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  1. #1
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    How long do high quality sil nylon tarps last?

    I've got a couple of tarps that are excellent quality(Hennessy, JRB), and only exposed to the sun for a few days a year and usually just for a few hours a day. So, mostly either pitched at night or stored dry, very little sun. But they are over 10 years old.

    Would Y'all trust them on a back packing trip? Or does sil nylon deteriorate after X years even when stored dry and out of the sun?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Halfed's Avatar
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    I own a 9 year olds Rab Siltarp 2. I use it as my living/kitchen camp, so it is exposed to the elements more time than the tarps I hang over my hammocks.
    It is in very good shape! I love it!
    I would say yes to your answer!
    _______________________________________________
    "Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”
    ― Winston S. Churchill

  3. #3
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    If you're not doing heavy UV exposure, I would expect that tarp to last a lifetime. Our cottage vendors make quality stuff.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #4
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Thanks, guys! Definitely no heavy duty UV, I always use cheap tarps for my backyard hanging. I rarely, if ever, use a tarp fr day hiking. So, mostly just hung in the late afternoon on backpacking trips, packed up the next morning. With a very few(maybe 3 or 4?) base camps staying in one camp for a few days over the years. So my guess is they are OK.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    I’m wondering if folks who have had one fail have anything to share.

    I’ve worked with sail material which is nylon based. It gives lots of warning long before it fails as it starts to break down. Loss of color, gets very kringkly and less flexible, fabric starts to look less consistent as it hangs.

  6. #6
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tpatter View Post
    I’m wondering if folks who have had one fail have anything to share.

    I’ve worked with sail material which is nylon based. It gives lots of warning long before it fails as it starts to break down. Loss of color, gets very kringkly and less flexible, fabric starts to look less consistent as it hangs.
    Good to know!

  7. #7
    New Member Shotgunwillie's Avatar
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    I just posted in the Wilderness Logics thread about my decade old Tadpole still being in excellent condition. That was my very first tarp and I wasn’t exactly gentle with it. It still works as advertised.


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  8. #8
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shotgunwillie View Post
    I just posted in the Wilderness Logics thread about my decade old Tadpole still being in excellent condition. That was my very first tarp and I wasn’t exactly gentle with it. It still works as advertised.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    I may have started a separate thread, perhaps a trip report, discussing how well my roughly 13+ year old patched up JRB tarp did on my Adirondaks trip. It functioned just as well as in the past, and kept me dry in a down pour followed by and all night light rain. I had an about the same age 12 ft long sil-nylon Hennessy tarp as either a back up or for my friend(who it turns out did not get to hang). It did not get used on that trip.

    But, I had it out 1 day after I got back home, pitched over a WBRR bridge hammock. At that time, I noticed what superb condition it was in. It almost seemed brand new, except the seam tape had come off, for which I seam sealed it. And then it kept my hammock dry thru a rainy night. Now, admittedly, it has seen no where near the use or abuse that my JRB has, which is still fully functional. It has seen no more than maybe a weeks total use over all of these years, mostly just stored dry in the house. Still, I could not help but notice how it looks and feels almost brand new.

  9. #9
    New Member Shotgunwillie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    Still, I could not help but notice how it looks and feels almost brand new.
    Longevity is the true value from cottage vendors, IMO. You just don’t get that quality from big box stores or Amazon Chinese purchases.


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  10. #10
    brohawk's Avatar
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    Own several tarps of different materials now and most are around 5-8 yrs old with no signs of wear or breakdown of coating. I always hang and dry my gear when I get home.
    Some days I can't tell whether I found a rope or lost a horse...

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