Tyvek

Hi all
First post for me, YEAH.
Ok, I have one quick question for those of you who use tyvek as a ground clothe. I am thinking about adding some no-see-um netting to a piece of tyvek forming a bug bivy type enclosure. My question is how long in your experience can I expect the tyvek to last. I dont want to go through all the work to have the tyvek fail after a couple of uses.
Thanks!!!

Tyvek is pretty water resistant, but not waterproof. I have a piece that came with my Tarptent that I still use some, have had it for six years. The Tyvek is retired as there is lighter stuff that is totally waterproof that I use, but not suitable for constructing a shelter. You know Henry Shires from TarpTent has made a shelter out of Tyvek so it can be done?

If you are set on Tyvek, here are a few suggestions.

Use tyvek tape and tape any tears or holes. This will make it last a little longer. Eventually you will have to replace it, so do it, and don't worry about it.

There's an eighteen ounce tarptent over at tarptent.com you should look at before you start - also read reviews of it at backpackinglight.com if you really want to know how it performs.

I am thinking on getting one but only because I will be using it in the Sierras, where rain doesn't (typically) go for weeks on end - and even if it did, I will be on SAR ops and not staying in one place for more than a few hours. Tyvek eventually wets through in heavy rain.

Tyvek seems pretty durable and gets softer and less crinkly after a few washings. Used to have a groundsheet made out of it but sold it with the tent.

Tyvek is not a single product. There is a range of different Tyvek fabrics that are used for a wide range of purposes. A lot of the white suits that one sees in use in spray booths or when agricultural chemicals are being applied are made of one form of Tyvek. The material you see being applied between the sheathing and siding on houses is another form of Tyvek, called House Wrap. You can obtain Tyvek that is, for all practical purposes, waterproof. Or, you can obtain Tyvek that is water-resistant/breathable. Some Tyvek is as light as 1.3 oz per square yard; some, including House Wrap is nearer 2 oz per square yard. So, when you talk about Tyvek, bear in mind that it is not all the same; you need to be specific about the Tyvek to which you are referring.

Thanks for the replies.

Sounds like I should maybe look at some other options before using tyvek.

Would silnylon make a durable ground clothe?

BTW I plan to use the bivy under a poncho tarp.

I wouldn't use sil for a ground cloth - slippery and a waste of silnylon you could make stuff sacks out of. For ground cloths, I use either a contractor bag or 2mm painters cloth cut to fit, lightweight and easily replaced when you tear it up.

Pika is right.
Specifically the Tyvek sold by Tarptent as groundcloth is of the Homewrap variety but the one used on the Sublite is 1443r, and that is the cloth/soft Tyvek. There are 18 different versions.
http://www2.dupont.com/Tyvek/en_US/products/tyvek_styles/tyvek_styles.html
Some have made a bivy out of Tyvek (using different versions and I think often unaware of the others...)
Google "Tyvek bivy"
Franco