How about tyvek

[noflysonme]

has anyone used tyvek for bags?

Any thoughts?

Terry

[JReeves]

I haven't seen any bikepacking specific bags made using Tyvek, but in the ultralight backpacking world, it's definitely seen some use.  Everything from tents/shelters, to bivies and backpacks...  I'd imagine you could make a frame bag, seat bag, and whatever else you'd like to out of it, but other than the cost savings if you got some for free, I can't really see a benefit over some other choices.  For frame bags and the like, weight isn't a huge issue, durability is much more important.  There is also some special techniques(read; extra work) involved in sewing it in a manner that it wont rip out at the holes.  It could be fun to play around with, but I would take some coated ripstop or xpac over Tyvek any day for MYOG bike bags. 

Here's a few links with tyvek projects:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=46661
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=20691

[thesergeant]

I made my first frame bag out of Tyvek from USPS.  I REALLY dig it and it seems to be holding up well.  If you're going to do I'd suggest doubling up your tyvek.  Either use spray adhesive to bond to pieces together or use a heavyweight fusible interfacing inbetween each layer.  Don't let your iron touch the tyvek though.  Keep the temp low and keep the iron moving as tyvek will warp/melt easily. 

Also, there seems to be different grades of Tyvek.  I happened to find like 40 ft. of tyvek on the side of the road one day while on a ride.  It says "stuccowrap" or something similar.  The weave is different than USPS envelopes and it seems to be slightly more robust. 

You can made a bag out of (3) priority envelopes.  Check in the trash at the post office for discarded ones before wasting a new one. 

Here are a couple photos:

[trebor]

that tyvek on the road is a great score! your karma was spot on that day.

[chrisx]

tyvek is NOT water proff.

[thesergeant]

My understanding is that vapor can pass through the material but not liquid. 

[thesergeant]

I wanted to test a template I made for my Chili Con Crosso so I decided to throw together a single layer Tyvek  (StuccoWrap) frame bag this evening to see how it would hold up.  I used nylon upholstery thread w/ a straight 5.0mm length stitch.  I was yanking on it pretty hard to to test the seams and am pretty impressed with it's strength.  I'll post some better lit photos tomorrow.  This thing is absurdly light.

[Area54]

When I made footprints for tents a while back, I used gaffa tape along the area I was going to stitch or holepunch, this added significant strength to the tyvek, the adhesive bonded to the tyvek really well.

I buy lightweight vek from a local art supply store, heavyweight vek is used in our building industry, hardware stores etc sell by the roll, or found on building sites as scrap.