Silnylon VS PU Nylon Tarp

[magic354]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to hammock camping and am looking to buy my first tarp; however, living in the UK I have a significantly reduced range to chose from. DD Hammocks, a UK based company, have just released a new lightweight range and they have a 9.5ft x 10ft PU coated nylon tarp that weighs in at just over 16oz. It has a PU coating rated at 3,000mm. Its here below:

http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/DD_Superlight_Tarp

I really like the look of the silnylon cat cut hex tarps but it is simply uneconomical to get them shipped over to the UK.

My question for you all is as follows: are there any disadvantages of a PU nylon tarp compared to silnylon?

I have considered purchasing some silnylon and fabricating my own DIY tarp, I'm very handy with a sewing machine, would this be a better option?

In addition to this any general advice would be much appreciated!!

Cheers guys and gals,
Tom.

[Dutch]

Basically it comes down to weight. PU is usually heavier. Did you look at UK hammocks? He sells affordable Warbonnet tarps...http://ukhammocks.co.uk/shop/categor...aram=cid%3D%26

[ripstopbytheroll]

Weight and durability mainly. PU is a less durable coating than silicone. Manufacturing wise it's also a lot easier to apply and achieve a higher waterproof rating with PU. Put those together and you probably have the reason for seeing PU on cheaper tarps. I've also read that PU actually makes the coated fabric weaker while Sil makes it stronger, but I've never seen any data to back that up.

[craige]

Like Dutch said, Matt at ukhammocks sells warbonnet tarps. If you wanna have a go at making your own then extremtextil.de in Germany sells sil, although they don't always have the lightweight stuff. Saying that 8 yards from either Dutchware or ripstopbytheroll (both fantastic vendors btw) would cost less than £40 plus delivery and customs duties probably max £80 then you will have a great tarp from top notch fabrics.

I have a dd tarp and the workmanship is great but for most, myself included silnylon is MUCH better.

[magic354]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Dutch, I was not aware of UkHammocks, so thank you for bring them to my attention. I like the look of the Superfly, and everyone on here seems to rave about it. It will be available for shipping from the 1st June, so I think I'm going to splash out on one. I have been playing around with a cheap bit of tarpaulin and like having the option to close the 'doors' off when sleeping, it feels a bit more secure.

Thank you for the more technical reply Kyle, its interesting that the PU coating may weaken the fabric, whilst the sil strengthens it. If this is the case, definitely a big plus for using Silnylon.

Craige, cheers for the heads-up re the sil suppliers, I am heading over to the states to visit some friends in late August, so I might get some sent out to their place before I arrive and bring it home with me incase I have any future DIY plans. It will save on the postage too. I have brought quite a lot off DD Hammocks (Tree huggers, carabiners, am steel, and a hammock) and have been extremely impressed by the service and delivery etc., and their Camping Hammock seems to be very well made also.