cuben fiber tarps -- pricing stable or likely to come down?

[Elaikases]

My real question is whether or not cuben fiber fabric is going to stay stable in price or might come down.

Anyone have any idea? Seems like the patents should be expired.

===========================

Background.


I was looking at 8'x10" or 8'x12' tarps.

The fabric looks like it is $32.00 per running yard at 54" or 9' (when doubled) x 12' or 2 units per yard for 12' or 4 yards. 8x32=$256.00

An 8x10' tarp purchased as a tarp is $355.00. Or 8.5' x 10' rectangle - $275. 7.7 ounces



https://ripstopbytheroll.com/product...mposite-fabric

https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.co...SABEgKxgfD_BwE

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/tarps.shtml

https://dutchwaregear.com/product/dy...posite-fabric/ -- heavier fabric.

http://graysoncobb.com/diy-two-ounce-tarp/

http://www.carryology.com/insights/i...light-fabrics/

[Dogwood]

I want to read these opinions. Let em rip.

[fastfoxengineering]

Why do you want a cuben tarp?

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[fastfoxengineering]

I should add. Yes cuben is expensive but at least your looking at it from a manufacturers standpoint on price. They're not charging ridiculous prices as some people would claim. They charge a reasonable fee to produce these goods. Materials cost is expensive for them too.


But no I don't see DCF getting much cheaper and time soon.

But once again... What are the reasons you want a Cuben tarp?

Don't just do it cause they're lighter. Lighter is not always better. What applications is this tarp for?



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[Hatchet_1697]

In the short term it will probably stay around the same price. Long term it might come down. There is a lot of research going on with DCF — ballistics applications to protect against IEDs, Dyneema carbon fiber materials for race cars, new variants for aviation/space applications. The more uses found for DCF the more is made the lower the price. Supply and demand.

Geek aside, if you want a DCF tarp and can afford it buy it. Or wait for the off season holiday discounts. Some of those are pretty good deals.


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[Bronk]

In the short term it will probably stay around the same price. Long term it might come down. There is a lot of research going on with DCF — ballistics applications to protect against IEDs, Dyneema carbon fiber materials for race cars, new variants for aviation/space applications. The more uses found for DCF the more is made the lower the price. Supply and demand.

Geek aside, if you want a DCF tarp and can afford it buy it. Or wait for the off season holiday discounts. Some of those are pretty good deals.


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And look at the end users of these kinds of products and who will be paying for them. That should tell you right there that the prices won't come down. These are high end buyers who don't much care if they are getting a bargain. Prices will come down when Walmart starts selling cheap knockoffs of the name brand products and millions of them are being produced. I'd bet 95% of all hikers and backpackers don't even know what cuben fiber is.

[Coffee]

Geek aside, if you want a DCF tarp and can afford it buy it. Or wait for the off season holiday discounts. Some of those are pretty good deals.

zPacks was offering $100 off orders of $1,000 or more last year which is about as good of a discount as we'll ever see, I think. I'm hoping my Hexamid lasts me through November. If they repeat this Black Friday promotion, I will swallow hard and order a new tent and some other things I've been looking at for a very long time.

[Dogwood]

A state of the DCF market report, on WB?

[madgoat]

A state of the DCF market report, on WB?

BPL ain't doing it. They are far to interested in spending all their time supporting (read - making excuses for) their garbage forum software, charging people to post, and producing very little content in return. But for $97 dollars a year, you can post, sell stuff, and get access to skills webinars which they say they will make.

Or you can hang out at WB or r/ultralight and get all that for free.

[Cheyou]

BPL ain't doing it. They are far to interested in spending all their time supporting (read - making excuses for) their garbage forum software, charging people to post, and producing very little content in return. But for $97 dollars a year, you can post, sell stuff, and get access to skills webinars which they say they will make.

Or you can hang out at WB or r/ultralight and get all that for free.

Wow ! Throw them all under the bus .

[madgoat]

Wow ! Throw them all under the bus .

Just kinda sad to see them be such a shadow of what they once were. It looks like they are trying to make a path forward this year by setting out a plan for future articles, skills teaching, etc. But the masses don't even bother because they cannot participate in the forums for free.

[madgoat]

But back on topic. I don't see the price of cuben fiber getting any lower since there is no competitor to it currently. Some of the 7d silpoly stuff is promising (GG The One, GG The Two). And we are still waiting to see the finished weight on the Lunar Solo and Skyscape Trekker refreshes at Six Moon Designs. The Gatewood Cape went from 13oz to 10oz with their new sil nylon/sil poly or whatever it is material. If the gatewood cape dropped 3oz, I expect the Lunar Solo and the Skyscape to drop even more since they have larger canopies and floors.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

But back on topic. I don't see the price of cuben fiber getting any lower since there is no competitor to it currently. Some of the 7d silpoly stuff is promising (GG The One, GG The Two). And we are still waiting to see the finished weight on the Lunar Solo and Skyscape Trekker refreshes at Six Moon Designs. The Gatewood Cape went from 13oz to 10oz with their new sil nylon/sil poly or whatever it is material. If the gatewood cape dropped 3oz, I expect the Lunar Solo and the Skyscape to drop even more since they have larger canopies and floors.

Not only no competitor, but people continue to buy it. The market says that the price delta is worth it, so there's a price delta.

[yaduck9]

But back on topic. I don't see the price of cuben fiber getting any lower since there is no competitor to it currently. Some of the 7d silpoly stuff is promising (GG The One, GG The Two). And we are still waiting to see the finished weight on the Lunar Solo and Skyscape Trekker refreshes at Six Moon Designs. The Gatewood Cape went from 13oz to 10oz with their new sil nylon/sil poly or whatever it is material. If the gatewood cape dropped 3oz, I expect the Lunar Solo and the Skyscape to drop even more since they have larger canopies and floors.

New Osprey Pack, an upscale Exos that uses a new fabric. Osprey gives the fabric their own proprietary name, but it appears to be some cuben derivative.
https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product...ITY45_577.html
For 50 bucks retail you lose approx 8 oz of weight
Cuben fiber without calling it cuben fiber?
Major pack company delving into the market area of cottage companies?

[Offshore]

BPL ain't doing it. They are far to interested in spending all their time supporting (read - making excuses for) their garbage forum software, charging people to post, and producing very little content in return. But for $97 dollars a year, you can post, sell stuff, and get access to skills webinars which they say they will make.

Or you can hang out at WB or r/ultralight and get all that for free.

And until very recently, if you registered on WB you could have your email address exposed and harvested. The upside of this sloppy site administration is that registered WB users got AT melodrama spam about stalkers, identity theft, and illicit love affairs among AT celebrities. All this - completely free of charge. BPL would probably charge extra for that.

[Hatchet_1697]

A state of the DCF market report, on WB?

Yeah, lol. I was in work mode when I read this and totally geeked out. The DCF-carbon fiber mix for race cars/race trucks is cool, but no real UL backpacking applications. Always looking for something strong but lighter.


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[MuddyWaters]

I don't think the market for Cuben is big enough that it matters. Much of the cost of Cuben gear is the fact that has to be made by hand by skilled people, and can't simply be farmed out to any sewing shop in taiwan.

[yaduck9]

[QUOTE=Elaikases;2199650]My real question is whether or not cuben fiber fabric is going to stay stable in price or might come down.

Anyone have any idea? Seems like the patents should be expired.

===========================

Background.


I was looking at 8'x10" or 8'x12' tarps.

The fabric looks like it is $32.00 per running yard at 54" or 9' (when doubled) x 12' or 2 units per yard for 12' or 4 yards. 8x32=$256.00

An 8x10' tarp purchased as a tarp is $355.00. Or 8.5' x 10' rectangle - $275. 7.7 ounces


I don't know if the price will ever come down in the near future.

It appears to be a relatively specialized product ( at least in terms of manufacturing volume ) to generate enough competition between mfg.

The raw material itself appears to be some form of plastic that is easy to come by but creating it into a use able product is tough to do ( speculation on my part ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-...t_polyethylene

I too, have noticed that the retail price for the fabric, is quite high compared to what one can purchase as a usable product. That is a head scratcher for me. I am sure there is a rational answer. Just, don't know what it is.

just an opinion.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

“Good Lord,” he murmured, “good Lord! What will you people do next? Look here. What's your basis of applying freight rates, anyhow?” he suddenly vociferated with furious sarcasm. “What's your rule? What are you guided by?”But at the words, S. Behrman, who had kept silent during the heat of the discussion, leaned abruptly forward. For the only time in his knowledge, Dyke saw his face inflamed with anger and with the enmity and contempt of all this farming element with whom he was contending.“Yes, what's your rule? What's your basis?” demanded Dyke, turning swiftly to him.S. Behrman emphasised each word of his reply with a tap of one forefinger on the counter before him:“All—the—traffic—will—bear.”

[yaduck9]

“Good Lord,” he murmured, “good Lord! What will you people do next? Look here. What's your basis of applying freight rates, anyhow?” he suddenly vociferated with furious sarcasm. “What's your rule? What are you guided by?”But at the words, S. Behrman, who had kept silent during the heat of the discussion, leaned abruptly forward. For the only time in his knowledge, Dyke saw his face inflamed with anger and with the enmity and contempt of all this farming ele1ment with whom he was contending.“Yes, what's your rule? What's your basis?” demanded Dyke, turning swiftly to him.S. Behrman emphasised each word of his reply with a tap of one forefinger on the counter before him:“All—the—traffic—will—bear.”

lmao................I believe I stated that there must be a rational answer.

The poor child was traumatized by the actions of a world gone mad and unfortunately never quite got over it.