Rip-Stop Nylon
Fabric — one of 56 in the glossary
A light nylon fabric woven with thicker reinforcing yarns at regular intervals in both directions, forming a visible grid. A tear travelling through the cloth stops when it reaches one of those yarns, so a small puncture stays small instead of running. It gives a very high strength-to-weight ratio, which is why it is standard on windbreakers, packable outerwear and bags.
A grid that arrests a tear
The fabric is woven mostly from fine yarn, with a heavier yarn inserted every few millimetres in both warp and weft. That produces the faint square grid you can see when you hold it to the light.
A tear propagates along a line of least resistance. When it meets a reinforcing yarn, that yarn is strong enough to stop it, so the damage is contained within one square.
It is a structural solution rather than a coating, so it cannot wear off — but it is about tear propagation, not puncture resistance. Rip-stop still punctures; the hole just does not grow.
Reading the spec
Weight is usually given in denier. 20D rip-stop is ultralight packable gear; 70D is a typical windbreaker; 210D and above is bag fabric.
Most apparel rip-stop is coated, commonly with polyurethane, for water resistance. The coating is a separate property from the rip-stop weave and a spec sheet should state both.
Nylon is the classic fibre for it because of its tear strength, but polyester rip-stop exists and is more UV-stable and less prone to absorbing water.
Decorating it
It is a synthetic, so heat is the constraint. Nylon softens at a lower temperature than polyester and can glaze or melt under a press that a cotton tee would shrug off.
Inks need to be formulated for nylon — standard plastisol adheres poorly, and a nylon bonding agent is the usual addition.
Embroidery perforates both the grid and any coating. On a waterproof garment that matters; on an unlined windbreaker it mostly does not.
Common questions
- What is rip-stop nylon?
- A light nylon woven with thicker reinforcing yarns at intervals in both directions, forming a grid that stops a tear from spreading beyond one square.
- Does rip-stop mean waterproof?
- No. Rip-stop describes the weave and its tear resistance. Water resistance comes from a separate coating, usually polyurethane, which a spec sheet should list on its own.
- Can you screen print on rip-stop nylon?
- Yes, with ink formulated for nylon or a bonding agent added, and at a lower temperature than cotton — nylon softens and can glaze under a hot press.
See also
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