a couple of canvas duluth packs (http://duluthpack.com/product_detail.aspx?product=Heavy%20Duty%20Duluth% 20Packs), one is waxed (frost river) and the other (duluth pack brand) is not. Even with the wax, you still need a liner to keep modern sleeping gear dry. I say skip the waterproofing and just use a liner. Sure the unwaxed canvas will soak up water when it's raining, and that water is heavy, but it will dry fairly quickly and lighten back up. If you use wax, you're essentially *always* carrying that extra weight of the (wax) soaked canvas for not very much gain in water resistance.
If you don't want to use a petrochemical derived liner, you'll just have to deal with wet stuff like the voyageurs of old. Then I'd wax it and get a wool bedroll.
rappglenn
07-03-2009, 17:06
i am not completly against using modern stuff just would like to use something better for the earth if i can i has any one used hemp clothing i have heard it lasts forever
Pedaling Fool
07-03-2009, 17:44
i am not completly against using modern stuff just would like to use something better for the earth if i can i has any one used hemp clothing i have heard it lasts forever
Petroleum doesn't hurt the earth (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513130944.htm)
Fact: Vegans tend to have more gas than us omnivores. All that methane is destroying the planet! It's the vegans fault!:rolleyes:
That's LOL!
Yeah, hemp, bamboo fiber, and my favorite, merino wool.
pahillbillybear
07-04-2009, 21:23
Rapp, I think quite a bit like you. I also prefer natural fabrics. Only problem I have found is finding someone to sew my gear for a reasonable price. Walmart does have a brother sewing machine for $80. Also natural products, such as hemp cost more. Try these folks for hemp. *Summer Star HaeskeEnviroTextiles LLCIntl. Sales Manager(970)945-5986. Summer Is the contact person. $24 for a yard of hemp but it'll last. I haven't given up on making my own stuff. I'm in stand by mode. Maybe someday. BEAR
rappglenn
07-04-2009, 23:49
hemp canvas is probably the best for packs, stuff sacks, and other things go for the lightest weight i can find and for cloths and some other things i can use linen made from hemp or organic cotton. some things i wont be able to go all the way with like the shelter
pahillbillybear
07-05-2009, 00:21
Rapp also try tyvek. This is a material made by Dupont. It is 100% recycleable and waterproof. I bought 2 yards of it. It appears to be very strong. But it is very loud and crinkly sounding. Also very light.
pahillbillybear
07-05-2009, 00:25
Also check out this web site for tyvek. www.antigravitygear.com
Surplusman
07-06-2009, 14:36
Well, if you're going to go the natural route, how about good old cotton canvas? Rugged as hell, but not waterproof waterproof so you got to use a trashbag as a liner. There are plenty of military surplus canvas packs floating around out there. However, they're not the most comfortable things to carry, I've found, and they are heavy compared to synthetic packs. But they are cheap. Get one and try it out. If you don't like it, you're not out a big chunk of change. And you can still use it around town or as a bookbag.
rappglenn
07-06-2009, 22:28
i was thinking since i like external frame packs i hate a wet back i am going to try and recycle an old Alice pack frame or other pack frame and build some thing up on it with some hemp canvas or linen as light fabric as i can go before loosing strength