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[pct-l] silnylon questions



I'm probably not the best person on this list to answer these questions,
but, after having made a half dozen or so stuff sacks, and one large tarp
out of silnylon, I do have some experience. In answer to your questions,
(1) I imagine that replacing this fabric with silnylon will do the trick,
but I don't know why the floor of the tent would be leaking in the first
place, so perhaps not.
(2) Silnylon does come in several different weights. I made those tents and
stuff sacks from the 1.1 oz stuff I believe, and they are pretty light - far
too light to serve as the floor of a tent (IMHO).
(3) Tricks...I can't think of too many, but I am sure others will chime in.
I guess if there's one thing I could say to an experienced sewer that is
inexperienced with silnylon, it would be, "be patient." It's tough to pin,
tough to sew, tough to do just about everything with.
(4) If memory serves, there are precious few suppliers for silnylon in the
states. The one I used is called "Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics Inc." Their
website is www.owfinc.com, and they tend to be pretty good at what they do.
I even managed to get them to ship some fabric to Spain for me (not that
customs actually let it through). Though, I am looking at their catalog
right now, and I only see one weight of silnylon, the 1.1 oz. They're
probably worth calling all the same though, their number is 208.466.1602.

One warning I should offer you though is that silnylon is incredibly
slippery, both to work with, and to step on. If you do go forward with this
plan, you might find that the floor of your tent is quite a slippery and
dangerous place.
-mike



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Davison" <mardav@charter.net>
To: "PCT List" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2004 8:06 AM
Subject: [pct-l] silnylon questions


> I have a large inexpensive tent that I really like, except that we get
> water leakage through the floor when it rains.  I am thinking about
> replacing the floor fabric with silnylon. We aren't intimidated by
> sewing; we have made tents, sleeping bags, packs and down jackets.
>  I have questions for the experts.
> 1.  Would replacing this floor with silnylon probably solve my problem?
> 2.  Does silnylon come in different weights?  What is the best weight
> for a tent floor?
> 3.  Are there any sewing tricks I need to know to successfully sew
silnylon?
> 4.  Can you recommend any suppliers of silnylon?
> Marion Davison
>
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