Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Materials



Just wanted to tell y'all about the materials I use in the construction of my bags. Dimension Polyant X-Pac laminated fabrics are pretty much the standard for bikepacking bags as well as backpacks and other uses that require a lightweight, waterproof fabric. DP makes fabric for sails and uses that technology to create high tech fabrics for the outdoor industry. 
The X-Pac fabrics are a 4 layer laminate consisting of a nylon outer layer (which is different for each fabric) with a DWR coating , 22 degree polyester X-Ply, 0.25 mil PET film and a 50 denier polyester taffeta backing
This is the outer surface of the VX07 a 70 denier double rip-stop nylon the lightest version I use.  4.9oz a square yard

This is the inner layer
This is the VX21 with a 200 denier nylon outer layer. I use this the most because of it's combination of light weight and durability. 6.2 oz a square yard
And the inner layer


This is VX42 with a 400 denier nylon outer. This stuff is very durable but weighs a bit more than the VX21. 9.3 oz a square yard

This is dyneema gridstop
This is 1680 denier ballistic Cordura. I use it to reinforce areas exposed to abrasion.

These are #5, #8 and #10 water resistant zippers. I forgot to take a picture of the water resistant sides.
Here are the zipper slides.
And here is some of the Velcro hook and loop that I use. This is the 2 inch but I also use 1inch, 1.5 inch and 4 inch. 

Hopefully you learned a little bit about materials. Let me know if you have any questions.