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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Winter Camping and Activities :: Silicon-coated Nylon
 
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Lonelake
01/12/2014 08:37PM
 
Thanks Dan, informative as always.


LL
 
hubben
01/12/2014 12:07AM
 
I would assume that silicon-coated nylon is significantly LESS fire-retardant than canvas? Maybe there are some hot-tenters out there who can offer some perspective on this.
 
tonyyarusso
01/12/2014 12:20AM
 
First, silnylon is actually impregnated with the silicone, rather than coated like polyurethane, but that's a digression.


Yes, canvas is going to be more fire retardant, along with being breathable, both of which combine to explain why it's the fabric of choice for hot tenting. Besides the actual "bursting into flames" concern, silnylon will also get holes in it more easily from landing embers even if they don't actually light it. There are people who hot-tent with silnylon, but you do have to be a lot more careful and because of the breathability issue even then it won't work as well.
 
DanCooke
01/13/2014 09:02PM
 
Another additional thought. Hot nylon melted on skin gives a horrific deep penetrating burn, burning canvas falling on skin can often just be brushed off, it typically would not stick to you like nylon.


On my last trip I did sleep under the stars one night at -35°. It is always good to know if you are ready for the adventure, mentally as well as equipment wise.
 
Doughboy12
01/13/2014 11:09PM
 
quote DanCooke: "On my last trip I did sleep under the stars one night at -35°. It is always good to know if you are ready for the adventure, mentally as well as equipment wise."
That would "seem" to be easier to attempt with the knowledge of a warm tent for breakfast. Would make the experiance much more enjoyable. Someday!
 
DanCooke
01/12/2014 11:37AM
 
All Materials can burn. Flame resistant is chemically made by adding chemicals that knock the flame down. Chemicals that can wear off.
Canvas will turn to char at 308°, nylons melt around 380° and burn at around 460°. Last I heard fire retard-ency and silicon was a mixture fraught with problems. Companies silicon coat one side and do a PU coating with fire retard-ency on the other. (Sil nylon has no official definition, the base nylon composition can be of various grades/ formulations of nylon. Coatings can vary in how much and on how many sides are coated. Companies do not like to share specifics as it shortens the reverse engineering of copycats etc.)


Sparks falling down after ejected from the flue can burn holes in materials Canvas or Nylon. If the tent material can be heated to it's failure point by the ember it will fail; (Char if canvas or Melt if nylon. It usually takes an ember with either more heat or more mass to heat canvas to a failure than nylon. That is because there is more mass to canvas than nylon.


The longer the stovepipe is within the tent the lowers the temperature of the stove pipe as it leaves the tent. a in stove spark arrestor/ upper damper, baffled stove all reduce sparks from leaving the stovepipe. No paper burning is a mantra all hot tenters should live by. Burning a stove while sleeping can lead to turning over, or pushing something into the stove.


Condensation. Water vapor condenses at the dew point. If a breathable material is heated above the dew point water vapor can pass through it. If it is cooler than the dew point it will condense in the material where the dewpoint is met. Silicon impregnated nylon- coated from both sides (I have watched this being done in a fabric factory)will barely let any water vapor pass through. Venting off water vapor and reducing sources of water vapor help in reducing condensation.
Reducing snow melting by putting a tarp and or insulating layer to "seal" off the snow melt. Keeping pots covered on the stove, brushing off clothing and boots. Keeping a flow of air into the tent and out of the tent.
I just spent 6 days in the BWCA, 5 nights in a silicon coated nylon tent and one day sleeping under the stars. We also had folks in a Canvas tent next door for 4 nights. It took 3 days to haul the canvas tent to where we set it up, we used the sil nylon tent for the first 2 nights to camp from as it was much easier to set up on the haul in.


As I see it there are many ways to go about winter camping. Each way has it's own compromises. To learn good winter camping / travel practices I would recommend cold camping as discomfort is a good teacher. (go with someone who is experienced, to prevent total failure). Once you have hot tented it is hard to go back to cold camping, unless you want to travel distances.
 
OBX2Kayak
01/13/2014 02:47PM
 
quote Lonelake: "Thanks Dan, informative as always.



LL"



+1 Good stuff
 
Moss Tent
01/13/2014 05:56PM
 
"Once you have hot tented it is hard to go back to cold camping"


I have heard this before, and it's why I have never gone hot tenting! I am always tempted, and haven't done any real winter stuff in a couple of years.