RSBTR SilPoly 2nd Gen DIY Hex Tarp

**FJRpilot** · 09-08-2015, 21:15

Well, finally got around to making a new Hex Tarp using RSBTR Gen2 SilPoly and I wanted to share my new creation and impressions. First let me say that now that it's done, I really like the material. I found it more difficult to work with then traditional SilNylon, mostly because of how light the material is. Hindsight being 20-20, I would use a smaller needle and lighter thread. I also found that rolling a hem on the fly was very difficult to have it come out even. I ended up using Sailrite's .25 in basting tape on the hems and it worked perfectly.

I still need to seal the ridge line but it came in at 12.7 oz's with the 30ft CRL and a tarp wasp. Even if this add's another ounce, I'm pretty happy with the weight for an 11ft X 9.5ft tarp.

I just wanted to thank Kyle for the service he provides to our community. The Gen2 SilPoly is a hit in my book.ll

**latriper** · 09-08-2015, 21:17

Really nice!! Congrats!

**Kpi890** · 09-09-2015, 05:45

Looks good FJR! You struck my curiosity when you mentioned Sailrite's basting tape... I have tried using some local craft store basting tape and I couldn't get it to stick to silnylon at all. Does the basting tape you used stick to sil well?

**Wanderlost** · 09-09-2015, 06:32

That's a sharp looking tarp! Great job!

**FJRpilot** · 09-09-2015, 09:59

Originally Posted by Kpi890

Looks good FJR! You struck my curiosity when you mentioned Sailrite's basting tape... I have tried using some local craft store basting tape and I couldn't get it to stick to silnylon at all. Does the basting tape you used stick to sil well?

I wouldn't say that it really adheres, but it definitely is a substitute for pins and it helps me to form even hems. It works great on standard ripstop. I would recommend giving it a try. I also used it to place the corner reinforcements so I could roll the hem over the edges without pinning.

**Kpi890** · 09-09-2015, 10:25

Awesome thanks!

**Kidquick** · 09-09-2015, 11:19

Simple and nice! Could you elaborate on the basting tape a bit? Did you still roll the hems with the 1/4"?

**Snowball** · 09-09-2015, 15:04

Nice

I made a similar tarp not so long ago. I also love this fabric. It’s much better than SilNylon IMO.
I won’t say it’s difficult to work with but like SilNylon SilPoly can be a challenge. I think it’s because it is thin.
To be fair I have the same challenges with other thin fabrics.
For my tarp I used my hem guide and free hand folding. To be honest I am not 100% satisfied with the visual result but I am hard to please.
I have two kinds of double sided tape in my tool box but none of it will stick to SilNylon or in this case SilPoly. I wish it would. It would make life so much easier. I haven’t always been a fan of double sided tape because it will gum up the needle but I recently I changed needles to Microtex #90/14 and now I look at it differently (I use Gütermann Mare 70 thread).
Well it’s not a display object and it works so I am happy.
I used my tarp last weekend in rainy and windy conditions (no problems) but I got an idea I wish I had before I started making the tarp. I think the result would have been better.