Tyvek experience?

RokJok

RokJok

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Anybody have any experience they can relate with Tyvek fabric used in outdoors clothing, packs, or other gear?

Tyvek fabric from Dupont is ubiquitous as a house siding underwrap in the construction industry. The properties that make it function there are also properties that should endear it to outdoors folks. Those properties are that it is a tear-resistant continuous-fiber, extremely thin and lightweight waterproof layer that will let the house "breathe" while preventing water penetration. There is already clothing made of this material for painters, hazmat disposal, etc.

I recently bumped into this poncho here made of Tyvek with sealed seams that looks like it might be interesting as a very lightweight rain layer and shelter. Any experience, comments, or opinions on how well you think it'd work? TIA.
 
never used this poncho, but I work in a lab and wear Tyvek labcoats everyday, I hate them....they are lightweight, kinda tough to tear, however they dont breathe as well as the link says, and at 25.00 I better get a case, I think we pay 40.00 for a case of jackets.....I would look else where but thats my opinion
 
I had done some reading of light backpackers using Tyvek as a tarp when they had tents with no floor. apperantly is works great for tarps, but I do not know how well they would work for clothes. I went to home depot the other day looking at their pricing and a 3ft tall 4in. diameter roll was 57 dollars. I even tried to rip off a corner and it would not give at all. stong stuff. for example a few years back I got some mail in a tyvek envelope, and when I placed it in the shredder it cloged the sucker. It didn't shred very well at all or really rip. great stuff. i would like to try some out myself some :D day.
 
I deliver a lot of Tyvek packages everyday, and some of my "colleagues" have even made wallets out of it. I've even seen some guys use it on their precious Brooks saddles to protect them on a rainy day. Really easy to procure at the USPO to experiment with.
 
I use a 4' x9' Tyvek sheet as a footprint with a 5' x8' siltarp. It is exactly the same material used in home construction, with the loud lettering on one side ("Tyvek Home Wrap," "Dupont," etc.). Works great as a groundcloth, but the first one I bought did deteriorate and thin-out to the point that gravel and other debris started grinding small holes in it after 9 or 10 backpacking trips (~40 days). But it's cheap and easily replaceable; we actually cut that one into smaller pieces for sitting or kneeling on damp or wet ground.

I agree with Paleo25 re: Tyvek's breathability and comfort. I appreciate the ingenuity and DIY attitude of the folks in your link, but they have a very generous definition of breathable. No doubt it's more breathable than vinyl or PVC, but that's not saying much. Tyvek is also less malleable and "noisier" than either, at least until it breaks in (at which point it has started slowly to deteriorate). For $10-$20 more you can get a real breathable, and vastly more comfortable, rain jacket or pullover from Sierra Designs or other good companies.

BTW, I purchased my Tyvek via Dancing Light Gear: http://trailquest.net/dlgctyvek.html . If anyone knows of other cheap sources (short of pulling it off the side of unfinished homes), please let me know.

Glen
 
I buy mine from a guy on eBay (eBay ID schoolboyrowe) for $2.25 per foot of 8'9" long stuff. He'll also put it through the wash to soften it up for a small fee, something I'm not willing to subject my washing machine to since the motor probably wouldn't survive..

As for using it, it makes a great, lightweight groundcloth. In an emergency, it would make an acceptable tarp shelter, but the sound of even my softened sheets blowing in the breeze would not be my first choice.
 
Rok,

I use a Tyvek tarp. It's a lot more breathable than coated nylon, and also a little tougher. It's cheap too... but it's not as breathable as gore-tex (I wouldn't use it as a bivy bag, for example, but for tarps it's prefect. Good stuff anyways. Some use it for ground clothes (Sarhound does). They seem to like it, but I've never tried it myself.

Cheers,

David
 
I' m gonna get a tyvek tarp to use as a ground cloth, I currently use a gum blanket, form civil war reenacting, it was a lot more.
 
I know in Canada the Maps department make some maps on Tyvek and they rule if given the choice spend the xtra buck.
 
the us military uses tyvek for their escape and evasion maps used by downed pilots. scott O'grady mentioned this in his book return with honor. :)
 
I used to wear Tyvek coveralls when I worked in a parts finishing department many years ago. They held up well against paint and epoxy powdercoat, they were quite water-resistent, but I still managed toget soaked using my power washer. They were abrasion-resistent, but they did not last long in the sand-blast booth. The only outdoor application I tried with them was "snow camo" in late-season deer hunting. They did not seem to snag too badly on briars, and they were a highly effective windbreak. Quiet, too. I used to always keep a set in my truck for emergencies, but I think I probably used my last one. Now that I'm thinking about it again, I need to scare up some more. :cool:
 
I used to use tyvek biohazard suits for cleaning contaminated sites. They are tough. We did one building that had to be torn down to the studs and the suits held up just fine. I was glad we were doing it in the dead of winter in PA because the suits don't breath. In fact they couldn't be used as biohazard suits if they did so the breathability claim is highly suspect. My suit didn't breath at all. We would get so hot that we'd take our breaks outside in the 20 degree weather just to cool off! We were a real sight too, white suits with hoods, gas mask taped to the hood, black gloves taped to the sleeves, black boots taped to the legs. People crossed the street to avoid us! Mac
 
pict - a white tyvek suit with a respirator is a great Halloween costume. Scares the heck out of people.

Happy Hazwoper to you!
 
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