Canvas or Ballistic Nylon?

Canvas or Ballistic Nylon?

  • Canvas

    Votes: 139 63.2%

  • Ballistic Nylon

    Votes: 66 30.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 15 6.8%
  • Total voters
    220
Nylon. Canvas is just a terrible material. It gets and stays wet. It is heavier. It creates dust. It wears out faster.
 
Ballistic nylon. Canvas may have a finer texture and more polished appearance, but ballistic nylon is hard to beat for toughness, water resistance and rot resistance. No question IMO.
 
Ok, since I suspect you're referring to camera bags (otherwise this post will be OT, and pardon my interruption), let me put my suggestion forward for the world's best camera bag. I have ditched my Domke F-5XB canvas bag for a new Courierware extra small camera bag in cordura nylon. The material is amazing, the bag is soft and settles against your hip/lower back perfectly and holds an M body with 50 cron with room for at least two other lenses and plenty of other stuff. It is the perfect bag (for me). The Domke ended up being a tad too small and a bit like lugging a square brick against one's side. Canvas is supposed to be more supple, but, with the padding in the Domke and the reinforced corners and edges, this bag is not.

Anyway, if anyone wants to take a sand-coloured F-5XB off of my hands, drop me a line. I know this bag has many fans. I'm just not one of them.

Oh, and, in case it's not obvious, my vote is for Cordura ("other").

Ron
 
Unfortunately, Domke doesn't do nylon in anything but basic black, which gets MUCH too hot...
and canvas is much quieter. So... tradeoffs.
 
I prefer canvas. As has been noted, quieter, softer (usually), and it DOES dry through a natural wicking action. Nylon will be dry to the touch on the outside, but can trap moisture inside the bag. I've never had much of a problem with canvs "creating its own dust"; for the small amount that may be created, I simply clean out the interior when necessary.
 
Domke canvas. Spray it several times with NikWax TX.Direct spray-on (available from outdoors suppliers like REI) and it will be downpour-proof.

 
ballistic nylon???
What the heck is that. And why ballistic.
Are raindrops going through it without scattering processes??
 
Well, I have each, so I guess I am sort of ambivalent. Even so, I think I prefer canvas. They may not hold up as well. I don't know. I have only had mine for about 27 years, so I can't really say how much longer it will last. There is some minor fraying on a part of the strap too. And it has only survived one house fire so I can't say much about its resistance to acid water (it has been to other fires for evidence photography if that counts). It was on the floor so it didn't have to cope with as much heat as it could have. But then I had a canvas bag that survied the same thing as well. I guess not carrying them so much for the last 15 years helps. :D
 
I'm the same... I've got both.. but I've grown to love the Domke canvas.
The nylon's good, and I store a lot of stuff in the bags I have, but the Domke canvas is more of a "home" for the RF gear.

Dave
 
Canvas - I prefer the feel and look, plus it's quieter. I don't know, but nylon just doesn't feel right and annoys me to no end.
 
Canvas (Billingham Stormblock, to be precise). Canvas will rot as Bob said, but the good thing IMO is that canvas will rot and not moulder in the landfill for an unknown length of time. My bike bags are cotton duck, BTW.

Mark [/treehugger mode off]
 
Russ said:
Flyfisher Tom, is that Lake Tenaya in your icon?

Kiron Kid
Click to expand...

Hi Russ,

It is an alpine lake in the Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho). Not sure what its real name is, but we call it affectionately: "Breakass Lake" ... as it takes about 1/2 day of nearly vertical climbing to reach the top. The beauty is you are the only one up there, and the trout are beautiful. cheers
 
No mention of leather? Actuelly, canvas is more practical, but, with my old cameras, I like old leather camera bags. Leather is natural, and a well worn old bag just looks and feels good to me. They can be picked up for a song as no one wants them any more. Some are really classic.

Of course, all my more modern equipment is in modern synthetic bags (it isn't really 'ballistic' nylon). :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom