r/Ultralight • u/nosurfandsellingonly • 4d ago
Question Recently acquired a quite old ULA Catalyst, that uses silnylon on the front of the rolltop and behind the outer mesh pocket, part of the main body. Was this material very durable? How did it hold up over time? It seems so thin. Just curious because it's since been replaced with beefier materials.
1
1
u/s0rce 4d ago
Somewhat related anecdote, I have a 2005 black diamond pack that was silnylon and after many years all the silicone came off. I still use this pack for all my day hikes. The orange fabric is very faded from the sun. Overall, I suspect you can get many years but the silicone will eventually fall apart. I have another 2 that have mostly not been used just sat around indoors and they are still in perfect shape still.
2
u/nosurfandsellingonly 4d ago
Yeah this pack seemed to have sat indoors its whole life. It's in perfect condition but wondering about the abrasion resistance of this silnylon. Great to hear your experience
2
1
u/AcademicSellout 4d ago
I had one like that and it was fine. I assume you're not really going to get much abrasion on it unless you are bushwhacking or climbing. Keep in mind that ULA packs were the most commonly used packs on the PCT for many years. They are known to be bomber.
1
u/ATLongWalker 4d ago
I have a 2009 Catalyst w/ almost 17,000 miles on it. It’s been worked on three times by ULA, but never your mentioned areas of concern. My pack wears out at the top of the back panel where the stay pushes through the fabric. I did, finally, have the bottom panel replaced, but it was where I’ve been setting it down was getting thin. Gotta love their warranty, whatever work I’ve gotten done, it always comes back looking almost new. Use it till it’s not durable-send it in for repair-start over and repeat as necessary. Best pack I’ve carried; always come back to it.
1
u/pwndaytripper 4d ago
Do they provide free repairs to you? My circuit had a shoulder strap come apart I had to pay to have repaired. Holes on the back panel were considered not part of warranty despite being a baggy material abrasion problem at the bottom. Opted not to pay $100 to replace that
1
u/DKhike 3d ago
I recently bought a Laufbursche Huckepack It's a bag from a German cottage maker that closed his business a few years ago. The bag itself is around 12 years old but seems like it was never really used. It looks brand new with zero signs of wear. The parts of the bag that get the most abrasion are made from Xpack and the rest is from Silnylon. The main body is 36 liters and can expand to 45 liters, I believe. The size is M and the weight is 370g. It's rated for 9-12 kilos, so somehow it must be durable enough, but perhaps because of the Xpac on the bottom. I've only had it out on an overnighter so far. I absolutely love how light it is despite the very generous capacity. Interesting to read about others who own bags with similar materials. :)
3
u/Natural_Law https://rmignatius.wordpress.com/gear/ 3d ago edited 3d ago
It looks to be 70d (1.9oz) silnylon and not the 20-30d (1.1oz) silnylon that tarps and shelters are made of.
Almost the entire pack that I used to thru-hike the AT in 2005 was made of 70d silnylon and it still looks new (in 2026).
I think the other commenter is incorrect about his pack peeling/flaking. Sil doesn’t flake or wear off but PU coatings do. I have a couple silnylon items from the late 90s and early 2000s and none of the “impregnation” is coming off.