View Full Version : UltraLight Ripstop
So I found this link in another thread and was wondering about using some of the .75oz/yd ripstop for a lightweight tarp. Has anyone ordered this fabric from kite builder, it's pretty cheap and a DIY sil applied would still be under 1 oz/yd making for some inexpensive light weight gear....
Not sure if I'd trust it for a hammock...Don't want to end up on the ground...:lol::lol::lol:
http://www.kitebuilder.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/24_108_230_115?osCsid=e5e5495e98aed8a9152e15f54e9f 6562
MarshLaw303
11-02-2010, 14:54
it is measured in sail maker's yds for weight. It is very similar to 1.1 in weight as I've heard. Also they tend to put a stiffening agent on kite fabric, not waterproof but not breathable, makes it kinda useless for many things. Doing the DIY sil might make a workable solution but that is yet to be seen. Lots of talk on BPL about it a few years back, not sure if there was much of a conclusion though sorry.
-Tim
I made this stuffsack from the .5 oz from Sailrite. It's crinkly and super-thin, but made a great lightweight sack. I suppose there are many uses for it if its limitations are taken into account.
kc7fys
Nice job on the stuff sack... Looks like the ripstop is on the larger size.. I like all the colors options that are avail... Whats the difference between sail maker yard and standard yardage...
Lonely Raven
11-02-2010, 15:53
I made this stuffsack from the .5 oz from Sailrite. It's crinkly and super-thin, but made a great lightweight sack. I suppose there are many uses for it if its limitations are taken into account.
kc7fys
Nice job on the stuff sack... Looks like the ripstop is on the larger size.. I like all the colors options that are avail... Whats the difference between sail maker yard and standard yardage...
I picked up some of their dark blue closeout a few weeks back...it arrived just before the Halloween weekend.
It is stiff and crinkly, and feels a bit lighter than 1.1 silnyl. I was going to see about using it for a test quilt, but it's way too crinkly for that. I figured I'd make a stuff sack and run it through the dryer with some tennis balls to see if that would soften it up (or ruin it) before I used it for anything else.
Even with shipping, I got it for just under $3 a yard. So it was a minimal loss.
ETA: This is what I got, but when I go it it was at $2.50 a yard. http://www.kitebuilder.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/24_110/products_id/1297?osCsid=e5e5495e98aed8a9152e15f54e9f6562
tight-wad
11-02-2010, 16:10
sailmaker's yard:
An English/American unit of area for measuring the weight of sailcloth. It is 28.5 inches wide by 36 inches long. To say a piece of cloth is 6.5 ounce means a piece measuring 28.5" by 36" would weigh 6.5 ounces. This rather strange "yard" seems to be a remnant from the days when it was universally agreed that no one would ever be able to build a loom wider than 28.5 inches which would weave sail cloth. (Today 54 inches is common.)
so... 28.5 x 36 inches versus a "true yard" which would be 36 x 36 inches
So if I'm not screwing up the math, the .75 oz sailmaker yard would be .95 oz per real square yard.
What I'm curious about, is i wonder if one could make a double layer hammock out of that .6oz polyester rip stop?
Ramblinrev
02-03-2011, 06:46
What I'm curious about, is i wonder if one could make a double layer hammock out of that .6oz polyester rip stop?
You can "make" anything you want out of anything you want. The question is how "usable" would it be. I would think cuben would provide a better product if sheer weight was the sole criteria. Crinkly, stiff, narrow fabric is not what I would call a good hammock material.