Curious what others are using for webbing. Nylon or polyester. With regard to backpacks.

Which one, why, where do you buy it from.

Going to start another pack, strapworks.com has polyester webbing in colors other than just black. Just want to see if it would be a better webbing than the nylon I used for my other pack.

It seems like it would be better: UV resistance, doesn't stretch as much and doesn't absorb as much water.
Thanks

Chris,

3/4" grosgrain ribbon from Quest Outfitters with one caveat.

Plan on using the new ladder lock from ITW Nexus or you may experience slippage of the webbing in a standard ladder lock.

The link directs you to another thread on BPL concerning these ladder locks. I am sorry to tell you that when I checked recently ITW Nexus was no longer accepting sample orders.

The catalog website is down for maintenance but if you Google images of, Apex SR 20 waveloc buckle, you can get a visual.

Quest can supply you with black, red, white, royal, yellow, light and dark gray grosgrain in the 3/4" variety.

Party On,

Newton

Edited by Newton on 11/14/2010 22:17:33 MST.

Very often you will find that PE webbing uses much coarser fibres than nylon, and as a result it feels 'cheap'. Actually, some cheap webbing exists and feels like this as well. Also, nylon webbing has better properties for packs than PE webbing imhe.

The other comment about picking the RIGHt buckles is absolutely right. the 'wrong' sort is easier to adjust, but then slips continuously. Jansport had this problem (big time) with the Big Bear 63 pack during development, but managed to sort it out by switching buckles for the release version. I know ... I tested both sorts of packs!

It is possible to convert a slipping buckle arrangement to a non-slip arrangement in several ways, but selecting the right buckle at the start is far far better. Sadly, you are often likely to find the wrong sort in your local fabric shop.

Cheers

Hey Chris,
I would like to recommend you to use nylon webbing, which is more durable than polyester webbing. By the way, I bought them at Lowyusa.com

Edited by joebolton on 11/10/2011 19:53:26 MST.

I recommend nylon.

I tried polypro but didn't like it. Doesn't work as smoothly in buckles and it can fray big time if the ends become unsealed.

Interesting to just now read this on strapworks.com-

"Flat Nylon webbing is great for high abrasion applications. It is not recommended to use in or around water continuously because it absorbs water quickly, causing mildew and rot if not taken care of. Flat nylon will also stretch up to 2% of its length when the webbing is saturated."

"Polypropylene webbing is great for outdoor applications. It is available in 2 styles: Heavyweight, and Lightweight. Polypropylene has excellent UV protection, and it does not absorb water, giving it resistance to mildew and rot. It has low stretch, especially when wet. Polypropylene does not have a high abrasion resistance, so it is not recommended for use around rough edges."

"Sublimated Solid Color Polyester webbing is ideal for heavy loads with high abrasion. Polyester webbing has the same soft, smooth feel, and shiny appearence of Flat nylon. It also has the benefits of Polypropylene, low water absorption, and excellent mildew and rot resistance. "

BM