Tyvek®: What it is and where to get some
DuPont® has combined the properties of paper, film, and cloth, resulting in a product they call Tyvek® HomeWrap®. Made from high-density polyethylene fibers, HomeWrap® is a weatherization membrane that resists air infiltration and water intrusion, yet is engineered to readily allow moisture vapor to diffuse through the material. The fibrous structure is engineered with microscopic pores that readily allow moisture vapor to evaporate but are so small that bulk water and air cannot penetrate. As you can see from the picture above, Tyvek® is commonly used in home building as a barrier under a home's brick, vinyl, wood, stucco, or composite siding.
Standard Tyvek® HomeWrap® is white in color (the pink you see on my Home Page is from the camera flash) and has DuPont® and Tyvek® advertising on one side of the material, including a web-address, phone number, etc. The other side of the material is white.
For the backpacker, Tyvek® provides a waterproof, windproof, breathable, durable, and extremely lightweight material. Tyvek® is puncture, tear, and abrasion resistant. It will not absorb water so it will be lightweight, even when wet - just give it a couple of shakes to get the water off and it's ready to pack. In terms of weight, Tyvek® falls right in between Sil-Nylon and traditional Nylon. A typical 3x8' ground sheet weighs just under 5-ounces. It's also pretty inexpensive, at least if you buy it from me.
As one side of the Tyvek® is white (blank), it is perfect for use as your personal canvass. I have read about people writing, in large letters, "HIKER NEEDS RIDE TO TOWN" and "HIKER NEEDS RIDE TO TRAIL" for use in flagging down cars. Personally, I carry around either a felt-tip or Sharpie® permanent marker and keep my trail journal on my groundsheet. I also ask fellow hikers who's trail company I enjoy to write little notes, draw pictures, whatever - kind of like a "Trail Yearbook". Going against the "Ultralight" credo, I make sure to carry a few colors of marker with me. The end result is a colorful collage of anecdotes, of which I can select sections to cut out and frame or just browse the whole sheet and reminisce about my fun-filled adventures.
Interested???
I sell Tyvek® in widths of 3 feet by whatever length you specify. The minimum length sold is 8-feet. Shipping is via U.S. Priority Mail. The 3-foot wide sections are perfect for use as ultra-lightweight groundcloths. You can also use my Tyvek® to make lightweight ponchos, pack covers, and trail journals.
Feel free to use the following Payment Calculator to generate your payment-due for the length and width of Tyvek® you need.
To purchase your Tyvek, simply click on the "Buy Now" button in the calculator, which allows you to use PayPal to make your secure payment. If you've never heard of PayPal, it's basically a free and secure way of sending funds across the internet by having the sum charged to your Visa or MasterCard account, or by having an electronic withdrawl made from your personal checking account. This is the same system used by many to pay for merchandise acquired on eBay.
I'll send confirmation via e-mail as soon as I receive the order/payment, and another e-mail upon shipping (usually the next day).
When your Tyvek® arrives, it will be right off the roll. It will be stiff like a crisp dollar bill. Any breeze hitting your Tyvek® will make a sound not unlike someone rolling on a snare drum - Take your Tyvek® for a spin in the car with the windows down if you want a demonstration. To get rid of this sound, and to make the Tyvek® soft and plyable, repeatedly twist the Tyvek® and put it into a clothes washer for a couple of washings without soap (hot or cold water, it doesn't matter). If you choose to wash your Tyvek®, be sure to place it around the drum wall and keep an eye on it so that it doesn't wrap itself around the agitator. Alternatively, you can just put the Tyvek® into a bucket of cold water, bunching up sections into your fist - repeat this action all over the Tyvek®, in the water, for about 5-minutes. Once you have finished washing it, carefully transfer it into your tub next to the washing machine/bucket - the Tyvek® will collect water inside it's creases and you want to be careful it doesn't spill all over your floor. Once all the major water has been removed from the Tyvek®, shake off the remaining water and hang it on a line - do NOT put the Tyvek® in your clothes dryer to dry. You'll find that the Tyvek® will dry surprisingly fast.
With everything I've described so far, you might think that Tyvek® would make the ideal material for use as an inexpensive, lightweight, tarp. While you could use Tyvek® for tarps, the problem is that it is an extremely "loud" material, meaning that, when pitched, a strong wind hitting your tarp would make a sound not unlike someone doing a roll on a snare drum. All but the hardiest of sleepers would find getting a good nights sleep challenging and other campers in the area would be extremely annoyed, to say the least. As I don't believe in using Tyvek® for tarps, I have foregone the selling of 9-foot wide sections of Tyvek®.
Should you have any further questions, do not hesistate to e-mail me.
Base Kamp