Recently, Kyle of Ripstopbytheroll sent me 8 yards of his newMembrane Sil to make a hex with. I thought I would take a break and share my initial impressions with you. I just happen to have 8 yards of SilArgon to compare it to. As far as weight, it is comparable.Argon Sil.jpgMembrane Sil.jpg

Like Kyle said: the Membrane has two distinct sides. The face has a matte finish and the back is more glossy. It is not a ripstop, but a plain weave.

Amazingly, it does seem to have much less bias stretch than the 15 or 20 denier ripstop sil-fabrics. I don't know how to quantify that for you, but it is noticeable.

The first thing I noticed is the way it feels and handles. It feels as soft and light as Argon, but is much less slippery than other silnylons, including SilArgon.
Being less slippery, it sews like a dream: no problems with feeding or uneven stitches from the fabric layers sliding against each other. Compared to regular silnylon it is very easy to sew. Have you noticed how silnylon will slide itself off the table if even the smallest portion is left hanging off the edge?
Not this stuff. 20141219_141814_resized.jpgcutting.jpg20141219_132649_resized.jpg20141219_140412_resized.jpg

I will post pictures of the tarp later when it's finished, I just wanted to share my initial impression of this remarkable new material with y'all.