Sil-Nylon vs Rip-Stop Tarp?

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oguruma

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I am looking to buy a tarp for shelter use. I am curious what is better for long-term durability/waterproofness? Price and weight not being an option. What will maintain its waterproofness longer, a SilNylon Tarp or a ripstop tarp?
 
Silnylon is lightweight ripstop that is impregnated with silicone in the actual manufacturing process. Non-silicone ripstop has a waterproof coating applied to it after the fact.

Waterproof coatings erode over time with exposure UV, but so can impregnated silnylon; probably just not as quickly as a non-impregnated coating. However, it can also be restored pretty easily with a silicone spray.

Hope that helps.
 
Used around a fire then rip stop not then sil. I have a sil I use around a warming fire and I've just gotten good at patching it. Rip stop melts also but sil does so easier.
 
I would say rip-stop is going to give you longer longevity when it comes to durability (all factors being equal). Sil-nylon is some fragile stuff. I'm always afraid that I am going to tear or puncture my sil-nylon gear.
Sil-nylon or Cuben Fiber for UL backpacking; Rip-Stop for bushcraft. My .02
 
Rip-stop is nylon fabric with an occasional thicker thread in the weave; the idea is if it starts to rip the heavier thread may stop it before it gets a really big tear. It can be coated with urethane or silicone or not.

If weight is not a problem you should choose heavy urethane-coated nylon, not thin silicone-coated.
 
As others have said, ripstop is generally heavier and has a PU coating on one side. Silnylon is usually much lighter, but not as tough.

I recently picked-up one of these in MultiCam: http://www.fellfab.com/military/tarp-2-8-x-10/ - Fellfab is the new owner of the tactical side of Integral Designs [integral tactical]. It's very well made/sewn, and beefy in all respects. The fabric is sweet. It's much more robust than their Silnylon tarps which I've also used a lot, but heavier. Price is very reasonable.

Review I found with pics: http://www.canadianwildernesssurvival.com/reviews/tentstarps-a-shelters/209-integral-tactical-tarp-2
 
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