Many waterproof and more durable ultralight backpacks are made with Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) or X-Pac, another high-tech laminate fabric similar to DCF but less expensive and easier to make backpacks with. Below, we explain the tradeoffs between these DCF and X-Pac …
Read More »Tag Archives: cuben fiber
Dyneema Composite Fabrics FAQ
What is Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF)? Dyneema Composite Fabric is a non-woven, laminate material that is used to make ultralight backpacking gear including backpacks, tents, tarps, footprints, stuff sacks, and backpack rain covers. It is made by sandwiching ultra-high-weight-molecular polyethylene Dyneema fibers with polyester to produce an …
Read More »Knot Theory – Confessions of an Backpacking Blogger
My head leaks knots. I learn to tie them and forget them in a few days. At one time I wanted to study mathematical topology. It’s probably good I did something else. My solution is to learn as few knots as possible …
Read More »Zpacks Hexamid Review
The Zpacks Hexamid rocked the Ultralight Backpacking scene when it first came out because it’s a single person, pyramid style, cuben fiber tarp that weighs under 3 oz. It’s made by long distance hike Joe Valesko at Zpacks.com, who has a good …
Read More »Mountain Laurel Designs Cuben Fiber Stuff Sacks
The weight of stuff sacks can really add up if you go overboard with them. I’ve eliminated most of them from my packing system, but I still use two 8L Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil Waterproof Stuff Sacks to protect my down sleeping bag and …
Read More »Mountain Laurel Designs Doumid Review
Here is my Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid Review based largely on my experiences using this shelter during the 13 day TGO Challenge, this year in Scotland. Andy Howell has also published a review of the cuben fiber version, which I also suggest …
Read More »Zpacks Ultralight DCF Backpack Cover
Over the holidays, my wife gave me an ultralight cuben fiber backpack cover from Zpacks.com. Weighing 1 oz, it replaces a silnylon Equinox pack cover I’ve been using the past few years that weighs 3.2 oz. A backpack cover is an important …
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