Cuben fiber or Silpoly?

[danmayland]

Hey RS! I'm trying to make a decision on my next lightweight shelter purchase. I'm looking at an MLD Duomid, SMD Deshutes or other similar model shelter. What are your thoughts on which material to go with? I've never owned cuben but many silpoly's.

Also do you have any other good recommendations for 1p shelters for a guy 6'5"?

Must be 18 oz or less
Must have some enclosure for severe storms
Will be used exclusively for spring bear and archery season with chances for snow possible and likely.
Must be less thank $500

Thank you!!


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[Tag_Soup]

I recently picked up a jimmy tarps granite mountain that I think is an amazing value. It fits all of your must haves and comes in under $200.

As for Cuban, I have spent one sleepless night in a Cuben tarp during a rain storm...never again! It was like being inside a snare drum


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[AK Troutbum]

Well I have the opposite opinion of Tag_Soup. Cuben fiber all the way for me. I own three cuben fiber shelters and have owned several other ones over the last 4 years. I currently have a MLD SoloMid, a Locus Gear Hapi, and a HMG Ultamid 4. Over this four-year span I have spent many stormy nights in these shelters, and to say I am sold on them, would probably be an understatement. I absolutely love CF. Unfortunately SMD no longer makes any of their shelters in CF and, for some reason, the owner would not tell me why. I keep looking for one of the Deshutes in CF, hoping to find a used one for sale because I'd like to try it out, but I haven't found one yet. The only disadvantage to CF is the price, other than that, IMO it blows sil away. It's much stronger, does not soak up water and sag, and obviously, much lighter. Anyway, I love cuben fiber. Did I say that already?


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[DaveS]

I'm also a big fan of cuben fiber. I have a Seek Outside LBO made of cuben fiber. It is significant lighter than the silnylon version. Once setup it doesn't sag when wet like silnylon. It was expensive but worth it to me. Bear Paw Wilderness Designs has the Luna 2 in Cuben Fiber for $430. It weighs 15 oz for the canopy. I don't think this includes the pole and stakes. Bear Paw has other shelters that might work as well.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'm also a big fan of cuben fiber. I have a Seek Outside LBO made of cuben fiber. It is significant lighter than the silnylon version. Once setup it doesn't sag when wet like silnylon. It was expensive but worth it to me.

That's a collectors item right there brother. I could be wrong but, I don't think Kevin is making anything in cuben fiber anymore.





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[danmayland]

I recently picked up a jimmy tarps granite mountain that I think is an amazing value. It fits all of your must haves and comes in under $200.

As for Cuban, I have spent one sleepless night in a Cuben tarp during a rain storm...never again! It was like being inside a snare drum


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Is your jimmy Tarp the 2017 model? I just sold my Granite Mtn which was the old model. I loved it but there's no way it would stand up to any snow over .5"

I am considering the new model though because I loved my old one so much. I'm curious to ask you more questions if you have the new one! Pm me if u do!


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[danmayland]

Thanks guys for all the input. Keep it coming!!

 

[danmayland]

I recently picked up a jimmy tarps granite mountain that I think is an amazing value. It fits all of your must haves and comes in under $200.

As for Cuban, I have spent one sleepless night in a Cuben tarp during a rain storm...never again! It was like being inside a snare drum


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is your jimmy Tarp the 2017 model? I just sold my Granite Mtn which was the old model. I loved it but there's no way it would stand up to any snow over .5"

I am considering the new model though because I loved my old one so much. I'm curious to ask you more questions if you have the new one! Pm me if u do!


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[danmayland]

Well I have the opposite opinion of Tag_Soup. Cuben fiber all the way for me. I own three cuben fiber shelters and have owned several other ones over the last 4 years. I currently have a MLD SoloMid, a Locus Gear Hapi, and a HMG Ultamid 4. Over this four-year span I have spent many stormy nights in these shelters, and to say I am sold on them, would probably be an understatement. I absolutely love CF. Unfortunately SMD no longer makes any of their shelters in CF and, for some reason, the owner would not tell me why. I keep looking for one of the Deshutes in CF, hoping to find a used one for sale because I'd like to try it out, but I haven't found one yet. The only disadvantage to CF is the price, other than that, IMO it blows sil away. It's much stronger, does not soak up water and sag, and obviously, much lighter. Anyway, I love cuben fiber. Did I say that already?


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Well that's a bummer. I was going to call SMD today to see if I could get a Deshutes in cuben...

I'm still leaning toward the cuben duomid but I've got to call them to see if it's big enough for me!

Thanks for the input!


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[danmayland]

I contacted Jim at Jimmy Tarps and asked him about Cuben and he told me he didn't like the material. Didn't give any reasons other than silpoly was better and way cheaper!


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[Tag_Soup]

Is your jimmy Tarp the 2017 model? I just sold my Granite Mtn which was the old model. I loved it but there's no way it would stand up to any snow over .5"

I am considering the new model though because I loved my old one so much. I'm curious to ask you more questions if you have the new one! Pm me if u do!


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It is the new model. I wouldn't use it for winter camping, but I wouldn't be worried about 1" with a tight pitch.


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[DaveS]

That's a collectors item right there brother. I could be wrong but, I don't think Kevin is making anything in cuben fiber anymore.





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I know. A friend and I ask Kevin to build us 2 bases, 2 vestibules and 1 connecting tarp out of cuben. He had never built a shelter with cuben before so this was the first. After ours was built I remember seeing Seek Outside offering LBO's in cuben but they were very expensive. In a short time they stopped offering them on their website so I don't know how many more were made if any.

 

[ssssnake529]

Cuben is lighter and stronger.

More important to me is that Cuben does not stretch when wet. Pitch a sylnylon tarp nice and tight, but when it gets wet, it gets loose, and you have to re-adjust all the tensioners to tighten it up again.

 

[1signguy]

Big fan of cf. It is louder but the benefits out weigh that negative for me. Yama Mountain makes some really nice stuff- in both sil-nylon and cuben fiber. I am really pleased with the quality!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I think that in a super windy downpour, it pretty much doesn't matter what you're sleeping under (sil or CF), it's going to be loud. That being said, I've never really noticed a big difference between the two fabrics during a light or moderate rainfall. I've also been using a Thermarest xlite or xtherm now for several years and, although many people complain about them being noisy, I've never noticed that either. I think that I'm just a fairly heavy sleeper, and especially during a hunt, after hiking around in the mountains all day.


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[danmayland]

Big fan of cf. It is louder but the benefits out weigh that negative for me. Yama Mountain makes some really nice stuff- in both sil-nylon and cuben fiber. I am really pleased with the quality!

Thanks. I'll look into them!!


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[danmayland]

I'm defiantly leaning towards cf after all the input. Thank you everyone!!!


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[Tag_Soup]

I think that in a super windy downpour, it pretty much doesn't matter what you're sleeping under (sil or CF), it's going to be loud. That being said, I've never really noticed a big difference between the two fabrics during a light or moderate rainfall. I've also been using a Thermarest xlite or xtherm now for several years and, although many people complain about them being noisy, I've never noticed that either. I think that I'm just a fairly heavy sleeper, and especially during a hunt, after hiking around in the mountains all day.


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Is there a difference in the noise/"suppleness" (sorry, can't think of a better discriptor) from the original product to what is commercially available now? It has been several years since my bad experience and I can hardly find a bad review. Your experience is making me question my "never again" mindset. Plus I am in need of a small tarp for emergency shelter...


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[Dinger]

I'm on the fence with this....going with CF means no stove. I don't know if I want to rule that out in my future.

Though I do find the lack of stretch in the CF shelters and not taking in water to be highly desirable. Someone always has to pay.......

 

[AK Troutbum]

Is there a difference in the noise/"suppleness" (sorry, can't think of a better discriptor) from the original product to what is commercially available now? It has been several years since my bad experience and I can hardly find a bad review. Your experience is making me question my "never again" mindset. Plus I am in need of a small tarp for emergency shelter...


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To my knowledge the actual material has not changed, only the name (now they call it Dyneema), and ownership has changed.


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