Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11
  1. #1
    New Member Dragon Rider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Grand Rapids, OH
    Hammock
    DIY Gathered End
    Tarp
    GT funky forest
    Insulation
    experimenting
    Suspension
    Cinch Buckle
    Posts
    43

    Where to buy Cuben Fiber material

    Maybe this has been asked b4 and all someone will have to do is direct me to the right thread but...where in the world can I purchase Cuben Fiber material. I have found one place but it seems a little high. I know that this material is expensive but when the cost of the material (with no lines/gossgrain/binding tape/etc.) is only slightly less than purchasing a ready made tarp it seems too high a price to pay. I like a good challenge and have some ideas to make my own CF tarp but want to know if there is a good place to purchase. If not, I will simply save a little extra and purchase a ready made or if another elusive mamajamba spinn becomes available with doors I might just do that...don't have the money now, but am looking toward the future...maybe mid-late spring. Thanks in advance for any input.
    “A man is as free as he chooses to make himself, never an atom freer.”

  2. #2
    Senior Member packeagle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Saginaw, Michigan
    Hammock
    DIY Table Cloth/ Jerry 5
    Tarp
    11x12' Hex Sil
    Insulation
    Various UQ/TQ
    Suspension
    Webbing or Etrunks
    Posts
    1,210
    Images
    18
    I think z packs sells different weights of cuben.

  3. #3
    Senior Member kobold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    melbourne, au
    Hammock
    wb traveler/bb 1.1d, hh scua, gt ul
    Tarp
    ogee+zpack diamond
    Insulation
    jrb/hg downs+hh ss
    Suspension
    webbing+whoopies
    Posts
    490
    Images
    2
    i got two from zpacks too

  4. #4
    Senior Member Tendertoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Hammock
    WBRR
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    HG
    Suspension
    webbing and rings
    Posts
    1,479
    Quote Originally Posted by Dragon Rider View Post
    when the cost of the material (with no lines/gossgrain/binding tape/etc.) is only slightly less than purchasing a ready made tarp it seems too high a price to pay.
    This is the general consensus on DIY.

    You really don't save much compared to just buying something from a cottage manufacturer (If you like tinkering though, it can be really rewarding to make something yourself).

    Savings start to accrue when you make multiple items with the raw materials. A one off tarp, you aren't going to save much IMHO.


    Quest sells a few different weights of Cuben.

    Figure you need 8-9 yards to make a tarp (depending on your final dimensions you are looking for).

    At $28.50 a yard for .48oz x 8 yards = $228 + shipping

    At 32.69 a yard for .74 oz x 8 yards = $261.52 + shipping

    This would be the cost just of the material not to mention the cost of grosgrain, adhesive, etc.

    You can order a fully constructed tarp for right around $300 from any of the cottage manufacturers who make such tarps.

    YMMV

  5. #5
    Senior Member Strung out's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Forest Lake, MN
    Hammock
    DIY insulated
    Tarp
    DIY Cuben hex
    Insulation
    Down
    Suspension
    Amsteel
    Posts
    284
    Purchasing the material straight from the manufacturer will save you very little compared to just buying your tarp from one of our favorite cottage manufacturers.

    The adhesives and related products needed for making tarps are not cheap either.

    Those guys are almost giving us these tarps as a favor if you look into the $$ per hour they make constructing them .

    Most of them are willing to do custom work also.

    I'd recommend picking your favorite vendor and calling them up.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Arizona
    Hammock
    WWM with Dynaglide whoopies
    Tarp
    8.5x10 Zpack
    Insulation
    down
    Suspension
    DreamHmck slng/tog
    Posts
    299

    places

    If you order nine meters, you can buy from the manufacturer, Cubic Tech. I've heard that the fabric comes on a spool that makes it expensive to ship.

    Zpacks, Qwest Outfitters, and bearpawwd.com all sell smaller quantities.

    Cuben is manufactured in Arizona, not in China, so the price reflects the technology and the labor costs.

    Nine meters of 54" material is not a huge quantity for a hammock tarp with some add on doors, and some stuff sacks. You can sell leftovers at the Hammock Forum's Marketplace.

    In my life, there has always been something that I wanted and could not afford. I've been poor and not so poor, but my desire for some out of reach item has been a constant for as long as I can remember in my sixty years of life.
    Last edited by heyyou; 12-15-2011 at 10:40. Reason: added an "a"

  7. #7
    Senior Member MarshLaw303's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Winona, MN
    Hammock
    11' gathered end
    Tarp
    Hex 11' DIY
    Insulation
    Revolt/Enigma
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    383
    Go right to cubic tech. ~$20 yd must by 9m

    -Tim

  8. #8
    Senior Member Strung out's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Forest Lake, MN
    Hammock
    DIY insulated
    Tarp
    DIY Cuben hex
    Insulation
    Down
    Suspension
    Amsteel
    Posts
    284
    Quote Originally Posted by MarshLaw303 View Post
    Go right to cubic tech. ~$20 yd must by 9m

    -Tim
    True, the CT1k.08 in the clear (natural) color (generally used in the lightest tarps, quilts etc) is about $20.25/meter

    Shipping and handling charges for this stuff will run you about $35 for a roll.

    = $217.25 / 9.84 yards = about $22 per yard for CT1k.08 clear

    The CT2k.08 which has twice the Dyneema fiber runs about $1 a yard higher per yard.

    Adding color to the material adds about 10% to the cost

    An example: Green CT2k.08 runs about $25/yard shipped directly from the manufacturer.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Hammock
    Clark North American
    Tarp
    MYOG Cuben
    Insulation
    MYOG TQ/UQ
    Suspension
    Amsteel
    Posts
    197
    So if you bought CT1k.08 from Cubic Tech and made a tarp yourself, it would come to ~$225 in cuben, adhesive, and grosgrain. This is assuming you use 8 yards of cuben. So roughly $75 less than you can buy from a cottage mfg'er. Significant for some, but not for others.

    Ryan

  10. #10
    Senior Member TinaLouise's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    wilmington, nc
    Hammock
    BB1.0 double
    Tarp
    Hybrid Cuben F.
    Insulation
    Down & IX
    Suspension
    BB straps,whoopies
    Posts
    1,367
    Quote Originally Posted by Dragon Rider View Post
    .where in the world can I purchase Cuben Fiber material. is only slightly less than purchasing a ready made tarp it seems too high a price to pay. I like a good challenge and have some ideas to make my own CF tarp but want to know if there is a good place to purchase. .don't have the money now,
    I too thought cuben ready made tarps were expensive to buy untill I tried looking up the actual material and figuring out the cost per yard and all the other stuff involved in putting a full sized winter tarp together. Still, I wanted a cuben tarp and started looking into any that would fit my budget. I found one that's a hybrid, meaning that it's made with silnylon and cuben. You add a bit more weight for the silnylon but the price is cheaper because there's less cuben in it.
    http://www.dphammockgear.com/weather-protection.html

    Found it at dphammock gear. Well I thought the picture looked like something I could manage to make. So I did. I bought the cuben at zpacks, the .51 oz one and I got 4 yards of it. I used 11 feet of that for the tarp and the other foot I made a couple of stuff sacks with. This 11' length of cuben is the top of the tarp, the ridgeline is 11feet. On the sides of this, I took an 11' piece of silnylon, cut it in half length ways and put these long strips on the sides of the cuben. This created a tarp that's got an 11' ridgeline and is about 10' wide (or about 5' hanging on each side, half cuben & half silnylon).
    I got the cuben from
    http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml
    I got the silnylon from
    http://www.owfinc.com/
    I bought seconds from OWF and saved a bit more money.
    Because I was putting silnylon on cuben, I decided to sew it. So I didn't need to bond anything together. I sealed all seams with silcone chaulk (from Lowes).
    I figure it cost about $140 for me to make this tarp. (and that was in my budget)
    On DP hammock gears site, this tarp is about $200 but I think you get some ti stakes with it too. I saved maybe 50-60 bucks making this.

    One day I'll have a total cuben tarp and I'll probably have to buy it already made because I don't have a clue how to bond that stuff together. For now my hybrid works very well.

    hopefully I've given you some ideas

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Is Cuben Fiber Considered the Best Tarp Material?
      By nosckaj123 in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 36
      Last Post: 11-26-2014, 15:21
    2. Replies: 15
      Last Post: 11-25-2014, 22:24
    3. Hammock Gear Cuben Fiber tarp w doors 12' ridgeline with cuben sleeves
      By halfastronomical in forum [SOLD/WITHDRAWN] Items no longer available
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 11-23-2014, 14:00
    4. Cuben Fiber Material For Sale
      By Mountainfitter in forum Other Vendors and Services
      Replies: 29
      Last Post: 02-15-2012, 19:51
    5. SOLD: Cuben Fiber .74oz/sq yd material in Olive Drab - SOLD
      By Strung out in forum [SOLD/WITHDRAWN] Items no longer available
      Replies: 6
      Last Post: 09-09-2011, 14:22

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •