Dyneema: The Most OVERRATED Fad in Backpacking
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Trends come and go, and one popular trend right now in the backpacking world is Dyneema, also known as cuben fiber, DCF and DCH. Dyneema has its benefits, but is is truly worth the crazy price tag?
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DCF does seem like flavour of the year(s) but there must be good reason. You have to admit sub-20oz tent weights are appealing. But I have a silnylon Tigerwall 3p Bikepack down to 2.4lbs and tiny pack size and another tent at 32oz. Just depebds on what you need, where you camp and how often. All of these fabrics work!
Everything has its place for sure. The weight savings is definitely valid, and as my knees age, I can certainly appreciate the need for it. But even the 2P X-Mid (non-Dyneema) is a hair under 2 lbs for less than half the price of the Pro.
Well Dyneema tents are for high altitude alpine style ascents where all the negative aspects you are listing do not matter. If you wanna just go on a comfy multi day hikes then there is no reason to get one.
High alpine certainly has its own needs, versus staying below the tree line. But I'd imagine the wind and sun exposure would still be issues with high alpine.
if you arent a thru-hiker/hiking long distances, the investment in a dyneema shelter is probably not for you. if you're an ounce counting piece of shit (i am), you would consider the lightest material you could get your hands on, and probably wouldnt think twice spending the money on a shelter that uses dyneema.
but yeah, for weekend warriors or doing some ~5 day trips? budget-minded? yeah, your points are all valid.
curious of your thoughts on Ultra fabrics.
I don't know as much about Ultra fabrics, though I like that it's recycled and lightweight. I have a fanny pack from Hilltop Packs made with it, but no further experience with it yet. I'd have to do more research to give a decent answers on it.
Dyneema is a great (or at least viable) option if weight is the top priority, for sure, especially if budget isn't a big consideration.
I have Zpack Free duo since June 2022.
I am 65 years old and this is my bikepacking/flyfishing tent. I would not be able to go places to fly fish without dyneema tent. I go for 5-6 days trips and had to cut food intake to one or two meals a day but add one more fly rod and fly reel as a backup to my fly fishing setup.
I am not talking about Zpack company here and their substandard service. I am talking about concept of dyneema. I really like your review and wanted to hear drawbacks of the system.
See through tent or privacy is not the real issue. You can't see through dyneema I have, at all. Also noise ... I don't think noise will wake up other people around. Headlamp is worse. There is no loud noise and my Therm-a-Rest is noisy. It is superlight pad and it is annoying.
Your third point is valid: price. It is really high. Tents is fragile. Zpack no-see-um mesh ripped and I had to repair it with tape. On my second trip I overstretched it. It was my fault since I was thinking it is not fragile. I could send it to repair but I taped it with Tenacious tape.
It is also very hot to be inside in sun but you have to be in any other tents mid day to see how bad can be. I had RAB Summit Latok and no ventilation in it since is 4 season tent. It was brutal. Sold it and then got dyneema tent.
If you put emergency blanket over the tent you could have nice rest. I learned that climbing mountains when I was younger. I agree with you. It is hot inside tents mid day in summer.
Thank you for sharing your experience! As I get older, my knees demand a lighter pack, too. I haven't switched to Dyneema, and maybe eventually I will. Hopefully the price will come down at some point!
@@WanderingSwitchback I hope so too. When I checked Samaya tents price I was thinking Zpack is a good deal. And if 1000$ is good deal I have to go and see a doctor 👨⚕️
😂😂😂
It's all about shedding that weight, ya know?
Totally, that's its main redeeming quality.
2:00 Translucence means reduced privacy, not zero privacy. If it was transparent, you would have zero privacy.
It's interesting, ekopak is talked about as a viable alternative to Dyneema, and it's even more eco-friendly (I believe it uses plastic from recycled bottles?), but it's a much stiffer material. It seems to be great for items like backpacks and some smaller pouches/stuff sacks, but I don't think it will ever be used for a tent. Maybe someone will develop a version of ekopak in a thinner denier that compresses and is more supple so it packs down more easily and more compact.
Great information and well presented.
I appreciate that!
Those are very valid points. I have a Dyneema rope for my hammock ridgeline, but that's it. Dyneema tents are prohibitively expensive, and I also don't like the transparency and noise.
The guy line I have exchanged on my tents appears to have Dyneema as well, but yeah, that’s about it! Loud and sheer tents are not appealing!
Very interesting. I mentally had a Dyneema tent and maybe backpack on my "someday" list, but perhaps not. I'll definitely be giving it more thought before pulling that trigger.
I think it’s a matter of priorities. If weight is #1 above all else, it’s a viable option, albeit an expensive one! But that’s about the only reason to go for it!
@@WanderingSwitchback yeah maybe 100 years from now when I get it together to thru hike the PCT, I might reconsider!
I won’t buy one simply because of the noise. A buddy has one and I pitch well away because it sounds like I’m living next to a plastic bad blowing in the breeze. So annoying. Also the pack size and double the money don’t sound great either. Not worth the weight saving for me.
I totally agree!
Fully agree. I bought a cuben tarp (back when it was called cuben) for my hammock. The weight was amazing, but the translucent nature of it always made me feel like I was camping in a tomato greenhouse or something. Over time small pinholes began to appear. I don't know if it was due to bird droppings, the way I stored the tarp, or the humidity. I put some cuben tape patches, but the problem got worse and worse. The tarp must've had 50 patches all together, and I was going paranoid on every trip waiting for the next leak to appear. The last time I used it I noticed that the problem wasn't just pinholes anymore, but the filaments were flaking off. Luckily I had some big garbage bags that I cut lengthwise and put over the tarp's ridge line, and that got me through the night's downpour. At that point I gave up, and got myself a silpoly tarp, and haven't looked back since. The cuben tarp gave me 3 good years of use, and 1 year of problems until I retired it.
Oh man, what a bummer of an experience, especially with something so expensive. I’m glad to hear the silpoly has been working better for you! I feel like Dyneema is way better as cordage than a sheeted material.
i totaly agree.
I choosed the xmid solid 1P.
Regards from france !
My next purchase will be a solid! I love my X-Mids! Thank you for watching! 🙂🙋🏼♀️ from California!
100% agree. I was set on getting an X-Mid 2p Pro... After really looking into the material and my use case I realized that would be a poor choice for me.
The X-Mid in SilPoly was a far better option and the added versatility is priceless. SilPoly for the win.
Totally agree! I love my silpoly X-Mids, and don’t plan to go for the Pro. Silpoly has been great for me, even in Sierra storms and desert wind (though a Solid is definitely in my future).
@@WanderingSwitchback Same, I was just looking at a solid inner this very day.
I love it as cordage and ropes but hate it as a material for outdoors. I go camping to feel connected to nature and i want it to be as quiet and natural as possible where im at. Kills the whole vibe when your campsite looks like a lunar base camp and noisy like chrismas morning when all tge kids start opening presents every time the wind blows.
Agree! The guy line I use has a Dyneema core, and it seems to be great for lines and ropes, but I think sheets of material isn’t the wisest use.
I have the Free Zip 2P Freestanding Tent from Zpacks. My main negative about the tent is the longevity of the tent. The expected life span of the tent is one full 2500 mile thru hike. Also, Zpacks two year very limited warranty.
Oh wow! I’d be pretty bummed if a tent that expensive was done by the end of a long trail. The warranty is also important, though I’d imagine it’s easier for bigger companies to eat the costs of warranties than for smaller/cottage companies. How do you like the tent so far? It’s nice that there are starting to be some freestanding and double-walled options for those who want them.
@@WanderingSwitchback I'm 67 so the light weight is fabulous. It is very sad that the life span is so short. However, with light weight fabric options there comes risks and the risks for this type of material is getting holes and tears in it. I would say extreme care is needed. It's easy to set up and take down but I don't feel the construction is all that great. I had to sew my zipper a couple of times because a section came undone and I had to put several repair patches on to cover small holes/tears. If I had to do it over I would choose something else. Plus, their customer service, to me, wasn't very friendly. I will continue to use it until it dissolves into pieces. The Easton Carbon 6.3 poles were the best part. I will use those to DIY my own tent when time comes.
@@oldladywalking2673 I'm sorry to hear the construction and customer service have left so much to be desired. Hopefully as technologies (and companies) grow, these will improve.
I don't actually own any Dyneema, that I know of, so not really speaking from experience here... but I have been researching the material for some gear I've wanted to make. Some of the downsides are not actually from the Dyneema (strength providing fiber common to ropes and such), but from the polyester laminate used to make it into a waterproof sheet. I was recently on the manufacturers site and they were describing next gen materials made with TPU laminates, which would give the fabric a much more flexy experience than what we currently think of as Dyneema / DCF. As the product offering expands, we have preconceptions to lose. While I suspect you are completely correct in describing Dyneema as over-rated (it is competing with titanium, carbon fiber, and bamboo for the title ...) fancy materials do enable gear innovations that will keep surprising us.
Excellent points! And I agree- it's exciting to see new materials come on the market, and surely there will be improvements, including the laminate used with materials like Dyneema. I'll be curious to see this TPU version and how it works for tents and packs as time passes and techniques improve.
You're making me glad I used silnylon for my CDT hike !
It’s easy to get gear envy! But I bet your tent held up better than most.
@@WanderingSwitchback It did, only suffered a self-inflicted injury...I set the pole the wrong way in a frantic wind/rain storm in the Great Basin and punched a hole. But otherwise all good. It was a fantastic tent (Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo), and didn't break the bank.
@@seekingishwara737 Oh no! That sounds like something I would do! I hope it was repairable!
@@WanderingSwitchback Yes, my buddy had duct tape around a hiking pole, so all good !
I agree. Everything has it's good points, everything has it's bad points. If you're going to have a polyester tent fail, better $300 than a $1,000.
Agreed! There is always a trade off, even with the best materials and gear.
The UV degradation is why sailors mainly rely on dyneema for stays, rather than sails. It does also stretch over time when under sustained tension, though it is exceptionally strong for a polymer. It is probably an excellent choice for straps or load bearing components. All fabrics have their downsides, such as the oleophilic nature of polyester and its poor resistance to mildew, or the hydrophilic nature of polyamide. Carbon fiber has excellent UV resistance, but it's too brittle to be used outside of composites.
Excellent points! I like my Dyneema core guy line, but I never want a tent made of sheets of it. Agree that it’s good for straps and lines. It sounds like they’re weaving it into clothing materials as well (such as denim), but as a composite to increase strength and durability.
My main criticism with dyneema is just that most people talking about it on here are just parroting marketing materials.
Good thing not all of us buy the hype, huh? Thanks for watching! 😊
Women ☕️
Indeed ☕️
Yup. A knowledgable, thoughtful, experienced woman telling the truth about a subject on which she is an expert.
Sooo... Dyneema is more plastic like polyester. If so, I could just buy tarp at a paint store. That'll be my tent at a fraction of $$$Dyneema. 😅 jokingly here but who knows? Someone out there might be doing that?
I grew up in the days of using a blue tarp! You wouldn’t be the first!
Good video
Thank you!