Att välja ett tält. Tyger och deras egenskaper

All manufacturers praise their tent models. Confirming their words, they often cite the name of the fabric. How not to get lost among the many abbreviations? PU, 150D, 300T, Si, etc.? Let’s leave the beautiful words and turn to scientific facts, more precisely chemistry and physics. What tent and awning fabrics and why can be considered quality and for what conditions they are suitable?

Tents are sewn from natural and artificial fabrics.

Natural materials

The tarpaulin is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Yes, it is based on hypoallergenic cotton and linen. It breathes well and protects from ultraviolet light. However, tarpaulin gets wet and, absorbing moisture, swells. Accordingly, the weight increases. Carrying such a tent, if there is no time to dry it, is literally not an easy task.

Synthetic materials

1. Polyamide.

What are polyamides? These are substances from organic raw materials, such as oil, gas or natural coal. The production scheme is as follows: raw material – benzene – caprolactam – polymer – drawing into fibers.

Examples of fabrics: nylon, as well as Taffeta nylon, capron. They are denoted by the combination of PA + numbers, which indicate the type of fiber.

What are the advantages of polyamides?

• Good strength, low weight, significant resistance to abrasion and any other mechanical stress, as well as low hygroscopicity. The material dries quickly, at high temperatures only melts, is not afraid of fungus, does not sit, does not wrinkle, easy to clean.

What are the disadvantages?

• Not very high resistance to ultraviolet light, as well as the ability to stretch when wet. Polyamide in its pure form due to its high thermal conductivity does not warm. Accumulates static electricity, can cause allergies. In addition, grease stains are not easily removed from such materials.

2. Polyester.

Are made by extrusion (pulled through filters and cooled) from the polymer alloy polyethylene terephthalate. This is followed by two more steps that include thermal and mechanical processing.

Of the polyester fabrics, polyester is the most common, as well as Poly Taffeta and lavsan. The designations can be different: Poly, P or Polyester.

What are the advantages?

• Includes all the advantages of polyamides, but the material offers high UV protection. Polyester is difficult to burn: after removing the source of ignition, it almost immediately goes out. This fabric does not stretch and does not lose its shape when wet. Polyester tents are the choice of experienced campers.

Additional characteristics of tent fabrics and their designations

1. Waterproof. Water resistance. It is measured in mm of water column.
This indicator is important not only from the point of view of moisture removal. A drop falling from the sky has a certain energy, which is called kinetic energy. And, following the laws of physics, even a small drop, hitting the tent, which does not have sufficient water resistance, can literally puncture it. In addition, any impregnation is a protection against wear and tear. It prolongs the life of tents in general.

What kind of coatings are there?

PU is the designation of a polyurethane coating. It is applied, as a rule, to the tent exactly from the inside. From the number of layers depends on the level of water resistance. Ideally, it should not crumble or crack.

SI – silicone. Can cover the side both external and internal. Good in that it will prevent moisture from accumulating in the fibers. At the same time increases tensile strength. It can also be applied over PU coating, but this is a doubtful advantage, because then it will not be possible to glue the seams.

W/R – designation of special moisture-repellent treatment. It is necessary for the fabric of the inner part of the tent. It helps to drain condensation droplets that inevitably appear between the layers. One of its advantages is that it does not prevent the treated fabric from “breathing”.

Indicators of water resistance of the tent tent tent:

Tent floor water resistance values:

The tent floor carries greater loads than the tent canopy, as it is “under pressure”: the weight of campers, belongings, etc. presses on it. And the index will be different depending on whether the person is lying, standing or leaning on the elbow.

Figures between 5,000 and 10,000 mmHg are considered optimal.

2. Weave density of the yarns. The indicator is directly related to strength. The more densely woven threads, the higher it is.

This indicator can be judged by two characteristics.

• • The index “T” after the numerical designation. For example, 300T. Abbreviation of the combination “Thread Count”. It denotes the number of threads per square inch in the longitudinal and transverse directions. So 300T is 300 threads.

• The index “D” after the numerical designation. For example, 55D. Is an abbreviation for Denie – den. This is the thickness of the threads. Some types of fabrics have a special weave, where after a certain amount of thin is included thicker. This minimally increases the weight of the product, but makes it much stronger. Such weave has materials Rip Stop and Taffeta.

Let’s try to decipher the indices on a concrete example.

Tent Tench 3 NF from the brand Norfin has the following characteristics:

Outdoor tent material/moisture resistance: 190T Polyester PU/3000mm – that is, a polyester fabric that has a total thread count of 190 threads per 1 inch in the longitudinal and cross-section. It has a polyurethane waterproof coating. Moisture resistance 3000 mm of water.

Inner tent material: 190T Polyester breathable – polyester fabric with a total thread count of 190 threads per 1 inch in the longitudinal and cross-section. The fabric has breathable properties for better ventilation.

Bottom Material/Water Resistant: 150D Polyester Oxford PU/6000mm is a polyester fabric that has a total thread count of 150 threads per 1 inch. It has a polyurethane waterproof coating. Moisture resistance of 6000 mm of water. That is, it will not get wet while experiencing pressure from a sleeping or standing person.

Summarize. How to choose the right tent, taking into account the type of fabric.