View Full Version : Silnylon gets heavy when wet..
Am I mistaken or is silnylon heavier when wet than traditional similar size, and thickness coated ripstop nylon? Seems silnylon soaks up water whereas coated nylon beads off. Maybe this is important to know if one will be in continuous wet weather using a tarp.
Has anyone done a test on this?
SilNylon does not soak up water.
A few hard shakes and silnylon is nearly dry. Obviously any water remaining on the material when packed will add weight, but to the best of my knowledge it does not absorb water.
tlbj6142
10-27-2004, 22:42
It does not get heavy when wet. It does, however, stretch a bit casuing tarps/tents to sag until re-tightened.
I don't believe Spinnaker fabric has the stretching issue like silnylon.
I wonder if the silnylon actually stretches or just the pullout/guys? Seems odd that water would make a completely water repellent material stretch.
steve hiker
10-28-2004, 00:57
I've had a problem with silnylon tarp stretching when wet, but it does not absorb water.
Footslogger
10-28-2004, 12:45
Yeah ...if you ball up your tent and stuff it in your pack in the morning before it has a chance to dry you might notice the weight.
The good news is that given a little extra time in the morning, most if not all the moisture sitting on the surface of the silnylon will dry off. Try pulling up the stakes, shaking the tent/tarp and then draping it over a small bush while you're eating breakfast and it should dry out, that is unless you wake up in a downpour.
I carried a silnylon shelter on my thru in 2003 and rarely if ever needed to carry it wet. In fact, if there was a breeze in the morning I sometimes just took everything out of the tent and left it standing with the flaps tied back. All moisture was gone by the time I needed to pack up the tent and start hiking.
'Slogger
AT 2003
Silnylon is very good with water, but I have been surprised in snow and ice. For something that is so slick it allows a considerable accumulation of blown snow. I carry my shelter stuffed into a mesh pocket and on icy mornings it is very heavy.
However silnylon will dry faster than the coated nylon.
For full out winter the Bibler and ID fabric is hard to beat.
It does not get heavy when wet. It does, however, stretch a bit casuing tarps/tents to sag until re-tightened.
I don't believe Spinnaker fabric has the stretching issue like silnylon.
I wonder if the silnylon actually stretches or just the pullout/guys? Seems odd that water would make a completely water repellent material stretch.
Anything made of nylon will stretch when it gets wet. Even high humidity affects nylon. I don't know what spinnacker fabric is made of, but dacron (polyester) is a common sail making material is much less stretchy than nylon. You can can by polyester cord to replace your nylon cord from a kite supply store at a reasonable price. There are other fibers that outperform polyester if you want to spend the money.
Interestingly, the old cotton tents would shrink when they got wet, the opposite of nylon.
grrickar
10-29-2004, 09:16
Are you sure the material you had was silnylon? As most have already stated, a quick shake and the water is gone from it. My tent and food bag are both made from it, and both got wet this last trip out. I did not notice any weight difference at all. Silnylon is shiny and feels slick to the touch, almost like oily nylon to me. Check your material and see if it has those properties. Water beads on both my tent and food bag.
tlbj6142
10-29-2004, 09:22
Anything made of nylon will stretch when it gets wet.Why? If it is coated by a waterproof layer... I just want to understand the science behind this stretching.
Youngblood
10-29-2004, 09:48
Why? If it is coated by a waterproof layer... I just want to understand the science behind this stretching.
That's a real good question... don't know the answer. I do see the term silicone impregnated nylon used, so my guess is that it is more like a new material than a waterproof layer? When I shake my wet silnylon tarp, all of the water does not just drop off, most of it comes of and what remains is more like smaller droplets of water that adhere to the suface.
Youngblood
Why? If it is coated by a waterproof layer... I just want to understand the science behind this stretching.
Waterproof is such a vague term.
tlbj6142
10-29-2004, 16:13
How about hydrophobic instead?