RBTR SilPoly Initial impressions

[hk2001]

Disclaimer: I am working with a production sample of SilPoly, provided to me by Kyle, The Head Goblin of Ripstopbytheroll.com. Please note that in the images below the selvage has not been trimmed, and the color is not one that's currently available in the first run of SilPoly. I hope the color becomes available later across his product line.

IMGP1752.jpg

Size and weight: The piece I received is exactly 300.5" or 8.35 yards long. Width, due to the the intact selvage is 61" wide, which means I have 14.1 square yards sitting in front of me. The entire piece weighs 16.9 ounces, which brings the finished weight after sil coating to 1.2 ounces per square yard.

IMGP1750.jpgIMGP1759.jpgIMGP1751.jpg

Compared to SilNylon, the SilPoly has very little stretch, and it feels less slippery to the touch. Both of these factors should make it easier to work with when it comes to rolling hems and sewing.. For people's first DIY adventures dealing with Sil, this may make a very good first step, as less stretch and slipping during sewing will lead to less frustration during production, and a better end product overall.

When it comes to the color.. as I said above in the disclaimer, I love it. I'd love to see it a hammock/tarp combo out of this. Here it is compared to Robin's Egg Blue HyperD 1.6 (on the left) and Robin's Egg Blue 1.1 Sil Nylon (right)

IMGP1754.jpg

And for my final picture, something I intend to do in all my fabric write up from this point out.. shot of the fabric on a light table to try and give people a better idea of the grid pattern. (please forgive the light & dark circles of light, that's my table, not the fabric)
IMGP1757.jpg

I'm very much looking forward to working with this fabric. Everything is there for this to be a successful product for cottage vendors and DIY'ers alike. Expect to see pictures of the work in progress, and finished tarp in the coming days.

[OutandBack]

Compared to SilNylon, the SilPoly has very little stretch

I like hearing this. Low stretch would be very nice.
Looking forward to your report on the finished product.

Other interesting specs would be how waterproof?
Does it mist in a heavy rain and how durable will this material be.

[Dave-O]

+1 on your report.

[craige]

Looks good, LOVE the colour!!!!

[Just Bill]

Any static issues?
It may be just me (and one other poster) but I had some crazy static on PolyD I recently tried.

Oh- light table idea is a fantastic one BTW! So much so that that exact shot would be nice to have from any vendor.

[BrianWillan]

I would be curious to know if it as waterproof as regular silnylong. Any chance of doing a water test? could be as simple as gathering as section of the fabric so it forms a bag and pour 1 or 2L of water in there and hang it up for a while to see if it holds it in.

Cheers

Brian

[ripstopbytheroll]

I would be curious to know if it as waterproof as regular silnylong. Any chance of doing a water test? could be as simple as gathering as section of the fabric so it forms a bag and pour 1 or 2L of water in there and hang it up for a while to see if it holds it in.

Cheers

Brian

A quick and dirty test I've started doing is licking my thumb and pressing it up into the fabric. You can get a good idea of the coating by judging how hard you have to press to see any fine droplets come through. I saw that in a thread from warbonnetguy one time, so not my idea, but it works. Especially when you're trying to compare samples of different coated materials.

[hk2001]

I would be curious to know if it as waterproof as regular silnylong. Any chance of doing a water test? could be as simple as gathering as section of the fabric so it forms a bag and pour 1 or 2L of water in there and hang it up for a while to see if it holds it in.

Cheers

Brian

good idea... heres a half gallon

IMGP1770.JPG

The rest of the fabric is wrapped in the buff you see in the pic... I've weighed the entire thing, and measured it's height off the floor. We'll see in the AM if it's sweating or leaking, and if the fabric has stretched at all while wet.

[OutandBack]

Wow ask and ye shall receive. Thanks hk

[Gresh]

I just looked around the RBTR site and (1) didn't realize they carried down! and (2) the prices on this fabric are REALLY reasonable, even at the regular price. I might have to buy some up and have somebody make me a new tarp for my spare kit.