Cuben Fiber Tarp - Summer or Winter use?
I've just taken delivery of my new ZPacks CF Tarp, without doors. It seems to have great coverage, great workmanship, spectacular weight and it should serve me well for years to come. I hung it this evening in about 35 deg with a light breeze. It seems to be draftier than my Mamajamba. Is it the way it was hung and the direction of the breeze or is a CF tarp more suited for warmer weather? It looks like such thin material so I'm wondering if I should expect more draft through it. I love the tarp and I'm not regretting my purchase at all. I can't wait to go to the woods with it.
years of use? wind passing through? seasons to use?
I would bet that cuben is attacked by UV light (someone please confirm or deny this belief) so years of life might depend on how much you use it=I wouldn't leave it set up unused outside for lengthy amounts of time.
Wind passing through? There is a test that tells at what p.s.i. water will penetrate a given subrate. Again I'd like a professional answer but cuben by its nature has got to be far better at water (or wind) penetration than nylon even when coated with silicon.
Seasons to use? I use cuben (in sock form) year around now. It is the go-to fabric; but I used to say that about other materials over the years, materials that are now in the history books.