Fabric Question

[dufus934]

I bought some material from Wal-Mart, and I'm not sure what it is exactly. I know it is rip stop nylon, but it has some kind of finish also. It isn't completely waterproof. What I did to test the waterproofness of this fabric was rubberband a peice of the fabric over the opening of a drinking glass and made a depression in the fabric to hold water. After a littlewhile, I checked back and there were only a few drops slipping through. Before I did this I made sure the fabric was saturated. I also did the same thing with a dry piece of cloth, and even less water got through. SO, to make a long question a little shorter...what fabric do I have? Anyone have any idea? I also did a breathability test to the fabric and it is somewhat breathable, but not by much.

My plan is to make a tarp with material since there will be a ridgeline causing water to run off and there will be no standing water on this fabric. I think it will work, but I wanted some opinions on this issue. Thanks all!

[NCPatrick]

Sounds like DWR: (from the Article "Glossary for hammocking")

Durable Water Repellent - also called DWR. A fabric treatment that improves wind and water resistance but allows the fabric to remain breathable. Can be a chemical wash-in or spray-on treatment to an existing fabric or can be incorporated into the material's manufacture. Generally comes in 1.1 oz and 1.9 oz weights, and useful for projects requiring breathability like hammock, windsuits, quilt shells, etc.

You could use it for a tarp, and just hope and pray that it doesn't rain for very long. Most use the waterproof silnylon for tarps...

[dufus934]

well I'm going to go for it. I got 28 yds of it from Wal-Mart so, I gotta use it for something. haha

[NCPatrick]

Good luck! Post pictures!

[slowhike]

i personally think you may be pushing your luck by making a tarp that's needed to keep you dry out of it.
i'd use it for quilts, hammocks, & socks. JMHO

[HappyCamper]

i personally think you may be pushing your luck by making a tarp that's needed to keep you dry out of it.
i'd use it for quilts, hammocks, & socks. JMHO

Dufus, you're getting some good advice . There's so much else you can do with that material. Like slowhike says -- quilts, hammocks, socks.

FYI -- I've returned material to WalMart when I found out it wasn't what I wanted. They make you take it back to the material section and get it remeasured and tagged, but then they give you your money back.

[slowhike]

not wanting to call myself an expert , i just don't want to see a person get them self in trouble.
shelter is important!!! if your shelter lets you get wet, that could be a dangerous situation.

[Oh-No]

My suggestion (before you make your tarp) is to hang
the material on a clothes line. squirt a hose at one side of it,
and watch how much mist blasts through and out the other
side. That is what will happen in a hard rain. Then decide
if you want to use that material for a tarp.

from the "learned it the hard way, backyard testing" school

[NCPatrick]

I'm not an expert either. I would say that as long as you don't put yourself in a Dangerous Situation I don't see anything wrong with learning from the experience.

On the other hand I would hate to see someone go through all the effort of making a tarp, and then be disappointed with the performance of the materials used.

It might turn out to be a great fair weather "shade" tarp.

As long as you're willing to understand and live with the consequences (like getting wet in this case), you can make it any way you want. That's the beauty of DIY gear!

[dufus934]

If I decide not to make a tarp out of this fabric and at the risk of hijacking the thread I started, what are some places (other than Wal-Mart) that I can get silnylon. Also, what are some other fabrics that I can use to make a tarp? Are there any other cost effective materials that I can use for a tarp, or is silnylon the most budget friendly fabric? Sorry to be asking so many "newbie" questions, but I am still relatively new to making gear other than soda can stoves.