The Best Tent Fabrics
Since the very first portable tent was erected there have been many tent fabrics used to ensure that the cover it provides is both wind and waterproof. But which fabric best suits this purpose? This article sets out to answer this question and list some of the not only most popular, but also best tent fabrics.
The 4 Most Popular Tent Fabrics Used in Modern Tents
Modern tent manufacturers use a range of different fabrics when manufacturing a tent. In fact, many tents are made up of more than one fabric. Each individual fabric has its merits based on its physical structure. We go into a little more detail below to give you an idea of what we mean:
Cotton Tent Fabrics
Cotton is a soft and fluffy natural fiber that grows in a protective capsule called a bole. The natural cotton fiber is almost pure cellulose and extremely hardy. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber in nature is to aid in seed dispersal. This makes it extremely water absorbent, which is not a good quality for tent fabric unless treated.
Nylon Tent Fabrics
Nylon is a generic designation for an entire family of man made sybthetic polymers known as polyamides. They were first produced in a DuPont laboratory on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers. Nylon is one of the most commonly used polymers in the world and is particularly popular as a tent fabric. However, it is extremely flammable unless treated with flame retardant chemicals.
Felt Tent Fabrics
Felt is an extremely popular tent fabric as it is made up of non-woven matted and condensed woolen cloth. Most types of felt are very soft, but some are manufactured to be durable enough to be used as construction material.
Polyester Tent Fabrics
Polyester is another category of polymers that are often used to manufacture tents. It must be noted however that Polyesters are not just man made synthetic fabrics, but also include naturally occurring chemicals, such as that found in plant cuticles.
NB! Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not. As the world's population has become more eco aware this fabric has become less and less popular.
And the Best Tent Fabric is…
Out of the 4 top tent fabrics mentioned above, which is the best? Well cotton as mentioned above absorbs water and can become very, very heavy. But, when treated with paraffin or other similar substances cotton becomes an extremely resilient, light and waterproof fabric.
Felt has a very similar problem to cotton, but again through the correct treatment of the raw material this can be rectified.
Both nylon and polyester are lighter than cotton and they are also both extremely water resistant. However, they tend to deteriorate under ultraviolet light which is no good in a harsh outdoor environment.
It turns out that the best fabric to manufacture a tent with is ALL of them. Each has its positives and negatives, but when treated correctly during the manufacturing process each one in turn can become the perfect tent fabric.
The 4 Most Popular Tent Fabrics Used in Modern Tents
Modern tent manufacturers use a range of different fabrics when manufacturing a tent. In fact, many tents are made up of more than one fabric. Each individual fabric has its merits based on its physical structure. We go into a little more detail below to give you an idea of what we mean:
Cotton Tent Fabrics
Cotton is a soft and fluffy natural fiber that grows in a protective capsule called a bole. The natural cotton fiber is almost pure cellulose and extremely hardy. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber in nature is to aid in seed dispersal. This makes it extremely water absorbent, which is not a good quality for tent fabric unless treated.
Nylon Tent Fabrics
Nylon is a generic designation for an entire family of man made sybthetic polymers known as polyamides. They were first produced in a DuPont laboratory on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers. Nylon is one of the most commonly used polymers in the world and is particularly popular as a tent fabric. However, it is extremely flammable unless treated with flame retardant chemicals.
Felt Tent Fabrics
Felt is an extremely popular tent fabric as it is made up of non-woven matted and condensed woolen cloth. Most types of felt are very soft, but some are manufactured to be durable enough to be used as construction material.
Polyester Tent Fabrics
Polyester is another category of polymers that are often used to manufacture tents. It must be noted however that Polyesters are not just man made synthetic fabrics, but also include naturally occurring chemicals, such as that found in plant cuticles.
NB! Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not. As the world's population has become more eco aware this fabric has become less and less popular.
And the Best Tent Fabric is…
Out of the 4 top tent fabrics mentioned above, which is the best? Well cotton as mentioned above absorbs water and can become very, very heavy. But, when treated with paraffin or other similar substances cotton becomes an extremely resilient, light and waterproof fabric.
Felt has a very similar problem to cotton, but again through the correct treatment of the raw material this can be rectified.
Both nylon and polyester are lighter than cotton and they are also both extremely water resistant. However, they tend to deteriorate under ultraviolet light which is no good in a harsh outdoor environment.
It turns out that the best fabric to manufacture a tent with is ALL of them. Each has its positives and negatives, but when treated correctly during the manufacturing process each one in turn can become the perfect tent fabric.
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