Help ID this "ripstop"

**Lonely Raven** · 08-04-2010, 08:15

I'll get photos tonight. I was in a hurry and didn't get a chance to but out the Nikon and take some proper macro photos...

Anyways, I bought some material from a guy on another forum. It was sold to me as "high grade acu camo silnylon". I was excited to get any camo-sil, and was ecstatic to see a nice digital camo pattern when I opened the box. But when I picked it up...well, it's heavy, and rubbery feeling. It's a lighter color on the back than on the top. I was told I could seal seams using the DIY Sil treatment. As is, this stuff is "water proof"; the guy told me it held a couple gallons of water overnight without losing a drop. There is a faint ripstop looking pattern, but it doesn't look robust.

Does this sound like anything you guys are familiar with? From searching the forums, it unfortunately sounds like the Walmart "ripstop" that's 3.0oz a square yard...which was sold to me at $6.00 a yard!

**Just Jeff** · 08-04-2010, 08:16

Sounds like it may be urethane coated ripstop.

**NCPatrick** · 08-04-2010, 08:21

Sounds like urethane to me too. I'm not too sure silicone treatment would work on it if it is...? A picture will really help identify it.

**Lonely Raven** · 08-04-2010, 08:35

Originally Posted by NCPatrick

Sounds like urethane to me too. I'm not too sure silicone treatment would work on it if it is...? A picture will really help identify it.

I'll be getting some photos up tonight. I didn't want to waste anyones time with a camera phone photo, and the Nikon wasn't available.

I know this guy uses this material for Tipi and tarps, and I bought it to use it for a DIY hammock tarp, but I'm afraid this may be 3.0oz stuff. The math says it's about 3.0.

**NCPatrick** · 08-04-2010, 08:51

Just fyi, fwiw:

"high grade acu camo silnylon"

I've never seen true camo silnylon anywhere, so this raises a red flag. People have made their own, but I doubt that there is actual camo sil out there for sale.

I could be wrong and I'm not saying it's not so, but that's been my experience. I have doubts about it.

**Lonely Raven** · 08-04-2010, 08:54

Further Searching the forums, I found these photos/threads that look like what I'm working with:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...d.php?p=205765

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...tal+camo+heavy

Those look like what I'm working with...it looks like I kinda got jipped on this stuff. It's probably solid, but it's not Silnylon.

**NCPatrick** · 08-04-2010, 09:02

As far as truth in advertising, I think you may have gotten taken in, but as far as having a workable tarp material I think you're still ok. Still a fun material to work with, even if it turns out not to be silnylon.

**Knotty** · 08-04-2010, 09:07

Like NCP wrote, camo sil doesn't seem to exist commercially. Can you ask for a refund considering the false advertising?

**Lonely Raven** · 08-04-2010, 09:24

Originally Posted by NCPatrick

As far as truth in advertising, I think you may have gotten taken in, but as far as having a workable tarp material I think you're still ok. Still a fun material to work with, even if it turns out not to be silnylon.

Yeah, I'll make it, and probably sell it for the cost of materials once I make or buy something better/lighter. This stuff *is* probably pretty indestructible, but it's not what I wanted. It will do fine in the mean time.

Are you aware of any place that does sell (untreated) digital camo ripstop? I don't mind doing the treatment myself to get the product I want. It will be something new to try!

Originally Posted by Knotty

Like NCP wrote, camo sil doesn't seem to exist commercially. Can you ask for a refund considering the false advertising?

No, probably not. I just send him an E-mail giving him a bit of grief about it not being Silnylon, and him just calling anything coated a silnylon. I just won't buy from him again (he's not a member here, but is on other forums, so I don't want to call him out in public on it). He did offer to send me a sample so I could judge for myself, but I doubt a little swatch would have been enough for me to tell the weight was off, though I may have spotted it as not being Silnylon. Besides, my WBBB is going to show up soon, and I needed material for a tarp ASAP, so it was my own fault for rushing into it in my excitement of finding digital camo Silnylon. I'll know better for the future.

**Chicky** · 08-04-2010, 09:39

I've got some of the material you're talking about...definatly not silnylon. I think we decided it was urethane coated ripstop.

It is extremely heavy, but it is also very durable and waterproof. I field tested my DIY tarp made of the stuff for a full week a couple days ago at Camp Daniel Boone in NC. This included heavy rain everyday of the week. It also stayed very taut without SLT's and held up great in the direct sunlight or the pouring rain.

Hopefully the guy you bought from will give back some of your $$.

chicky