Brown or Green Dyneema Tents

Yep, these animals (brown or green Dyneema tents) are very rare and I think I know why. To color Dyneema you must add a colored laminate which increases the weight. After all, what are we paying 2X the cost of a silnylon tent for?? LESS WEIGHT.

But wait (no pun intended), can't Dyynema fabricators just use green Mylar in the first place W/O having to add it on to finished Dyneema fabric?

So I still want a tent in one of these colors, hopefully green. I want it for the shade if I need to sleep in past sunrise, having hiked in the dark the previous day to find my campsite, and for a bit more privacy than the translucent white Dyneema affords.

And yes Henry Shires, I'd actually cough up $600.+ for a green Tarptent Notch Li. 

Eric B.

Um... Since mylar is naturally clear, someone still still has to add dye to get any of the color varieties Dyneema comes in.

I checked out the green and brown Dyneema tarps, but opted out because both colors in this fabric make for VERY DISMAL tent interiors.  Back in the day I spent too many days cramped up in tents with dudes who haven't bathed in weeks.  Even bright orange NF V25 domes are gloomy abodes, probably because the double tent wall blocks out much of the light, so the interior is a deeper shade of orange that gets more gloomy as the hours accumulate.  Thus I try to get only tents that create a bright interior - you can always cover your eyes to block the light, but nothing can address a funky color shade of light when tent bound and awake.  The whole experience lead to me acquire a strong, claustrophobic, dislike for tents.  Since then, I only use a shelter to get out of bad weather; otherwise I sleep out in the open, under a personal bug net.  The idea of spending any amount of time awake and cooped up in a dreary tent interior makes me wince.

As for sleeping in a tent exposed to direct sun: my white tarp gets uncomfortably warm in direct sun.  I can imagine the darker colors are hotter, still.  In any case I just wrap a bandanna over my eyes to block the light, if I am day snoozing.

Lastly, some are put off by the white color option, believing it will stand out stark against the terrain, but in rocky or mountainous settings it looks little different from the lighter colored rocks.  In fact my tarp often is hard to spot when you move away from it in the Sierra.  And in the snow it blends in too well, IMO - I tie a colored pendant from a snow wand to the peak of my shelter, so it is easier to spot, should SAR ever be out looking for me. 

Ed

In my last two trips to Scotland in May 18 and 19, sunset was around 11pm and sunrise 3am or so. I just used a buff folded over my eyes to get the rest I needed. More comfy even that a bandana and serves more uses than a dedicated sleep mask. My light Grey tent didn't bother me then. 

I close my eyes when I'm sleeping so the color of my shelter doesn't matter then. I've stuck with silpoly rather than move to dyneema because the price to weight difference doesn't make sense for me. My tarps are several shades of green and brown, none of which dampen my joy at being under them, rain or shine.

As for that price difference I've noted the same thing when it comes to quilts and hammocks made from fancy printed ripstop. It used to just be camo, but now there are all sorts of wild colors and patterns if you're willing to pay a premium. I pay for function and will take whatever color is cheap.

I couldn't agree more, LoneStranger!

HMG does make their UltaMid in what they call a Spruce Green. Crazy expensive but from what I've read it gets glowing reviews (I believe Ed uses one as well if I'm not mistaken).

Jake W said:

I couldn't agree more, LoneStranger!

HMG does make their UltaMid in what they call a Spruce Green. Crazy expensive but from what I've read it gets glowing reviews (I believe Ed uses one as well if I'm not mistaken).

Yea, I have an ultra mid - in white.

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If riding out a day of bad weather, the tent wall color is not a problem, but if you are hunkered down for days on end, it does cast a pal on the ambiance - the same reason you seldom see dark walled house interiors.

Ed

"But wait (no pun intended), can't Dyynema fabricators just use green Mylar in the first place W/O having to add it on to finished Dyneema fabric?"

I do believe the material is already in short supply, with part of the problem being large minimum purchase amounts. 

McHale Packs sells backpacks made of dyed spectra - clearly a more robust weight fabric than any sane person would use for a tent.  

http://www.mchalepacks.com/index.htm

Also, ZPacks' dyneema tents (.55 oz. per square yard) come in a variety of colors. that might be the ticket.

https://zpacks.com/collections/shelters

No idea how they get the fabric dyed - you could reach out and ask.

leadbelly2550 said:

Also, ZPacks' dyneema tents (.55 oz. per square yard) come in a variety of colors. that might be the ticket.

https://zpacks.com/collections/shelters

No idea how they get the fabric dyed - you could reach out and ask.

 Indeed. The ZPacks stuff weights a little more, but it's only a LITTLE more.

Thanks Pixie. I'm calling them to ask if a colored Dyneema tent adds weight, as some claim.

Eric B.

I finally ordered the Gen.2 Tarptent Noth Li. I found RIT makes a synthetic fabric dye called RIT DyeMore so I should be able to get the "solid" panels of the inner tent a nice green color for more shade. 

More after I try this mod.

Eric B.

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