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Spend any time at all researching outdoor gear , whether it's a new tent or a new rain jacket , and you'll quickly find yourself awash in a confusing array of jargon. Silnylon, polyurethane, X-Pac, cuben fiber, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)—what are these things?

What none of them are is perfect. Each has its own weight, cost, benefits, and drawbacks. But there is a fabric that's perfect for you and your particular use case. We put this guide together to help you strip away the marketing and better understand what each fabric does, what it's best used for, and where it

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