Tyvek Tarp

“I built a tyvek tarp last weekend.
I didn't see anything in the old threads about how to make one so I thought I'd share how I did it. It rain after I set it up in the yard and it seemd to work pretty darn well. Kept me and the cat dry. I'll be using it this weekend on the Florida ECT.

Tyvek Tarp”

“where can Tyvek material be found?”

“Home improvement stores for one but you have to buy a whole roll. 100 feet.

If you search the threads for Tyvek, folks have posted several sources that would be easier that getting a roll.”

“Home Depot.. or try and ask where a house is being built. Sometimes they have large enough pieces that they would be willing to give you for free or a cheap price.

Tyvex is also great for a ground cloth.”

“So HPM...what's that tarp weigh with stakes and guy lines?

Are those knots heavy? ;)”

“Where can you buy Tyvek?
I know if your lucky you can scrounge it around building sites but There isn't any new construction going on around me.
Do any of yall have any extra or know how I can get my paws on some?”

“Damn! a sh!t load of us all posted at once!”

“It was a paradox in the space-time continuim! We have opened a Tyvex wormhole.


Either that I'm burnt out and I need to leave work!”

“I need to get a better scale but the tarp alone is right at one pound. I use thin cord I got at REI and 8 cheap stakes.”

“They are doing construction in my area but they haven't stared framing yet. I'll see if I can scrounge some but I can't promise anything.”

“I used all I had left. If I had some more it'd be y'alls. Sorry guys.”

“I recon I'm gonna to have to drive around and find some new construction.”

“Will you also use a piece of Tyvek as a groundcloth?”

“HPM - You might try washing the tarp in a front loading machine. This takes the stiffness and some of the noise out of it. No soap, just let it run through a cycle.

Those looking to buy, try e-bay. Sometimes you'll find someone selling there. Best bet is to just scope out a construction site then go ask someone if they would sell you a section. They usually come in 9x100 rolls.”

“Try here, $2.50 yard 60" wide.
Kite material

http://www.intothewind.com/cgi-bin/detail.cgi?itemnum=402&sql=all”

“Looks like this site also sells Tyvek pieces.”

“I think this site is probably better, they sell 9' wide pieces here and speak specifically of using as a tarp (the other site discourages this becuase of the noise).”

“if it is only used when raining...then the "noise " will be equivalent to the lovely sound of a rain on a tin roof...right?:)”

“How much does a 100 foot roll cost? It sounds like there may be enough interest here to just buy a roll and split it up.”

“Buddur, yes, lots of folks use it as a ground cloth.

Om, yeah it was kinda like that. It wasn't that it was noisy when up it was just incredibly noisy when you work with it or set it up.

Thanks for the tip ChinaChas.”

“Noise is one of the reasons I like my Windstopper Fleece jacket compared to my Gore-Tex jacket...or should I say lack of noise.”

“I would think noise would be a factor in wind.


HPM, have you tested the grommet strength in windy conditions yet? I have heard that they don't hold will in Tyvek but I don't know if they reinforced theirs as well as you did. Also, I was told that the side with the logo on it was the waterproof side. Did you have an absorption problem using it with the blank side up?”

“how does tyvek compare weight wise to say some clear plastic of the same size?”

“Buddur, from what I have seen, no it won't let through ground moisture.

Skully I've done some pulling and tugging on a sample grommet and it seemed to hold just fine. My weakest attachment is a double thickness of tyvek and the corners are quadruple. The corners seem rock solid.

I used the stuff to build a shed once and we installed the stuff backwards by mistake. Water never got through the stuff after several tropical rains. Shake it and the water comes right off.

It did rain on it when I had it set up and didn't seem to matter what side was up. Like I said, I built this thing last weekend so yes, it does need some trail time to really be sure but my initial impression from what I have seen and my experiences with using it on houses makes me think this will work out fine. I'll be sure to post if it fails on me.

Netcelt this is less than half the weight of my smaller clear plastic tarp.”

“Coolness.”

“Fritz - the 100 ft roll runs somewhare around $135 at Lowes”

“ This guy got a 100'x 9' roll for $120 back in 1997.”

“Be sure to choose Tyvek brand-it is white in color with blues writing-
ALWAYS put the writing toward the moisture.
There are always scraps on job sites-check the dumpsters for the big pieces.
It will be lighter than sheet plastic and should fold down better.”

“Can you dye it something other than white?
One article said you could write on it with permanant markers. I wonder if you dye the whole thing. White is probably the most visible color in the woods.”

“Acrylic paint works.”

“Wouldn't acrylic paint be thick, unlike markers or dye?”

“You can thin it an apply thin coats. I don't know how much weight it would add or whether it would crack when you fold it. I haven't done it but I've seen it discussed on a gear making forum and the people who had tried it, liked it. Maybe, do a small piece to test it. It does bond well with the tyvek and doesn't fade.

There are some printer inks available especially for tyvek (for printing signs). I don't know how expensive they are though or how practical it would be to paint them on it.”

“Too thick of an application of any printing ink would have cure and durability problems. Most inks designed for printing on plastics are very nasty stuff (toxic) and require some hard core thinners to clean up. I would not reccomend messing with them unless you have experience with them or have access to someone who does.”

“Just rub it in dirt and it'll be nice and grey-brown.”

“Typar is the same thing and it's grey.”

“Does it matter which side is out?

I would think it does, and if it does, yours is inside out. I beleive the lettering should be on the outside.

Any builders out there?”

“Just talked to someone at DuPont and told them specifically what I was doing with the stuff.

Tyvek breathes much like GoreTex. It is not a one way material or a coated material so it does not matter what way it faces. The printed side goes out in construction applications so the contractor can use the printed measuring marks to align the material.

They also said tyvek has an additive to aid in UV prtection but constant prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will cause the material to degrade in about 4 months. When I mentioned use as a backpacking tarp I was told I shouldn't have to worry about durability if all we are doing is using it sleep under. The amount of time the material will be exposed to sunlight would be minimal.

I also asked about ground cloths. Because the material breathes like GoreTex there is a possibility that unwanted moisture will migrate through. He said they couldn't reccomend using tyvek as a waterproof ground cover. His suggestion was a plastic sheet.

He is forwarding the idea of tyvek tarps on to the product development division.”

“Do you get your cut of the action when it sweeps the market HPM? Maybe Ray Jardine will 'discover' it and write a book about it.”

“I think he was blowing smoke to get me off the line.”

“I got the same response from them via email a couple of months ago when I had questions about using tivek for a tarp. I believe 'snow job' is the technical term.”

“TO: Tyvek Product Development
From: Larry, Customer Information Specialist

Comment:
Another wackjob 'ultralight' backpacker called about using our tyvek for a tent or something. Said he was willing to send photos and his website. Almost as good as the kite guy from last week. Still not telling them what it did to the rats in test - please advise.”

“I am going for a walk to the home construction site down the street in the am before the workers get there. Take a peek in the big dumpster. I saw tyvek on the house last week - maybe some remnants.

Why couldn't they use sil nylon, or maybe microfleece in home construction as well?”

“To: Larry, Customer Information Specialist

From: Tyvek Product Development


Response:

Tell them nothing, it's irrelevant. They're already crazy (they're ultralighters), we can claim any complaints are from pre-existing conditions. Who's going to believe them anyway?

PS Make sure you shred the lab notebooks.”

“just a quick note,, watch out for fires and sparks,, commercial applications for the suits are plastered with warnings about it”

“For a trip report see "I'm back and man am I tired" thread.

First off folding down the corners was the way to go for grommets. If I were to do it again I'd insert a small leather patch at all grommet attacjment points for a little extra UMPH. We had very high winds at Gregory Bald and the grommets held fast. One of the Scout made a tarp too and didn't fold the edges and all the grommets pulled out BEFORE the winds came up.

The Tyvek tape held the edges together without any bubbling or unsticking and this thing got wet every day for a week.

In heavy to light rain the Tyvek repelled all water and didn't "wet through" at all.

I'm VERY pleased. I was dryer under the tarp than in my friends new tent.

View the whole thread for a link to my site with direction on how I built it.

Oh yeah, It doesn't freakin' matter what side is up. I tried it both ways and performance was identical.”

“I got a leftover piece at a construction site - large enough to use as a groundcloth for under my tent. To get all the noise out of the material, I wound-up one end and held it in a work table vise, then twisted the whole thing tightly. Then unraveled it, put in in the vise again cross-directionally and twisted again. That put a lot of wrinkles in it, softening the material and drastically reducing the noise.

Tip: Because the twisting/wrinkling will slightly reduce the lenght and width, twist/wrinkle the Tyvek BEFORE measuring/cutting to size.”

“i JUST SCORED ABOUT A THIRD OF A ROLL LAST WEEK!”

“Spam: You wanna give/sell me some of dat?”

“HPM claims it's waterproof.”

“This thread is worth re-reading if you're pondering tyvek.”