Bushwalk Australia

I have just completed the testing of the relative strength of samples of polyester and silnylon tent fabrics that have been exposed to the elements for a rather long period of 500 days. The new polyester supported a load of 14 Kg without breaking. The exposed polyester broke at about 8 Kg of load, while the silnylon began to break at 2 Kg. Here is a little video of my primitive testing with a bucket of water as the load.

For more information on my polyester/silnylon testing, please see; https://timtinker.com/polyester-ageing-test-for-tent-fabric/
Tim

Enjoyed that Tim as I do with all your stuff. Interesting food for thought as always. I love that you provide vids as well. Champion.

Thanks, It was a bit of a surprise to me that the silnylon was so weak, but I suppose that 500 days of camping is quite a lot. Tim

telemarktim wrote:Thanks, It was a bit of a surprise to me that the silnylon was so weak, but I suppose that 500 days of camping is quite a lot. Tim

Concur

What a great experiment! I have often wondered what the use-by date of a tent is, so it's good to get some empirical data. I confess though, I watched the video once for the experiment, but three times for the bird noises.

Thanks Johnno, I will also be doing side-by-side testing of the 'new' fabrics. I think the bucket and water test is crude but effective and the video keeps it pretty honest. I will include more birds for your pleasure. Tim

Yes, "crude but effective" seems accurate. Thanks for the experiment.

JohnnoMcJohnno, I also listened a few times for the birds. But they are not making "noises". That by definition would be unwanted or unpleasant sound. They are making calls and songs.