Silpoly or Xenon sil for my tarp?

[life_scout]

What material is a better choice Silpoly .9 or Xenon sil .9 for my new DIY tarp?

It's going over a DIY bridge hammock. I have had good luck with sil nylon in the past. The goal is to drop some more weight and volume from my pack. Cuben fiber is out of my price range.

I'm looking for low stretch and strong. I have had a couple of small sticks land on my tarp in the middle of the night. I commonly will go out on weekends where bad weather is in the forecast. This is a Florida thing and the tarp will not see snow here.

Any help on making a decision as well as how east/difficult each fabric is to work with would be muck appreciated.

[Wanderlost]

Honestly, you really can't go wrong either way. They're both great products. IMO, they're pretty much the same as far as quality and attributes. RSBTR silpoly has the advantage of being available in more colors.


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[Billy Goat]

I have no experience with the xenon, but I made 4 silpoly tarps for my family and I. It's slippery as all getout, so getting the ridge seam started can be a little tricky. It cuts easily with sharp scissors or a roller. I used good scissors and was able to cut it by gliding the scissors through it like wrapping paper. I don't have a hot knife or wood burner so I can't attest to that but don't see why that wouldn't work well enough, either. It's just stiff enough that it doesn't punch down into the feed chamber when starting a stitch close to the edge. Aside from being slippery it's VERY easy to work with.

Cheers,
the Goat

[doogie]

I still have a bad feelings about Silpoly. I bought some of the original only to find that seam sealing was next to impossible due to the waterproofing used (this is supposed to have been corrected, but releasing a product like that....). I now am a loyal Dutch customer since I know he takes his time to thoroughly test his products and fully stands behind them. I finished a winter tarp in the original Xenon and it was very nice to work with, and I have a batch of the .9 Xenon with which I'm going to use to make a new hex tarp. Also the new MakeYourGear.com site is awesome.

[macmardo]

I still have a bad feelings about Silpoly. I bought some of the original only to find that seam sealing was next to impossible due to the waterproofing used (this is supposed to have been corrected, but releasing a product like that....). I now am a loyal Dutch customer since I know he takes his time to thoroughly test his products and fully stands behind them. I finished a winter tarp in the original Xenon and it was very nice to work with, and I have a batch of the .9 Xenon with which I'm going to use to make a new hex tarp. Also the new MakeYourGear.com site is awesome.

Is that you Dutch?

[Tacblades]

Personally i prefer the xenon sil 5300 light, tough, very waterproof, and you can iron a crease so all seams and hems are super neat and tidy .