How durable is cuben fiber in real, practical use?
For years I've seen high-tech cuben fiber gear and drooled over how incredibly lightweight it is, and longed to buy or make some of my own equipment with it. (Then upon seeing the price tag, well, my mouth then closes.) It's made of Dyneema so it's theoretically quite a strong fabric for outdoor gear as well. It's become almost a staple material among the super-ultralight gear crowd, but I don't personally know that many people (well, none) who have any equipment utilizing this wonder-material. It's also not common among mainstream manufacturers, being primarily used by cottage gear-makers or DIY outdoors enthusiasts.
What research I've done online is also not very convincing because it is generally based on what the material is supposed to do, and not what it actually does in real-world scenarios.
What I'm interested in knowing is:
How durable is cuben fiber? How does it stand up to abrasion, punctures, tearing, repeated folding/packing...
How does it's durability compare to sil-nylon (silicone impregnated nylon) which is quite the mainstream lightweight fabric today. (Also much cheaper.)
And once it's damaged, how difficult is it to repair? Does it have "self-healing" properties like sil-nylon?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/6818. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Cuben fiber is not as durable as some other materials used in the construction of backpacking gear. In backpacking lighter often means less durable which is generally true for cuben fiber as well. A cuben fiber backpack will probably hold for 2000 miles (e.g, a thru-hike) but not much more. For this reason, there is now a hybrid cuben/nylon material which is a bit heavier (2.92 oz/sqyd) and more durable. It can definitely be expensive if you use it everyday for long hikes.
Cuben fiber resists puncture and tearing relatively well. Not so much with abrasion and folding. I have a rock sack (for bear bagging) made of cuben and it is heavily beaten up.
Cuben fiber is less durable than sil-nylon in my experience. It also depends on the application (tent, stuff sack, pack, etc.).
Once damaged, it is easy to apply duct tape to it for field repair. You can also use cuben fiber patches.
Edit:
From ZPack FAQ backpack section:
Should I go with the normal 1.43 oz/sqyd Cuben Fiber Material or the heavier 2.92 oz/sqyd Hybrid material?
I used packs made with the 1.43 oz/sqyd material on my 2007 Pacific Crest Trail and 2009 Continental Divide Trail thru-hikes. In both cases the packs lasted the full 2600+ mile trips (with some duct tape repairs) but the material was very frayed and ready to be replaced by the end. If you want the lightest backpack possible the 1.43 oz/sqyd material is fine, especially for shorter trips.
Many people including Joe and Sheryl have completed thru-hikes with our newer Hybrid material backpacks. Those packs held up much better and were still in good condition at the end. The material only adds a couple ounces to the weight of a pack, a small price to pay for the added durability on a long trip. If you are doing a thru-hike, get the Hybrid Material, such as our Arc Blast pack!!
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/6822. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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