Marcin Jerzak | Ripstop.pl

When you think about tarp is it a simple piece of fabric with rope and few anchor points. Super simple project. What is the fuzz about it?

Tarp is the easiest and the lightest way for campaign. Minimalistic. If you count every gram before you start your tip, tarp will be you best friend. Simple construction brings tarp construction to one key decision – what fabric is best for you. Beside weight there are couple more aspects that should be taken into account: weatherproofness, durability and price. In this article compare for you:

Dyneema Composite
Polyester-ripstop with Silicon & PU
Nylon-ripstop Silicon
Polyester-ripstop PU
Poliester Silicon

If price is not an issue the choice is easy. Go for DyneemaⓇ. In every way it wins with all other fabrics that are available. It has multiple layers than ale laminated. High tech that you bring to your camping. Light, strong and waterproof. Tarp from Dyneema is a top quality product and easy DIY project.

If you don’t have the budget for high tech Dyneema you can go for polyester with silicon & PU or nylon with silicon. Polyester is less durable but more waterproof. Nylon with silicon has a bit lower waterproofness level but hight durability. In both options we are in 30-40g per square meter weight.

You can also go for plain polyester (ultra light) 30g with silicon & PU. This option is the lightest (Except Dyneema). This is probably the most popular choice of our friends. Satisfying weight comes together with good level of waterproofness. Durablity is not as high as with ripstop but just fine for tarp. If you are not into extreme weather condition it will do just fine.

The last and actually least is a polyester 300D. 135gsm weight makes it a great fabric for trap but it doesn’t fit in ultra light segment. It is almost unbreakable. On or client even described it will survive a rain of animals. Jokes aside it is great fabric for tarps but not the lightest one.

Choosing the right fabric for your DIY project is a key decision that you have to make before you start. Ripstop nylon or ripstop polyester? Impregnated or not. Which one has the right strength to weight ratio. Which ripstop is good for your hammock and which one for tarps or sleeping bag. In this article you will find answers for those questions.

What fabric for hammock?

The best fabric for light hammock is in our opinion ripstop nylon in a rage from 40D to 70D. That brings it to the weight between 40 to 65 grams per square meter. With those fabrics you can make a hammock that can hold 100-150kg with a reasonable weight of few hundred grams.

Why nylon and not polyester?

Nylon is breathable and more durable than polyester. Due to its stretchability it holds much more weight than polyester. Nylon 40-65 gsm can hold 100-150 of swinging weight. Polyester will not make it possible. If you want to get the same durability of polyester as nylon you have to choose two times heavier fabric.

Another reason why nylon is better for hammock is its breathability. This will improve the comfort, especially in the summer. Nylon nor polyester will not give you a proper isolation themselves but with nylon you might avoid unconformable night in hot summer season.

Another reason why nylon is better than polyester for hammock is the softness. Polyester hammock tent to be more like plastic bag when pure nylon will reward you with soft in touch nice feeling.

To sum up if you want to have a light, durable and comfortable hammock you should go for nylon. In you priority is waterproofness you might choose polyester but it is worth remebering that the rain usually comes not from the ground. If you are really afraid of rain, start thinking about tarp.

If you need more information and differences between nylon and polyester

Impregnated fabric for hammock?

If you are new to fabric impregnation methods please check our article ‘Impregnation and Laminates‘ . What we recommend for hammocks is nylon with DWR (Durable Water Repellency). It gives fabric water resistance and protect the outer layer of fabric from becoming saturated with water. With DWR you can easily shake off all morning dew drops from your hammocks. This impregnation method doesn’t decrease the breathability of fabric what is in our option the most important. We wouldn’t recommend nylon with PU or silicon for the same reason why we didn’t recommend polyester. With other than DWR impregnation methods nylon loses a bit of durability and its strength. Last but not least aspect that should be taken into account is of course price. Fabric with PU or silicon are more expensive than the same fabric with DWR. Specially impregnated nylon is perfect for tarps but not necesserly for hammocks.