Tell me more about cuben

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

I am in the minority on the size of tarps - I may as well stay in the minority on the fabric. I own two, yes two, cuben fiber tarps, but hike a silnylon. I prefer the stretch to get a taut pitch. Smaller trees lean to the center when you enter the hammock. A little stretch will soak up the slack. The Warbonnet Edge is big enough and has a great cat cut design.

The weight of my zpacks hex is 9.8 oz. in the mesh tarp sleeves with the side guylines. My Warbonnet Edge is 12.0 oz in the stuff sack with side guylines.

[gunner76]

I own several tarps ranging in weight from a little over 2 pounds down to my HG cuben at 8 oz.

For the price, Sylnylon is your best buy.

I take the cuben when I am going backpacking for a couple of days.

[Acer]

I will not take my cuben in hot hot weathe anymore. Will take a WL Tadpole. After having one of my cuben tarps separate at the RL tieouts, in hot weather it will stay home. But I love cuben and will use it when I can or feel comfortable to do so.

[DemostiX]

I will not take my cuben in hot hot weathe anymore. Will take a WL Tadpole. After having one of my cuben tarps separate at the RL tieouts, in hot weather it will stay home. But I love cuben and will use it when I can or feel comfortable to do so.

That's the same failure mode reported in another hiking-related forum years ago: Separation at elevated temp followed by restored adhesion when the mastic or tape cooled. It is disappointing that the problem remains. Thanks for point it out.

Doesn't shade sun, and you can't take advantage of it to save weight when it is hot and loads are more burdensome. Well for as often as "hike your own hike" and "hang your own hang" get recited, there are some products, usually expensive ones, which enjoy the benefit of trumps in gear discussions just because there is a parameter that is objectively superior. Funny how that is.

[Acer]

That's the same failure mode reported in another hiking-related forum years ago: Separation at elevated temp followed by restored adhesion when the mastic or tape cooled. It is disappointing that the problem remains. Thanks for point it out.

Doesn't shade sun, and you can't take advantage of it to save weight when it is hot and loads are more burdensome. Well for as often as "hike your own hike" and "hang your own hang" get recited, there are some products, usually expensive ones, which enjoy the benefit of trumps in gear discussions just because there is a parameter that is objectively superior. Funny how that is.

My next cuben tarp will be of the .74 weight,,and not the .51 weight. I have to think,,the dash heavier material will take more heat and abuse for the money.

[sliver]

If your just getting started with UL... Cuban fiber is probably a bad idea.
Not because of anything to do with the material... But its cost per weight saved is gonna be somewhat low.

If all you have is heavy stuff, weight can be dropped easily and cheaply... as you optomize your gear it gets harder and more expensive.
That is where cuban fiber comes in. Its a last 10% type of thing, and you could probably save WAY more weight with a sil tarp and a couple hundred dollars of ti cookware or a new pad.... you could probably get a light sil tarp, and an underquilt instead of the CF tarp. You make gain 5oz on the tarp but you will lose more with the difference in price applied to taking care of your next most overweight item....

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

[matthew2000tx]

I have decided that my next major purchase will be a tarp. I have been using a simple poly tarp. It is heavy. I want my new tarp to be light, and as I am starting on an ultralight journey, I want the best. Cuben is by far the lightest. But how durable is it? I am rough with my gear, and I need something that will hold up. If silnylon is more durable maybe I should go that route. So tell me more..... What is the lightest but most durable tarp? I want this new tarp to last me years and years.

I'm right where you are at in my setup... so thanks for starting this thread.

DIY. ~$40 of silnylon seconds from Noah Lamport = 2 super fly sized tarps

Good to know.

The choices are light, cheap, or durable. Pick two. There is no perfect fabric for every application.

Because I walk almost all day when hiking, I prefer the lightness of cuben and its no stretch behavior. Small bungie cords will compensate for the stretchiness of silnylon. Urethane coated polyester is durable if you don't store it wet for long periods, but far from light weight.

My suggestion is to buy silnylon tarps until you are sure of the size and shape of what you want. Then, consider the price of your favorite in cuben. Hangers often have less exposed campsites than most others, so silnylon may be all that you ever will need.

I buy lightly used gear at the For Sale forum here, knowing that if it does not immediately suit me, I can sell it for almost as much as I paid.

Good advice for sure. Noted, Thanks

If your just getting started with UL... Cuban fiber is probably a bad idea.
Not because of anything to do with the material... But its cost per weight saved is gonna be somewhat low.

If all you have is heavy stuff, weight can be dropped easily and cheaply... as you optomize your gear it gets harder and more expensive.
That is where cuban fiber comes in. Its a last 10% type of thing, and you could probably save WAY more weight with a sil tarp and a couple hundred dollars of ti cookware or a new pad.... you could probably get a light sil tarp, and an underquilt instead of the CF tarp. You make gain 5oz on the tarp but you will lose more with the difference in price applied to taking care of your next most overweight item....

Great advice! Noted, Thanks

I will not take my cuben in hot hot weathe anymore. Will take a WL Tadpole. After having one of my cuben tarps separate at the RL tieouts, in hot weather it will stay home. But I love cuben and will use it when I can or feel comfortable to do so.

Excellent advice.... I'm in South Texas. Last time I hung it was 106f in the shade when I made camp! So I guess CFwill most likely not be in my future.

[WV]

I still consider that hot weather problem an anomaly. My tarp has seen lots of hot weather, lots of ice, and everything in between with no seam failure or delamination. Maybe it's the type of adhesive used to bond the seam.

[Acer]

I still consider that hot weather problem an anomaly. My tarp has seen lots of hot weather, lots of ice, and everything in between with no seam failure or delamination. Maybe it's the type of adhesive used to bond the seam.

WV,,,has your tarp been hung moreso in the shade of the hot seasons? Reason I am asking,,,I never had a problem in the shade..all my problems were encountered in non-shaded hot sunny yard only. 2 times, I experienced failure at RL with separation. 1st time,,sent it back to Adam at HG and he repaired both RL tieout buckle areas with larger half circle patches on both sides re-enforcing the RL tie outs,,second time,,was massive with separation more than foot of material from re-enforced areas and Adam state was beyond repair. The reinforced areas never failed, nor the stitching of the RL of the center of tarp. It was strickly the cuben material void of the seamed RL length of center of tarp and the 2 end RL tieouts.