Best Material For Tents (Our Top Picks)

What is the best tent material to buy?

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The answer is simple…It all comes down to the kind of camping trips you’ll be going on.

Planning a backpacking trip? Weight will be at the top of your list of priorities.

Car camping? You might be more concerned about breathability and UV resistance.

Going camping in rough terrain? You’ll want to make sure your tent is made of a highly durable material.

Common camping tent materials you’re likely to come across in your search include:

Nylon

Polyester

Canvas

Polycotton

Cuben Fiber

But if you’re simply looking for the best material, Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) – formerly known as Cuben Fiber is by far and away the best tent fabric that money can buy. 

Once you know the pros and cons of each fabric, you should have a better idea of which one is best for you, based on your priorities.

What Is The Best Tent Material?

There is no one best tent material for camping out on the market. Every material has its pros and cons which determine when it’s best used.

Overall, we agree that Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) – formerly known as Cuben Fiber – is great in several categories. It is waterproof, light in weight, and very strong.

And if you’re looking for a tent with these specific characteristics, then this material is the best.

However, keep in mind that where DCF shines in those categories, there are some ways that it lacks. For example, it is less durable and more expensive than other tent fabrics.

So, if these two categories are really important to you, you should consider one of the two synthetic materials, nylon or polyester.

Both of these materials come rather close to DCF in many categories, so they’re both a really good option for a tent.

Overall, there is certainly a tent fabric that is just right for you, and today, we’re going to help you by comparing all the pros and cons of each tent fabric.

Durability & Longevity

When it comes to durability, polycotton wins. It combines the best characteristics of both polyester and cotton.

Cotton fibers are already very strong, and they are further fortified with polyester fibers to prevent ripping or tearing.

Furthermore, polycotton has great UV resistance. This fabric will fade and degrade at a much slower pace than polyester or cotton would on their own.

Waterproofing

As for the waterproofness, it’s clear which material wins in this category: Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF).

Unlike any other material we mentioned, DCF doesn’t absorb water – not even the tiniest bit.

Instead, the water drops simply glide off the fabric onto the ground. For that reason, it doesn’t need any additional coating, unlike other materials.

Cost & Affordability

Among all the tent fabrics, polyester is the most affordable option.

Polyester production is extremely inexpensive as it only involves petroleum, coal, water, and air.

Compared to nylon, another synthetic material, the polyester production cost is almost halved.

3-Season Vs. 4-Season

While 3-season tents work with a variety of materials, the best option for a 4-season tent is ripstop nylon.

Nylon traps heat better compared to other fabrics, which is a feature you absolutely want in a winter tent.

However, regular nylon would sag and stretch from snow and winds, which is why ripstop nylon works better here.

Lightweight Materials

When it comes to material weight, Dyneema Composite Fabric holds a well-deserved first place.

Until the invention of this fabric, nylon was the material reserved for backpacking tents.

However, since DCF weighs up to 30% less than nylon, it became the fabric of choice for ultralight tents.

Plus, since it doesn’t absorb water at all, unlike any other material, it doesn’t gain weight when sagged.

But don’t be fooled by the featherweight of DFC, as this material is incredibly strong for its weight.

With that being said, let’s not forget about the drawbacks that come with this fabric. These are vulnerable to tears and abrasions, are higher in cost, and are large when packed.

Environmental Impact

Finding the winner in this category is not as straightforward as it may seem.

Even though it’s made of natural fibers, cotton is not a very environmentally friendly fabric. First, it requires a lot of water to grow – 5,300 gallons for mere 2 lbs of cotton!

What’s more, most of the cotton grown globally is not organic, which means it involves genetically modified seeds and chemicals.

We must also take into consideration that cotton won’t last anywhere near as long as synthetic materials, like polyester or nylon.

So, it makes more waste in the same amount of time. Plus, making synthetic materials requires way less water.

However, synthetic materials:

Are derived from fossil fuels.

Require chemicals in production.

Aren’t biodegradable.

So, what’s the material with the least environmental impact, then?

Well, that would be organic cotton. Producing organic cotton addresses most eco-challenges regular cotton production faces.

Not only does it avoid using chemicals, but it also involves ancestral farming methods that preserve soil.

Organic cotton tents aren’t as common as their non-organic counterparts. But, they’re definitely a good choice if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of your tent.

A Quick Comparison Of Tent Fabrics

FAQs

What Is The Best Waterproof Tent Material?

Unlike other materials, DCF is completely waterproof and lets water slide off the fabric, instead of absorbing it.

What Is The Strongest Tent Material?

DCF has the strongest fibers of all the tent materials. In fact, it is considered to be one of the strongest fibers in the world, at 15x the strength of steel per weight.

Do UV Rays Affect Tent Fabric?

Of course, sun rays degrade tent fabric like any other material.

However, not all fabrics degrade at the same pace. For instance, nylon has a much lower UV resistance than polyester.

What Is Ripstop Tent Fabric & Is It Good?

Ripstop fabric has a crosshatch weave pattern, which increases its resistance to tearing and ripping.

Basically, it has a stronger thread woven into a grid pattern to prevent holes from getting bigger.

What Is Dyneema Tent Fabric & Is It Good?

Unlike other materials, Dyneema is not woven. It is sandwiched between outer layers of polyester film that is then melded together in a high-pressure autoclave.

This material has great strength, waterproofness and low weight.

What Is The Lightest Weight Tent Fabric?

Dyneema is the lightest tent fabric on the market. Compared to nylon, another light material, Dyneema can weigh half of nylon’s weight.

What Is The Strongest Tent Fabric?

Among tent fabrics, DCF has the best strength-to-weight ratio.

Are There Any Unique Safety Considerations Associated With Specific Tent Materials?

Keep in mind that not all tent fabrics have the same properties. For instance, canvas may be more waterproof than some other synthetic materials, but it requires seasoning.

Likewise, Dyneema may be the strongest fabric, but it’s not as durable as other ones.

The Final Verdict

Which fabric is the best? Well, as you can see, there isn’t one right answer. It all depends on what your top priorities are.

If you’re a backpacker looking for a lightweight tent that won’t weigh you down, nylon is the way to go.

Extreme adventurers camping in rough terrain would probably be better off going for polyester.

Car campers can go for anything really, including canvas tents, which is an excellent choice if you don’t mind the extra weight.

And of course Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) is the best of them all!

Hopefully, you’ve now got a clearer picture of the best tent material for you. Happy camping!

More on Tents:

Tent Fabric 101: Nylon vs Polyester vs Dyneema/Cuben

Tent Fabric 101: Nylon vs Polyester vs Dyneema/Cuben

by Tim Hunt

As in all aspects of tent design, fabric selection is a balancing act.

Different materials have unique strengths and weaknesses and selecting the “right” fabric is really about choosing which compromises to make. Do you want it to be light, strong, or inexpensive? You can pick two, but you sure as hell can’t have all three. A common assumption is that by buying an expensive product, you’re automatically getting the “best”, most durable product. This may be true for hammers, but for fabrics and tents, there is no “best” option. You could pretty quickly trash a fancy sports car on a dirt road that your late 90s station wagon could handle with ease. It’s the same thing with tents. A top of the line tent for thru-hikers would probably implode in winds that even a basic four-season tent would shrug off. Fabric selection is similar in that before designers make a choice, they have to explicitly decide on the goals for the product. The same is true of people who are purchasing tents. Are you going to be on exposed mountains where you’ll die if your tent fails in a storm? Are you going to retreat to your van as soon as it starts drizzling? Once the parameters have been established, the optimal fabric choice is often clear.

It’s unlikely that you’ll be confronted with a decision between two identical designs with different fabric choices. In fact, your fabric of choice will almost certainly be pre-determined by the kind of shelter you plan on buying. Rather than serving as a buying guide, this article is intended to provide users a very basic level of understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the most common fabrics used in tent and tarp design: nylon, polyester, and DCF (Dyneema Composite Fabric, formerly known as Cuben Fiber).

Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series aimed at providing users with detailed information about design, materials, and construction, so you can make informed purchasing decisions to best suit your needs. If there’s a topic that you’d like to know more about, let us know at . Header image is compliments of Rainy Pass Repairs. Thanks!  

Nylon

Nylon is by far the most common material used in tents. It was originally developed by DuPont in the s and was used extensively for parachute production during WWII. It is the standard for the majority of outdoor products, from tents to apparel. This is largely due to its good strength to weight ratio, good abrasion resistance, and relatively low price. 

Strength 

Nylon has a much better strength-to-weight ratio than polyester, which is the main reason it is usually the fabric of choice for tents. Much of nylon’s strength comes from its inherent stretchiness, which can be a blessing and a curse. Because nylon stretches, it distributes stress over a larger area than less stretchy (we say more “stable”) fabric would. For example, if a guy point were attached in the center of a fabric panel on a tent’s fly on a 1” x 1” reinforcement, the surrounding fabric would stretch, and the stress of the guy line being pulled would be distributed over a much larger area than just the 1” x 1” reinforcement. If, however, the fabric does not stretch, all the force is concentrated at the reinforcement, leading to much higher stress on the fabric and a higher likelihood of tearing. Another benefit of fabric stretch when designing a tent is that it works better for shaped 3-dimensional panels.

Nylon’s stretchiness has a downside, however. A fly made of less stretchy fabric (e.g. polyester) can achieve a more aesthetically pleasing pitch, as much of the wrinkliness in the fly is caused by nylon stretching along its bias (diagonal with respect to the way the fabric was woven). Fabric that does not stretch as much reduces that issue.

Abrasion Resistance 

Nylon is the most abrasion resistant of these fabrics. This is generally more of a consideration in apparel design, but parts of your tent will likely be exposed to abrasion (think floor, pole ends and clips). These can become failure points if the fabric abraids enough to weaken it.

UV Damage 

Nylon is susceptible to degradation from UV exposure. This is primarily an issue for mountaineers who use their gear at high elevations where the UV index is very high. It also creates long-term durability issues for core users who use their tents several weeks out of the year for many years. Polyester and DCF do not degrade as much as nylon when exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. However, any lightweight fabric will be more susceptible to UV damage than a heavier equivalent. Thicker diameter fibers mean much of the inner part of the fiber is protected from the sun. Even as the outside degrades, the inside will remain intact longer. UV radiation penetrates farther (as a percentage of total fiber thickness) into smaller diameter fibers. There are fabric coatings designed to lessen the effects of UV radiation on nylon (Our ET70 fabric, for example), but for users who treat and store their tent with care, UV damage will still probably be the limiting factor in a tent’s lifespan.

Water Absorption 

Nylon absorbs water, which poses several problems. In addition to weighing more, wet nylon will expand. In the field, this means that a nylon fly will sag when exposed to moisture (from precipitation or high humidity) which translates to late-night trips outside to tension the fly to keep it from sagging onto the tent body. Again, coatings can help mitigate this issue (look for both side silicone coated fabrics instead of PU; more on this in future articles). While polyester also absorbs some water, it absorbs much less than nylon, and will maintain tension better when wet.

Polyester

Once relegated to the realm of price point and car-camping tents due to scarcity of high quality formulations, polyester has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance recently, as advancements in high-end polyesters, especially on the lightweight end of the spectrum, have significantly improved its once abysmal strength to weight ratio. While we still primarily use nylon in our tents, poly has several advantages that make it an appealing option for some applications, and its use is certainly becoming more widespread. 

Tear Strength 

Polyester generally has a lower tear strength when compared to similar weight nylons. To achieve comparable strength to nylon, designers often elect to use heavier, thicker polyester. However, newer polyester textiles have much improved strength over their older counterparts, and they’re popping up more and more on lightweight tents. Polyester has become especially popular in lightweight tarp and mid-style shelters, where the fabric is not under as much stress as it is in traditional tents. We’ll be testing some lightweight polys in our lab to determine just how big of a difference to expect between nylons and polyesters of the same weight.

Want more information on tent fabric material? Feel free to contact us.

Stability 

Polyester has much less stretch than nylon, and flies made of polyester pitch well due to its stability. This is especially true in humid or wet conditions, where nylon’s absorption can lead to a saggy flysheet and difficulty pitching the tent. In our anecdotal experience, we haven’t found this positive characteristic to outweigh lower strength to weight ratio of lightweight polys, but again, we’ll hopefully have some real data soon to verify this one way or the other.

UV Resistance 

It is generally believed that polyester is more UV-resistant than nylon. There haven’t been many studies done directly comparing the lightweight polyester and nylon textiles used in tents, so although studies indicate that polyester in general is indeed significantly more UV-resistant than nylon, we’re waiting until we conduct an apples-to-apples comparison of lightweight coated textiles like those used in tents.

Across all fabrics, however, including polyester, fabric thickness and color play major roles in determining UV resistance. Especially for lightweight fabrics, the color and denier of the fabric may make more difference in the fabric’s long-term UV resistance than the composition of the fibers.

Poly is a popular fabric for sails and other applications where low stretch is a priority, and while its resistance to UV damage and low water absorption make it a theoretically desirable material for use in shelters, it hasn’t been until recently that lightweight polyester can achieve adequate strength at the low weights consumers demand in most high-performance tents. Polyester shows significant promise for tents, but we’ll continue to predominantly use nylon until we’ve done enough testing to be confident that the advantages of poly outweigh its drawbacks.

Dyneema Composite Fabric

Dyneema Composite Fabric, or DCF, is the new kid on the block when it comes to tent fabrics. It used to be called Cuben Fiber, but the name was changed to Dyneema Composite Fabric when Dyneema acquired Cubic Tech, the company that makes the material. Many people still refer to the material as Cuben Fiber. 

First, because I know there are some sticklers out there who will call me out on this, I am aware that some folks would argue that DCF is not technically a fabric. If you’d like to mince words, yes, it’s really a composite comprised of a nonwoven ultra high molecular weight polyethylene matrix laminated between two layers of polyethylene terephthalate film. But since it’s used interchangeably with woven textiles in outdoor gear (and “fabric” is quicker to type), we’ll group it in with the fabrics here, and I invite all those who think I’m a Russian troll sowing discord in the outdoor community by mixing materials definitions to get in touch with me at . DCF is made by sandwiching Dyneema fibers between two layers of film (similar to Mylar). The Dyneema fibers are not woven, and are usually laid out at 90˚ angles.

Strength

Dyneema (a brand name for ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, or UHMWPE) is incredibly strong for its weight. No other material currently used in tents comes close to the tear strength of DCF on a per weight basis. Thus, DCF fabrics can achieve the same strength as nylon at a much lower weight. Despite its strength, DCF has almost no stretch. Dyneema’s lack of stretch and high strength to weight ratio makes it a highly desirable material for sails and numerous industrial applications.

DCF’s strength has some limitations, however. Seam failure from needle hole expansion is a common issue with films and nonwovens, so seams have to be bonded and/or hot taped. Tape adhesives are often a weak point and can degrade before the rest of the shelter wears out. It helps to put the tape on the inside (which is standard practice for most manufacturers) to lessen its exposure to UV radiation.

Waterproofing

DCF is inherently waterproof and doesn’t absorb any water, whereas both nylon and polyester wovens rely on a chemical coating (usually PU, silicone, or PE; we’ll talk about them in future articles) to make it waterproof. Coatings add weight and are prone to failure, so eliminating them means a lighter finished fabric with better longevity.

UV Resistance 

DCF has much better UV resistance than nylon. It won’t degrade and weaken under repeated exposure to sun the way nylon does.

Abrasion Resistance (or lack thereof) 

From a functionality standpoint, DCF’s Achilles heel is abrasion resistance. Since the outer layer of DCF is actually Mylar (the Dyneema fibers are on the inside, remember?), it is extremely vulnerable to abrasion (if you’ve ever tried to use an emergency blanket more than once you’ve experienced this firsthand). Ultralight enthusiasts may have noticed that DCF stuff sacks don’t last nearly as long as nylon ones, and the same is true for DCF backpacks. For most shelter applications, especially the simple tarps favored by the thru-hiking community, this isn’t much of an issue. Where this potentially becomes a problem is when companies use DCF in traditional tent construction. Tent pole clips and pole hubs can be more than abrasive enough to wear through a DCF fly when the tent is being buffeted by wind, especially in dusty areas where grit amplifies the effects of abrasion. My expectation is that unless the abrasion resistance issues can be addressed, DCF will only get substituted for nylon in currently available double-wall tent designs primarily as an UL statement piece, purchased by those with lots of money and not enough time to do their homework. Considering that switching out nylon for DCF in pre-existing double wall tent designs can push the price close to $, it's difficult to imagine true double-wall semi- or fully-freestanding DCF tents being a viable option for ultralight hikers, when purpose-built DCF shelters from cottage brands weigh less, provide much more livable space, and are stronger, all at about half the price.

Price 

DCF is a fancy new space-age material with a price tag to match. At wholesale, $5/yard is considered expensive for high-quality nylon. For comparison, DCF rarely costs under $20-$30/yard. This is why DCF is generally found in less labor-intensive products (packs, tarps) from direct-to-consumer companies that don’t have to build wholesale margins into their pricing. Until someone develops a product that can compete with DCF’s strength to weight ratio, it’s unlikely that the price will fall. It’s prohibitively expensive for many consumers, especially considering that the weight savings are diminishing as lightweight nylons improve.

DCF is not a panacea for durability concerns in lightweight shelters. It does, however, mark a pretty significant leap forward in shelter materials. While its applications are fairly niche due to its astronomical price point and poor abrasion resistance, it does certain things better than any other material out there. Expect to see more of it in the future as ultralight backpacking moves into the mainstream. 

There is no magic in shelter design. Every choice involves making sacrifices in one or more areas, and there are no perfect solutions. Nylon’s well-balanced characteristics make it a good choice in most outdoor applications, but, like every material, it has its share of shortcomings. Improvements in fabric weaving and coating technology mean we can expect to continue seeing incremental improvements in materials, but nothing radically different is on the horizon (to the best of my knowledge), so this is what we have to work with for the time being. 

Hopefully, this has provided you with a little insight into tent fabrics, and will improve your understanding of the shelter options available to you when it comes time to pick your next adventure home.

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Waterproof Tent Materials: Everything You Need to Know

Guest Post by: Casey Fiedler of Outside Pursuits

If you’re anything like me, chances are good that you started off as a hiker with a pretty cheap tent. Mine was from Sam’s Club – Swiss Gear to be exact. That tent fabric was about as waterproof as a slice of Swiss cheese and no amount of waterproof tent spray could save it. I had made a mistake.

I bought a lot of my early camping and hiking gear without fully understanding what makes them waterproof. More importantly, I had no basis for understanding what made one item good at being waterproof and another terrible at it. You’re probably wondering something similar.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience, see my full disclosure for more info.

What is a waterproof hiking tent made from? What sets one apart from another? How can you be sure you’re not getting fleeced when you buy one?

With hundreds of nights spent on the trail guiding backpacking trips around the US, I’ve come to an intimate understanding of waterproof gear. Today I’d like to share that with you to help you in your travels!

What Materials Are Used for Tents?

Today you really get about 3 solid options when it comes to tent fabric or materials. Of those, two are very similar in many regards, and the third is an alien outlier.

Nylon

Polyester

Mylar Laminate (cuben)

Nylon, the same material responsible for many ugly fashion inventions of the ’90s, is arguably the most popular tent fabric. It’s a fully man-made fabric that is quite affordable, durable, and relatively lightweight. If I had to guess I’d say 60% of modern tents are made from nylon.

Polyester is slightly more expensive and a little less common than nylon. In most regards, they’re fundamentally similar with respect to tent creation. Polyester, however, has the potential to be slightly lighter in some implementations but this depends heavily on manufacturer construction methods and the user’s intended purpose for their gear.

What Is The Best Tent Fabric?

Largely I consider polyester and nylon tents to be basically equal for all but the biggest gram weenies (ultralight hikers) or ultra-hikers.

Last, but certainly not least, is cuben fiber now known as mylar composite. Cuben fiber started out as a lightweight sandwich of mylar plastic with spectra fibers smashed in between. This stuff is crazy strong and insanely lightweight!

A Note About Denier: Denier refers to how thick a polyester or nylon fabric is. 10 denier is about as lightweight as it comes while 200-300 denier is the equivalent of a car seatbelt or more. Things like the bottom of your tent (where it contacts the ground) should be made from more robust fabrics (higher denier) while other components like the rainfly can be made from uber-light fabrics in the 10-15 denier range.

Mylar laminate is also crazy expensive and only small cottage industry manufacturers work with it. Why? Because most hikers don’t like the high cost, its weakness to puncture, or the odd crinkly sounds and feel of the plastic bag-like material.

Mylar laminate is popular among die-hard ultralight hikers and users who do the best with cuben fiber tents fully understand the materials and it’s limitations/drawbacks. Not recommended for beginners.

Tent Fly Waterproofing Options

When it comes time to waterproof the fabric your tent is made from most manufacturers follow a similar process. Both nylon and polyester are inherently very water-resistant in most weaves used for tents. Mylar composite, however, is inherently fully waterproof by itself (which is considered one of its major advantages as a material).

To make nylon and polyester waterproof generally silicone is applied in the factory. Before the fabric leaves the textile mill the nylon or polyester will be impregnated with a very thin layer of silicone which is waterproof, flexible, and durable.

After this process has happened the fabric will now be known as “silnylon” or “silpoly” indicating the addition of silicone.

While there are other waterproof fabrics out there, they’re very rare and generally not applicable. For instance, Gore-Tex and eVent are both examples of waterproof breathable membranes and do not get used in tent applications. Another example is PU (polyurethane) coated nylon – a fabric popular on inexpensive waterproof jackets but very rare on tents.

Sealing Up Tent Seams

Great, so now we’ve found some good waterproof fabrics. It’s time to sew up the tent!

The only problem is… when you sew a tent it puts thousands of tiny needle holes into that waterproof silnylon or silpoly. These little holes do leak and they will cause you headaches if they’re not fixed!

In order to stop leaking from around the seams used to sew together a waterproof tent a process is generally known as “seam sealing” must be implemented. Seam sealing uses one of several various waterproofing methods to block up those needle holes and keep you dry.

Seam tape is a sticky waterproof tape applied over the sewn seams of a tent. Usually, this tape is applied at the factory and adheres to the tent through a process of heat and pressure which fixes it firmly in place.

Seam tape is visible on the inside of tents, jackets, pants, and other waterproof hiking gear. Just turn your tent or jacket inside out and look for a thin line of transparent tape along the seams to see if it’s there!

Silicone seam sealer is a liquified silicone gel that you can purchase in various forms. It’s used for sealing seams, repairing tears, and other DIY processes. My personal go-to is the Gear Aid Seam Grip.

If you ever buy a cottage industry tent you may be faced with siliconizing your own seams. It’s a good process to master because it comes in handy for repairs on seam tape tents, too! The process is super simple – just follow this easy video to touch up your tent or seal a new tent/tarp.

Tent Floors and Footprints

Now that we’ve covered fabrics and waterproofing, there is just a little bit left to know about your tent.

Bathtub floors are a type of tent floor where the thick, waterproof floor of your tent wraps up the sidewalls of the tent. Usually, these side wraps stretch up 2-6” along the sides of your tent and help protect against rain splatter and any running groundwater during hard storms. Most tents utilize a design similar to this even if they don’t advertise it as such.

Footprints are basically tarps that go on the ground under your tent. Usually, they’re shaped to match the silhouette of your tent and should be made from durable heavier denier fabric.

Footprints are most often for protecting the bottom of your tent from scratches, scrapes, and punctures that can occur as a result of sharp objects on the ground.

I don’t usually use or recommend footprints for tents because careful site selection helps mitigate any risk of tent damage, to begin with, and they add a lot of weight to the pack.

Additionally, many users fail to properly “hide” the footprint under the tent. Any exposed surface area of footprint outside the tent floor will act as an inadvertent rain catch essentially channeling running water down under your tent. Not good!

There are tons of different fabric choices out there for your next tent. More than likely you’ll be choosing between silnylon and silpoly, however, simply due to their wide availability and affordable prices. In this article, I’ve attempted to cover the basics while helping you dip your toes into the moderate and advanced concepts when it comes to waterproof tents.

As you dive into the world of hiking, camping, and backpacking you’ll eventually learn some things the hard way. There’s no way around it – I think everyone I know has owned at least 3-4 tents. Understanding the details of your waterproof tent, however, means you’ll be able to make more educated decisions and waste less money trying new tents over time.

Let us know what tent you have in the comments below and how waterproof (or not!) it is.

About the author:
Casey has a degree in Outdoor Education and has spent years guiding backpacking trips on the trail around the US. He works with Outside Pursuits to write gear-based outdoor articles on tons of topics!

For more information on backpacking tents and gear, check out:

That’s a great question.

The answer is hard to know. Basically, you’re asking about trade secrets.

There was some indication recently that Royal DSM, the Dutch multinational that owns DCF, was planning to exit the market because DCF is basically a sunset product due to the toxic production process. I suspect the dirty part of manufacturing comes with whatever is used to laminate the different layers together. DCF also has a shorter useful life span, which ought to be factored in.

Polyesters can be recycled up to a certain point but the idea of “recyclable polyester” is a kind fabric industry myth, since polyesters are not endlessly recyclable. But there are some relatively high performance tent fabrics made with recycled polyester.

Nylon is apparently harder to recycle but it can be done. I can’t think off the top of my head of any recycled nylons used for tent fabrics.

It is impossible to generalize about polyesters (and nylons) without knowing the details of the coatings used. Some coatings pollute more than others. But manufacturers don’t share that info with us.

If this is your concern, I would strongly recommend Yama Mountain Gear, not just for the materials used (sometimes they offer products in recycled polyester) but also for the full disclosure of waste produced and the commitment to donate profits to protection.

Tyvek is recyclable in some places. Shelters have been successfully built with it. I think only bivys are made with it currently but perhaps I’ve missed something.

There are plenty of tarps made of oilskin, but it’s rather heavy.

I’ll echo what Jon said. Also, we generally think of carbon foot print as the manufacturing step, not post consumer use.

The lowest carbon foot print would probably be duck canvas, which is very heavy. It isn’t recyclable either. Nylon, polyester, and DCF are all petroleum products, from what I have read. (I have no expertise on fabrics).

So everything is going to end up in a landfill at end of life, despite claims. If one is concerned about this, then the answer is to purchase the longest lasting tent possible. Of course, purchasing a 20 or 30 lifespan product is counter to much of BPL where the “newest and greatest” shelter is quickly sold out, to replace last year’s “newest and greatest” shelter.

Here is an interesting Slingfin article on Nylon vs Polyester vs Dyneema/Cuben.

I do wonder if you look back at the tents and bags being made in the 60’s and 70’s, if they were actually better eco friendly wise compared to what’s being made today?

I then wonder if the race to become the lightest and most durable have made tents and bags less eco friendly?

If the answer to both these questions are yes, then why did we do it? Are we not as fit as the people in the 60’s and 70’s? I mean, at some point we have to admit that going lighter and more durable is harmful and we either:

1. Suck it up and carry heavier gear

2. Become more fit

3.  Decide not to backpack because you’re not able to sustainably do it because you’re not able to carry the heavier gear.

4. Say screw it because the planets going to die anyway.

fabric from 70s was a little heavier.  Just polyurethane, no silicone.  We make more now so there’s more pollution.  On the other hand we’re beginning to understand the problem and are developing processes that are better for planet

Yeah, if you really push lightweightness then it won’t last as long.  That’s a good strategy to buy heavier stuff and use it for a long time.

40(?) years ago the plastics industry realized they had a PR problem they had to deal with or people might quit buying plastics, so they created the recycling system with the little symbols on the bottom of each bottle.  Then, it seemed to people they were recycleable, but actually they’re not very.  But people kept buying plastics which was what was important.  “Frontline” on PBS has had good stories about this with letters between plastics industry people developing the program and acknowledging they weren’t really recycleable.

So, I’m skeptical of eco friendly fabric.  Is it really just greenwashing again?  Fool me once shame on you,…?

I think we’re slowly moving in the direction of more eco friendly plastic.  Derived from plants.  It degrades after a while.  And if they can recycle more plastic that would be great…

The planet’s not going to die.  Worst case, humans would go extinct but that’s unlikely.  We’ll probably be able to work with any changes – abandon some places and move to other places…  It may be pretty traumatic.  I think the U.S. should be very friendly with Canada because they have a bunch of land that will become habitable.

Isn’t this essentially a question about the global plastics industry, as well as all of the connected distribution systems?

At first glance this strikes me as being so multifaceted it’s impossible to answer. Which also makes it a completely ripe arena for manufacturers to greenwash their products with claims of “eco friendliness” or “sustainability” that are based on completely marginal or nearly impossible to verify metrics.

Yes, yes, and yes.

Trying to figure out what a manufacturer is really selling is often a daunting task.

I bought a bunch of really ultra light equipment 12-15 years ago. Most of it didn’t last. I’ve abandoned really light shoes, and sometimes on short trips I wear my 40 year old Danner’s (re-soled several times over the decades). I’m done with DCF/Cuben because it wears out too quickly, and I’m careful with the stuff.

I’m not doing it to save the planet, but to save my money, most of which is probably going to my kids when I die. I’m cheap frugal.

“Worst case, humans would go extinct but that’s unlikely.  We’ll probably be able to work with any changes”

The climate shifts we are seeing now so far, do not even hold a candle to the climatic shifts that pre modern humans have seen in our total existence, or even during just the last major climatic shift cycles of about 11, 000 and 10, 000 or so years ago (combined to equal about 14* C in global temp changes).  Simply huge climatic shifts and “coincidentally” (to some folks who don’t seem very bright) coincided with the die offs of many large land mammal species–particularly so on the North American continent.  But we are told by some so called scientific experts that these huge, powerful animals were hunted into extinction by primitive humans (whose populations btw, were likely significantly, significantly lower than current).  Course, had nothing to do with these major climatic, magnetic, solar, etc shifts and cycles.

Many of these same “scientists” seems to be the same ones that are telling us that current climatic shifts are completely or almost completely solely due to humans. Never mind the major changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, core, record breaking rotation speed changes, etc, etc.  and all the major changes within the last few decades seen in all the planets of the Solar system (and including the Sun itself, for example it is producing more helium of late) minus Mercury (not because there haven’t been such changes, but because we have less data on Mercury due to its proximity to the Sun and the challenges that this represents).

(Then consider the genetic evidence that the human population has gone through multiple severe population bottlenecks, which interestingly seemed to affect Africa far less the rest of the world, just like in Plato’s talks of Solon with the Egytpian priests)

Well, all added up, seems humanity is pretty likely to survive whatever is going on currently. (I do happen to think that humans are contributing to climate change, but based on what I know about solar cycles and physics research and how crappy the climate models are when it comes to factoring in the sun’s influence in all this, I suspect it is lower than most people believe).

With all that said, pollution is a very real and very big problem that is deeply affecting the collective health of the planet and many of its species, and climate or not, we need to address it because of the negative health effects. 

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