Fabric for the Tropics

[Bob Rowlands]

Tropical environment kills canvas. Canvas should last the longest in desert.

I guess five years of good service in desert. Tropical climate maybe one to two years. A hut covered with leaves is a good choice. No cost and easily redone. Fry up the bugs that fall off.

Canvas covers are relatively cheap and perfect for small nomadic yurts to about 20'd in drier climates. I made my roof cover from a 20 x 20 white canvas tarp I purchased online from 'my tarp'. It was 100% cotton canvas, 17oz treated mildew and waterproofed. Not fireproofed. NOTE: NOT the olive drab army type waterproofing that is fantastically heavy and stinks to hell. That olive drab fabric has so much waxy chemical in it the smell would kill you before it wore out.

I made the wall cover from cheap painters tarps 50:50 cotton poly blend from Home Depot. They lasted better than the roof cover likely due to the polyester.

If you can make it yourself canvas is fine. If you really want a long lasting cover, and have the money to spend, the 15 year cover from pro company is ABSOLUTELY the way to go. I definitely would not reinvent the wheel experimenting with a fabric I didn't know about. Good luck.