What Are the Materials for Camping Tents? How to Choose a Tent According to the Fabric?

Aug 8, 2022

Waterproof nylon cloth is used for the rain cloth or outer tent to resist the infiltration of rain. The tent with good waterproof property will be pasted with waterproof glue on the suture part to increase the waterproof property; The waterproof property of the fabric of the main account or the inner account is not as good as that of the outer account, but it has good air permeability. The tent floor cloth, like the external tent, should be able to prevent moisture from penetrating the surface. Therefore, the waterproof property of the floor cloth is very necessary and must be paid attention to when selecting.

The tent fabric is mainly divided into three parts: outer curtain fabric, inner curtain fabric, and bottom curtain fabric.

Five materials are mainly used for the external curtain: nylon, canvas, TC cloth, silk, Gore Tex

1. Nylon.

the scientific name is polyamide fiber, mainly including nylon 66 and nylon 6. It is named nylon in China, namely, nylon 66 and nylon 6. Nylon has strong tension, bright and smooth color, not easy to fade, soft texture, good strength, not easy to mold, and will not be eaten by insects. It has little moisture absorption and does not harden in case of freezing. It is the most widely used material at present.

2. Canvas (Oxford cloth)

it is waterproof and has a good heat insulation effect. It is not hot under the sun, but it is hard and heavy, easy to mold and fade. Its economic benefits are not as good as nylon, and it has been gradually eliminated.

3. TC fabric

the so-called TC fabric is the fabric blended with t (tetoron) and C (cotton). The warping part is woven with tedolon, and the weft part is woven with cotton yarn. It is synthesized into TC fabric. Therefore, it has both the characteristics of the two. It is wear-resistant, durable, strong, breathable, and solid. It is mainly used for large and medium-sized family accounts.

4. Silk puff

it is a blend of nylon and man-made fiber. Therefore, after synthesis, it has the common characteristics of nylon and man-made fiber. The cloth surface is smooth and has good air permeability, but its durability and strength are not as good as pure nylon. It is mostly used in cold weather. For example, in cold weather, when the door is closed, it must also be able to emit the water vapor in the tent, so as not to be too stuffy or too humid.

5. Gore Tex

it is the product of the latest technology in the United States. It is breathable and waterproof, light weight, wear-resistant and durable, but the price is relatively expensive.

Pros：

1. The inner curtain material is usually cotton nylon silk with good air permeability

From the use point of view, the performance of nylon silk is better than that of cotton. When camping in the field, the tent is easy to absorb moisture, the cotton cloth is not easy to dry and mold, and the nylon silk is easy to dry and not easy to mold.

2. The main functions of the material at the bottom of the account are waterproof, moisture-proof and dust-proof

The choice of the base material also determines the grade of the tent. Polyethylene material (PE) is usually used as the base material for low-grade tents, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is also used for the purpose of low cost. PE with the double-sided film is waterproof and moisture-proof, but it is easy to wear and leak. Winter is the enemy of PVC base material. The dry and cold climate will make it hard, brittle, and easy to produce creases or fractures. The Oxford cloth coated with polyurethane (PU) is used as the base material, and its firmness, cold resistance, and water resistance are much better than those of PE and PVC. The PU coating can not only overcome the defects of PVC but also is very waterproof. The waterproof pressure of PU with multiple coatings can reach more than 2000mm.

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