After all this talk here and on other forums about using tyvek or not and its presumed pros and cons, I thought I'd splash out and buy myself 2 sheets of Tyvek 1443R - 1.5 x 3 m and see what the story was.

The idea was to simply glue them together and use it as a tarp. I cut off two test pieces, glued them together with a generic universal glue. As I was pressing down on the two bits the glue was coming through the fabric. I let it dry for half an hour or so, and then for the big test! I had spent hours upon hours constructing an intricate pulley system for the purpose.

....

It tore without putting up any kind of resistance.
The joint held up fine, it was the fabric that came apart. It didn't tear as such, it seperated. Like cotton wool.

And that was it. I might make a bivvy bag out the rest and see how that works out in the rain.

Interesting. I wore pants made of Tyvek two weeks ago and they held up fine.

I have been saying this for some time, nobody wants to hear it. They love their tyvek. If it was called "white fabric no 10" everyone would hate it because it is so weak. It's got a cool name so people just must have it.

You can make it separate by hand with little effort.

-Tim

Edited by MarshLaw303 on 07/30/2009 13:24:49 MDT.

I was under the impression though that the tarptent sublite was made with 1443R. Or is this 'soft structure' yet another type? Or is it just a gimmick?

I'm still curious about homewrap but haven't been able to find any in the places I've been. It should be stronger, but at the same time bulkier and heavier.. will have to find out about the amount of water it will be able to withstand and its durability.

There's not that many people who have actually experimented with this material and a lot of the conclusions that have been drawn are very dependent on circumstances. I'd like to find out for myself.

If anyone else is still wants to experiment with this type of tyvek, the two sheets I have are up for bids. ;)

Mike,
FWIW, I have experience with Tyvek housewrap, not as MYOG but in construction. I've also made large scale sewn inflatable sculptures with a cheaper Tyvek alternative called Barricade. IIRC, both wraps can be left uncovered and exposed on the side of a house for up to 90 days without harm (ie still perform up to warranty); I've left them quite a bit longer than that on western exposure and in winter without any problem. Both kinds of wrap weigh 6 grams/ft^2 on my scale, or a bit less than 2 oz/yard^2. So heavier than some silnylons.

Tyvek housewrap is pretty stiff and noisy. I can break a strip 3/4" wide pulling with moderate force, and easily tear a sheet with a small starter cut in the edge (it tears with the two layers separating). Barricade, by contrast, is a little softer and quieter (but not like cloth) looks a little like woven polyethylene tarp material (eg, cheap blue tarp) but thinner. I can't tear either a sheet or a strip. The sculptures I've made are sewn with a zig-zag stitch and Gutermann upholstery thread; I've never had a seam fail. I can see the pores in Barricade, so doubt it's very waterproof, just strong, light-ish and cheap (about $1/yard in a 100' roll). My local lumber yard gets stacks of lumber wrapped with a very similar material (identical?): they give it away free, or throw it in the dumpster.

I got some from quest to make a bivy and a tarp.

Its pretty flimsy stuff if you ask me. One side looks fine and it is sort of harder. The cloth side is very soft and if you glue to it, like an overlap its pretty easy to separate.

Now I dont know what to do. I think the fuzzy side should go inside our down on a tarp. I guess I am going to build a bivy out of it, and I might build a tarp just to test it out since I have it anyway, but used in a tarp I could see this stuff pulling apart the layers if stressed like in high winds.

Got some mcnett urethane glue and its some super strong glue. Think it would be best not to glue the cloth side if possible or use a glue that will penetrate that layer. The mcnett glue sits on top, but it will stick to silnylon, cuben or pretty much anything. Other manuf make similar glues.

I am going to put a silnylon tub floor in my bivy, with tyvek on top. Dont think I want this stuff in the mud.

I do think the house wrap would hold up a lot better. ITs just a good bit heavier and has that freekin logo.