[pct-l] Durability of ultralite backpacking equipment

[blisterfree at isp01.net (Brett)]

>>Silnylon used in shelters and some packs is an incredible 
>>new
resource for ultralight gear, but it has great limitations 
and needs
constant vigilance and care to maintain and extend it's 
life....which will
be shorter than the vintage Kelty Packs, and North Face 
tents. We also carry
soda can stoves instead of MSR XGK stoves. There is a cost 
to enlightenment
on the trail, where lighter pack weight is the greatest 
benefit, and gear
lifespan is becoming a distant memory.<<

******
IMO, materials are entirely subordinate to construction and 
design. Build it well, and the item of equipment should have 
a surprisingly long life, regardless of fabric. I have a 
homemade 9 oz sil-nylon pack with 3000 miles on it, and not 
so much as a blown stitch. This pack has been through hell, 
trail conditions-wise, and even used (while grimacing) in 
desert & canyon bushwhacking situations, but the fabric is 
still in good shape. If anything the ultralight fabrics 
surround the user with an aura of fragility beyond reason, 
and you become aware of every scrape, scratch, and tug from 
the brush, attending to the pack when, in fact, the pack 
often requires no attention. This isn't to suggest that 
ultralight equipment doesn't sometimes fail, and fail 
graphically, only that _usually_ the environment itself is 
not to blame. Few places, I've discovered, categorically 
rule out the use of UL gear, or imply its limited life 
expectancy. (Mesh - as used on backpack pockets, eg, is far 
far less resilient than sil-nylon, though of course 
ultralighters didn't coin the use of it.)

As for soda can stoves, my homemade alcohol stove has seen 
several hundred nights of use. Looks like heck, but still 
works just fine. Maybe the "Whisperlite corporation" could 
use it in their ongoing case study in stove reliability and 
customer satisfaction.

 - blisterfree

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