siliconized nylon

“...but where do you get the siliconized nylon? I searched the net and can't find a single website where you can order this stuff.”

“outdoor wilderness fabrics sells it.”

“thanks!”

“the 1.1 ripstop is silnylon.”

“i was about to ask which one is the best to use for a lightweight, durable tent. thanks :)”

“Skully told me you have to cut that stuff with either a hot knife or a soldering iron because it will unravel if you don't seal it immediately.”

“i should be more specific. the fabric in the table labeled "ripstop nylon: coated" is sil coated.”

“thank you again. Hot soldering iron huh? oh god, maybe not a good idea? worth a try? Tents look so easy to build, it can't be that hard. Well, besides the soldering iron.”

“Gemini, I've never tried that myself, but judging from my silnylon tarp, I think the soldering iron would work quite nicely. Just be careful. Oh, try and find a soldering iron with a pointy tip. Sometimes they have blunt tips, and it seems like that wouldn't work as well.”

“I think I even have one (soldering iron). I will give it a try. Shoot, so much cheaper then a lightweight tent.”

“Make sure it's "Silicone Impregnated". 1.1 oz ripstop is not.
I have sewn a few things myself.
The hardest part of sewing with Sil-nylon is it is so slippery it is very hard to keep straight on the sewing machine.
Try sewing a few stuff sacks before trying a tent.
Gem - did you see Dayhikers tarptent at TC2? That was a very very nice home sewn job.”

“and, if you helm the edges, you don't have to use a hot cutter.”

“There is this stuff, I can't think of the name, but anyway, my wife has used it to help stiffen the fabric she is sewing. You basically just pin it into the seam, and it washes out later. Can't remember what it is called though.”

“darn, did not see dayhikers tent. I think i just order some and then see how it will go on a test patch.

can you all tell I am trying to save some $$? Just hope this idea won't cost me more at the end. :D”

“Check out backbacking.net.
Go to the "Make Your Own Gear" Forum and do a search for "Silnylon". Tons of good home sewn info.
Also look over on the left for a link to "Make-Your-Own Gear Projects". Lots of home made gear!”

“I don't think sil nylon will unravel after it's cut. A few stuff sacks I have made of it haven't unraveled on the raw edges.”

“BackPacking.net”

“A link to this site may be in the backpacking.net link posted above. I dont remember how I came accross this site - but it has great info on tarptents and sil nylon http://www.tarptent.com/”

“That's my tent! I used it at TC2.
Dayhiker's tarptent was sewn from the instructions posted on that site (and backpacking.net).”

“Cool tents too.”

“yeah they are cool. I am going to check the forum. thanks yall! Maybe this will work :)”

“Thru-hiker.com sells a kit to make the Henry Shires tarp tent. I think it's around $60.”

“Has anyone ever here ever made a lightweight tipi? I wondered about making one after checking out Kifaru pack tipis - they seem like they would be great for snow camping, but the price seems unreasonable.”

“I did check the true-hiker.com out. Pretty darn good deal, the instructions seam to be good too.

will order this on monday.”

“That's a pretty cool setup for 3 season use. Just make sure you pitch it where runoff won't be a problem since it has no floor.”

“My friend made his out of Tyvek first as a test.”

“It's really slippery and a bit difficult to work with. I would recommend some smaller projects for practice before making a tent. I would use the silicon seam sealent to bond the seams before sewing theminstead of pins. It holds better, the pins slip out easily and can put holes where you don't want them. And be sure to check for inadvertent needle holesand seal them up before using.”

“Actually, the soldering iron tip that's shaped like half a coin standing on edge works best. It's easiest to control the line and keep it straight. It works best if you have a cutting board with a straight groove running down it to use as a slot for the tip to fit in. Straight edges every time, with practice. Two pieces of heat-tempered glass fastened 1/4 inch apart work best for this.”

“Gemini,
I know that is a little late, but if you need any help making the Henry Shire's tarp tent, just send me an email. I just finished mine a few months ago. I also have the grommets and the kit to install them. This kit cost around 15-20 dollars. I would be more than happy to help someone out, because I had a really difficult time finding the right grommets for the project, and then I couldn't find anyone to install them either. I know Dayhiker said that he had the same problem. I didn't have as hard of a time sewing the silnylon as others have said that they have, but I found that you must keep your material tight and the seams even or it will pucker. Good luck with the project. email is gwsherpa29@aol”

“sherpa, did you order the kit from them or did you order the supplies on your own? did you use a regularor heavy duty sewing machine?”

“i meant the tent tarp supply kit i saw somewhere, not just the grommet kit.”

“Baume, I actually ordered the tarp tent kit from AYCE on thru-hiker.com, but I got the grommet kit from another company. The clincher is that the grommet is a #1 (5/16") and it is hard to find the kit to buy. I used a standard sewing machine and regular needles. Just make sure you use nylon thread or poly thread. I used the nylon, and it was a little difficult to work with. It's kinda like fishing line. I will have to search for the site that I bought the grommets from. Buying the kit from AYCE save's a lot of time and is a lot less of a headache. It doesn't seem like I spent anymore buying the kit from him than I would if I had bought the materials from some of the supplier. You can also get the poles from him as well.”

“thank you. i may try this. get it ready for cumby island in april.”

“I had a lot of fun making mine. It's real satisfying to use a piece of gear that you have made for yourself. If you need any help, don't hesitate to drop me a line. gwsherpa29@aol”

“I'm getting up the courage to try my own tent tarp at some point. I might want to start with something like a bag, or sock first. There are a number of interesting versions of tarp tents out there. This will be interesting.”

“dayhiker has a really nice tarp”

“Golly - there are a lot of fellas that sew here.”

“i sew, cook, clean, and dont watch football either ;)


...yet, im still single :p
haha

later,
-nate”

“I am about to order this tent kit, but I had no idea I'll need another
grommets kit. What the heck is that? Boy oh boy, I guess it's not as easy. I will still give it a try. Looks like a really nice tent.”

“I think Campor sells a grommet kit and fabric stores probably do. I'm pretty sure Outdoor Wilderness fabrics does along with Seattle fabric.”

“A lot of places sell the grommets, but getting the right size and the tools to install them is the trick. I will be more than happy to help out with the grommets if anyone needs it. Just send me your webbing pieces and I will put the grommets in for you free of charge, and mail them back to you. Email me @ gwsherpa29@aol. Violin, I guess that time I spent goofing off in Home Ec my senior year of high school finally paid off. Chili, my tarp is just like Dayhiker's. His ma-in-law is prolly a better seamstress (I'm actually a seamster) than I am though, so his might look better, but mine is holding up great.”

“What, you didn't know about the guys-only TT needlepoint club?”

“I am still confused. I have to check into this more in details. I wonder if it will be almost cheaper if I just buy the darn tarp/tent...”

“In some cases it does make sense just to buy something already made. Most gear is made in China relatively cheap and it's tough to compete with people making 31 cents per hour. For me, making your own gear isn't really about saving money as much customizing with features that I want and can't get otherwise. There's always a nice feeling of using something that you made.”