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nylon vs polyester webbing

archery_enthusiast

archery_enthusiast

New Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2021
Messages
31
It appears that polyester is known to be the best material for thread for DIY outdoor gear as far as deterioration and abrasion resistance is concerned. Is this a concern for webbing as well? I've found it to be kind of hard to find polyester webbing with a reasonable rating. Nylon is everywhere but I was curious what other's opinions are on this. Is polyester gonna last much if any longer than nylon? I'm using webbing for my saddles and accessories if that makes a difference. I have some polyester 1 inch webbing with a 4500 lb. rating but its so thick and heavy that I'm really having second thoughts. The seams will probably leave a bit to be desired at best because of the thickness and stiffness. Thanks in advance for any and all opinions and advice.
 
nylon sucks. thats just my opinion i only roll with poly.it will last twice as long .the weight rating for nylon is only for when it is new.it degrades way too fast. its not at all uv resistant it molds it rots it stinks.and its the only webbing i know of that can cut through its self with friction it is 20th century standard.the 21st century industry standard for thread is polly. for a reason.... i dont know why people still use nylon straps.even if it has a higher weight rating it wont after 5 years .it would hold less than the poly over time.at work osha makes us replace our safety harnesses after 5 years even if they dont get used.they are nylon.poly last twice as long thats why they even sew nylon straps with poly thread.there are different thicknesses of straps as well as width .i buy straps from strapworks ,com.weather you want poly nylon or polypropyline. military grade picture quality or utility grade.they have many different camo paterns .unless someone has some insight as to a reason to not use poly .id like to hear it.like i said its just my opinion .but what do i know im just an idiot who hunts deer the most exspensive inefective way i know.and need cool toys to do it
 
Thanks for the response. My next question was where do you get your webbing but you answered that already:wink: I'm curious which particular products you use. I think I will repurpose some old vehicle seatbelts for the saddle chassis, and get some polyester utility webbing from strapworks for the lineman and molle loops. Does tubular webbing have any use? Also I'm curious if seatbelt is the way to go or get utility 2inch webbing. For some reason I find myself looking at saddle manufacturers websites trying to do material matches!
 
I use mil-spec nylon webbing in my saddle builds - 1.75” flat for chassis, 1” flat for lineman’s loops and molle, 1” tubular slid over the 1.75” for bridge loops. Can get it all at strapworks.
 
i use picture quality for my frame of my saddle its the smoothest and purdyest.and utility grade for cam straps because its not as smooth and grabs the teeth of a cam with its bigger thread but same thickness.mil spec is a little thiner than the other 2 but the coarsest and can make that zipper noise when you rub it. all good products.i get seat material from rochford supply.they have poly or cordura in different camos as well.from my saddle to my shirt and socks i use polyester.it drys out the fastest and i live in oregon.i have straps on there way right now and love strapworks they will print your own custom straps too
 
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archery_enthusiast said:
It appears that polyester is known to be the best material for thread for DIY outdoor gear as far as deterioration and abrasion resistance is concerned. Is this a concern for webbing as well? I've found it to be kind of hard to find polyester webbing with a reasonable rating. Nylon is everywhere but I was curious what other's opinions are on this. Is polyester gonna last much if any longer than nylon? I'm using webbing for my saddles and accessories if that makes a difference. I have some polyester 1 inch webbing with a 4500 lb. rating but its so thick and heavy that I'm really having second thoughts. The seams will probably leave a bit to be desired at best because of the thickness and stiffness. Thanks in advance for any and all opinions and advice.
Click to expand...
Ok so this is touchy. Polyester does not stretch as much as nylon and it absorbs less water. It is more UV resistant BUT less abrasion resistant. Strapworks has a typo on their website that mistakenly says polyester is 5x’s more abrasion resistant than nylon it is supposed to say 5x more abrasion resistant than polypropylene. Now as for which is better. It depends. The mil spec 27265 nylon webbing is resin treated which increases the strength and uv resistance of that webbing which is why certain classes of it is approved for life supporting devices in the military (ie seatbelts in planes and parachute harnesses). Polyester is cheaper and easier to find especially if you go with seatbelt webbing which is thinner and the same strength. 2” polyester seatbelt webbing and 1.75” mil spec 27266 are both rated to 6000. The nylon has a softer feel and stretches more. So in my opinion it is better for saddles because it’ll absorb more energy in event of a whoopsie. Any webbing that is going to hold the types of weights with shock potential (as our intended use) is going to be thicker. As far as your saddle chassis the 1” is thin and will not spread your weight as proportionately as 1.75 or 2” will. Therefore you’ll feel the straps digging in more. So I’d used the 4500 lbs 1” for your lineman’s loops/mollie if it were me. Strapworks is the best pricing you will find for webbing by the foot (without buying in bulk). I highly recommend them. Next is the actual sewing machine. You’re gonna need one that can safely sew a heavier thread and provide enough friction. I had an industrial sail rite and honestly it wasn’t heavy duty enough because the walking foot only went 8mm high and the bobbin tension (even completely loosened) was always too much for the top tensioner to pull evenly when going through three pieces of webbing. So I purchased a Juki and it is amazing. I hope this helps.
 
tailgunner said:
nylon sucks. thats just my opinion i only roll with poly.it will last twice as long .the weight rating for nylon is only for when it is new.it degrades way too fast. its not at all uv resistant it molds it rots it stinks.and its the only webbing i know of that can cut through its self with friction it is 20th century standard.the 21st century industry standard for thread is polly. for a reason.... i dont know why people still use nylon straps.even if it has a higher weight rating it wont after 5 years .it would hold less than the poly over time.at work osha makes us replace our safety harnesses after 5 years even if they dont get used.they are nylon.poly last twice as long thats why they even sew nylon straps with poly thread.there are different thicknesses of straps as well as width .i buy straps from strapworks ,com.weather you want poly nylon or polypropyline. military grade picture quality or utility grade.they have many different camo paterns .unless someone has some insight as to a reason to not use poly .id like to hear it.like i said its just my opinion .but what do i know im just an idiot who hunts deer the most exspensive inefective way i know.and need cool toys to do it
Click to expand...
Nylon is only 1 rating below polyester (in a scale of 1-5) in UV resistance and Nylon is more abrasion resistant. It is also more expensive. Polyester loses its strength at almost the exact same rate as nylon if both are kept dry and out of direct sunlight. Where polyester really shines is when it gets wet, at that point nylon loses strength but is still nearly the same as polyester of the same size. Polyester Seatbelt webbing is a great material but to say nylon is terrible a bit overboard. Also no matter which you use, it is the recommendation of all material manufacturers of life supporting harnesses that your harness be replaced 5 years or less no matter which material is used. This is because they break down, the stitches weaken and they both lose strength. PS dyneema and technora can and will cut through themselves and they can both cut through polyester or nylon because of how high their abrasion resistance is.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Ok so this is touchy. Polyester does not stretch as much as nylon and it absorbs less water. It is more UV resistant BUT less abrasion resistant. Strapworks has a typo on their website that mistakenly says polyester is 5x’s more abrasion resistant than nylon it is supposed to say 5x more abrasion resistant than polypropylene. Now as for which is better. It depends. The mil spec 27265 nylon webbing is resin treated which increases the strength and uv resistance of that webbing which is why certain classes of it is approved for life supporting devices in the military (ie seatbelts in planes and parachute harnesses). Polyester is cheaper and easier to find especially if you go with seatbelt webbing which is thinner and the same strength. 2” polyester seatbelt webbing and 1.75” mil spec 27266 are both rated to 6000. The nylon has a softer feel and stretches more. So in my opinion it is better for saddles because it’ll absorb more energy in event of a whoopsie. Any webbing that is going to hold the types of weights with shock potential (as our intended use) is going to be thicker. As far as your saddle chassis the 1” is thin and will not spread your weight as proportionately as 1.75 or 2” will. Therefore you’ll feel the straps digging in more. So I’d used the 4500 lbs 1” for your lineman’s loops/mollie if it were me. Strapworks is the best pricing you will find for webbing by the foot (without buying in bulk). I highly recommend them. Next is the actual sewing machine. You’re gonna need one that can safely sew a heavier thread and provide enough friction. I had an industrial sail rite and honestly it wasn’t heavy duty enough because the walking foot only went 8mm high and the bobbin tension (even completely loosened) was always too much for the top tensioner to pull evenly when going through three pieces of webbing. So I purchased a Juki and it is amazing. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

yes thanks for the information. To clarify, I am using seatbelt for the main chassis like you said and the 1 inch for lineman/molle. Its just that it's so thick (.07") that I am thinking its going to cause issues in one way or another.
 
archery_enthusiast said:
yes thanks for the information. To clarify, I am using seatbelt for the main chassis like you said and the 1 inch for lineman/molle. Its just that it's so thick (.07") that I am thinking its going to cause issues in one way or another.
Click to expand...
Purchase a Juki LU 1508NH and you won’t even pay attention to the thickness lol
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Nylon is only 1 rating below polyester (in a scale of 1-5) in UV resistance and Nylon is more abrasion resistant. It is also more expensive. Polyester loses its strength at almost the exact same rate as nylon if both are kept dry and out of direct sunlight. Where polyester really shines is when it gets wet, at that point nylon loses strength but is still nearly the same as polyester of the same size. Polyester Seatbelt webbing is a great material but to say nylon is terrible a bit overboard. Also no matter which you use, it is the recommendation of all material manufacturers of life supporting harnesses that your harness be replaced 5 years or less no matter which material is used. This is because they break down, the stitches weaken and they both lose strength. PS dyneema and technora can and will cut through themselves and they can both cut through polyester or nylon because of how high their abrasion resistance is.
Click to expand...
i had the original trophy line made of nylon .it would stay wet all of second season in oregon wouldnt dry out even in 2 days.and would smell up the house like mold .i may have been hard on nylon saying it sucks .but i hate smelling mold
 
I mean there is a guy on you tube using a Walmart brand singer heavy duty and sewing saddles with seatbelt webbing. I personally wouldn’t recommend it. But we all have trial and error periods. That is how you learn what works and what does not. I just wouldn’t want you to build something get in the tree and have an accident because of it. There is a certain satisfaction you get from making your own gear though. And long term this hobby DIY did not save me money, it ended up costing me way way more than if I had just bought an Aerohunter evolution or kestrel to begin with. But no... I had to say I can make that myself lol here several years later I am still on the quest to make the absolute perfect saddle. As expensive as things are and as good as things can be made, I still keep thinking next time I am gonna do this instead and that will make it perfect. Lol “complacency breeds failure, so I am never happy with good enough” or something like that!
 
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