Silnylon Tarps - Noise and Sparks?

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Polymath

Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
72
I have been thinking about trying one of those newfangled silnylon tarps. I have two questions for those of you who use them:

  1. Are they as noisy in the wind and brush as normal plasticy tarps?
  2. How do they handle sparks? Will sparks from a campfire or hobo stove turn it into Swiss cheese?
 
Polymath said:
I have been thinking about trying one of those newfangled silnylon tarps. I have two questions for those of you who use them:

  1. Are they as noisy in the wind and brush as normal plasticy tarps?
  2. How do they handle sparks? Will sparks from a campfire or hobo stove turn it into Swiss cheese?
Click to expand...
They're not as noisy as plastic tarps. The noise is about the same as that of a nylon tent fly. I don't know what damage a spark would do. I use stoves that don't throw sparks.

Richard
 
Sparks will put holes right through it. Companies, like Kifaru, that make wood burning stoves for silnylon tents have stainless steel spark arrestor mesh that the exhaust smoke must pass through, to prevent little fiery sparks from floating over and making holes.

When holes do appear, they are fixed with a little dab of silicone weatherstripping type goop.

People who camp with cotton canvas tents don't have to sweat any of this.
 
Erasmus said:
People who camp with cotton canvas tents don't have to sweat any of this.
Click to expand...

Righto! :thumbup:

However, I was thinking about checking out this silnylon craze everyone seems into. I may pass as I like to sit close to my fire.
 
Erasmus said:
People who camp with cotton canvas tents don't have to sweat any of this.
Click to expand...

Except humping a 100lb pice of canvas that leaks if you touch it. Canvas was my grandfathers material not mine.

TO answer the ?

Yes LARGE sparks will burn through but not easily it needs an ember. It is after all nylon. There are trade offs for lighweight.

It is not noisy at all.

YOu shouldnt have a large fire near it anyway.

A great bit of kit that can be reapaired easily as mentioned.

Skam
 
Two days in a row I am agreeing with Skammer. :confused:

I carry silnylon but if for whatever reason you prefer canvas. Go to Home Depot or Lowes or almost any hardware store and buy a cheap canvas painters dropcloth, you can buy them in different weights most are 8oz or 10oz and I think that is per yard. When you get your new tarp/drop cloth home wash it a few times to soften it up, if you want, now would be the time to dye it with RIT, green and brown tie dye is my favorite. Then soak it in a 5 gallon bucket with a gallon of Thompson's water seal in it, be sure to swirl it around from time to time. After about a day of soaking and swirling take it out and put it over a line to dry. If you want to get fancy you can put in grommets or sew in loops for tie out points.

This process works very well and is the bees knees for canoe camping or car camping but if I am humping it then I will stick to silnylon or urethane coated nylon. Chris
 
runningboar said:
Then soak it in a 5 gallon bucket with a gallon of Thompson's water seal in it
Click to expand...

I have heard nasty rumors that the new "California Approved" Thompson's formula
is not fabric safe and will cause premature rotting of canvas. This may be total nonsense,
so take with a large grain of salt.

However, I have always liked boiled linseed oil (and it is cheaper).
 
I love sil tarps. Light, packable and durable. But a fire would destroy it easily. They are more of an ultralight/emergency item than a basic camping shelter.
 
I've got Integral Design's 8x10 foot silnylon tarp. But dread using it near a fire. My military surplus canvas sleeping bag cover never leaked. Guess I missed out on canvas.
 
Silnylon is quiet enough-- not like poly tarps or Tyvek. It *does* burn. Keep in mind that ultralight hikers normally use a light stoves like Esbit or alcohol and practice Leave No Trace camping, so fires are out unless in a campsite with a fire ring. I don't pitch any of my tents near a fire anyway.
 
Hmm, I don't think anyone will ever accuse me of being an ultralight hiker. I guess I will save the silnylon
experiment for warm weather camping (which I don't do much of).

As far as fires go, if I am by myself I go with the Indian method. (White man builds big fire and stands
far away, Indian builds small fire and stands close.)
 
Polymath said:
Hmm, I don't think anyone will ever accuse me of being an ultralight hiker. I guess I will save the silnylon
experiment for warm weather camping (which I don't do much of).

As far as fires go, if I am by myself I go with the Indian method. (White man builds big fire and stands
far away, Indian builds small fire and stands close.)
Click to expand...

So what are you going to use for non warm weather camping?
 
Come on now, don't leave us in suspense. What type of tarp are you going to use for cold weather camping that is fairly lightweight, spark proof and quite? If it costs the same or less than my favorite coated nylon one I will use it also. Chris
 
runningboar said:
Come on now, don't leave us in suspense.
Click to expand...

Sorry, my time is a bit over allocated. Often I drop into the forums for a couple
of weeks and then am out for a month.

runningboar said:
What type of tarp are you going to use for cold weather camping that is fairly lightweight, spark proof and quite? If it costs the same or less than my favorite coated nylon one I will use it also. Chris
Click to expand...

I don't know of a tarp that is "fairly lightweight, spark proof and quite". Those
are your words - not mine. My original question was about silnylon. If I can't
have small fire near the entrance without worrying about the tarp turning
into a sieve then silnylon probably isn't for me.

Canvas is heavy and mildews/rots easy if abused. However, it is also fairly
spark resistant, and is much quieter than plastic.

Time and weather permitting, I will try to post some pictures of my setup in
a couple of weeks.
 
Polymath said:
I don't know of a tarp that is "fairly lightweight, spark proof and quite". Those
are your words - not mine. .
Click to expand...

Yes those are my words, I am sure my reading comprehension is not perfect, however from your earlier posts I understood those are the requisits you were looking for. Since you admitted that silnylon is not for you, it stands to reason, in your mind you already possess something superior.

Polymath said:
Canvas is heavy and mildews/rots easy if abused. However, it is also fairly
spark resistant, and is much quieter than plastic.

Time and weather permitting, I will try to post some pictures of my setup in
a couple of weeks.
Click to expand...

If it wouldn't trouble you terribly I am very interested. Thanks, Chris
 
Jist gimme a big ole slab'uh visqueen with uh duk tape edge 'round it an i'll be fine.

Don't laugh, I use this setup sometimes, and it works just fine.
 
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