Affordable, waterproof, breathable material?

Can anybody suggest an affordable breathable material that is waterproof?

At the moment I am using a fairly durable plastic sheeting that is normally used as a damp proof membrane in housing construction. However, it is not breathable in the slightest.

A lot of stuff that is on the market costs a fortune, so am wondering if there are more rudimentary alternatives!

 

Cymro!


Jules, you didn't say what you wanted to make of it. I use silicon-impregnated nylon, I get remnants for $1/yard at the place we don't like to shop (WalMart). They lose money selling it so inexpensively, and it's not made in sweat shops so I don't think I'm hurting anyone. I have about 15 yards. It doesn't breathe, but for tents you just put in screened vents. It also makes great backpacks and boat sails, you just have to oversew it. It weighs about 53 grams per square meter (1.9 ounces per square yard).

 

Ooops, sorry! I need it for a special kind of wooden shelter. The very design of it means that its impractical to implement a gap between the covering and the rest of the structure to allow it to breath. I do have a roll of builders breathable stuff, but it was about $30/sqm (or yard roughly!).

 

OK then, for breathability try Tyvek. It's a DuPont fabric used in construction, it comes in white with lettering on it, but I think you can also buy it without lettering and if white isn't to your liking you can paint it. It's waterproof on one side and breathable on the other. It can be a little rigid and loud, but if you wash it, it softens. And it is sewable with simple machine stitches.

I built a small A-frame puptent with it, and it kept me dry after I sealed the seams with silnet or silicone thinned with mineral spirits, painted on. I also use it as a groundcloth under the small nylon tarp I use for hiking. Two square meters weighs about 5 ounces and will fold to fit in my pants pocket.

I have most of a 3x50m roll in my shop, would be glad to give you all you want but I shudder to think of the postage to Wales!

 

Sounds a lot like the existing breathable builders fabric I have found I think?

Not really interested in one-off rolls, need to find a long term solution for my building system, etc.

 

Breathability of a membrane in multiple-walled shelters is a tough nut to crack, not to mention expensive. I had to trash a yurt cover because moisture got into the space between the outer wall and the insulation layer. Caused some pretty nasty mildew during our humid summers. Not knowing better, I pressure-washed it on the yurt frame and it ruined about 40 yards of SunForger. Live and learn. Just gives me reason to build another yurt this winter.

 

i've been researching the making of a double-dome fabric house . condensation troubles can be addressed by de-humidifing the air before it enters the shell . this could be done : water condenses with a change in air temp .

the design i read about used a 100' length of underground soil pipe , warm moist air being brought to the cool of underground then the dry air drafted into the house .


i might rather try a more compct design by making an undergound pit filled with stones as the condenser . maybe too , this paired with an above ground stone pile condenser to deal with our cool moist air in this region .

 

n/a

 

I have problems with Ray-Way. I can build his stuff his way but I refuse to pay what he asks for the materials and he won't warranty his designs if I don't. That's bullshit.

 

In the end I've decided simply to adjust my design - breathable fabrics seem to be an expensive luxury!