Can nylon be dyed?

There is many discussion on backpacking online forums alongside climbing blogs concerning the subject of how to dye a (coated) ripstop plastic backpack or whether or not it could even be done. I love an in depth discussion just as much as the next individual, but there’s usually only one yes method to understand if one thing can be achieved hence’s by in fact doing it.

If there’s one thing you know about myself right now it really is that I'm not afraid to hack and change my backpacking gear so as to make it offer or function better. There are occasions though when all you want to do is change your gear for the cool aspect – this is some of those modifications.

The Applicant

It just so occurs that i've a lot of backpacks. Those types of backpacks, my all-time specialty Gen1 Gossamer equipment Gorilla backpack, is of a suitably light color that would be ideal for a dyeing research. While I have other packages, my trusty Gorilla pack continues to be the best and I don't consider damaging it in title of experimentation. Therefore, i'll be notably cautious.

I’ve used Rit powdered dye effectively in past times for several other DIY tasks. It’s low priced and readily available in a wide variety of colors. I’m using black to generate an extremely stealthy looking Gorilla backpack. With an expectation that the covered ripstop nylon is going to be significantly resistant to taking the dye, I’m gonna utilize the entire packet in as small of a container that you can – that will supply me personally with a rigorous blend to increase protection and absorption. Theoretically.

Stovetop Dyeing Instructions

There are numerous techniques for dyeing products using Rit dye, their website includes a great deal of information. I’m going to be with the the “stovetop” strategy since it is said to deliver the most readily useful outcomes when utilizing black or other dark colors. I’m using a big stainless steel saucepan big enough to accommodate the Gorilla pack whenever scrunched up.

Before I have started i have to remove hip buckle and cordage as neither of those should be the main dyeing process. In addition have to take away the inner frame/stay so your pack may be bundled up. I’m also likely to change the pack inside-out – We don’t understand why, it simply thought just like the right move to make.

I filled the big saucepan three-quarters full and brought it to a-simmer to my stove. The Rit dye directions say to pre-dissolve the powdered dye in 2 glasses of heated water and then include it towards the dye bathtub. I made the decision to skip this measures and poured the complete packet in to the huge pot of heating liquid and blend while allowing it to arrive at a-simmer.

The Point of No Return

Once the dye bath had started to a stable simmer and after some additional moments of stirring so that the dust ended up being acceptably dissolved, I carefully began submerging the Gorilla backpack. You have to be careful never to force the pack in to the saucepan too quickly since the environment within the pack wont escape fast adequate to prevent forcing the simmering black fluid dye up-over the edges associated with the saucepan. I took my some time let the atmosphere escape therefore the dye absorb in to the nylon textile of this pack.

If you look very carefully at the picture above, you’ll se that inspite of the pack having been already submerged in dye shower, it offers hardly colored the plastic material only at that early stage. The Rit stovetop directions recommend simmering the material into the dye shower for half an hour, stirring continuously, up-and-down. Nutrients arrive at those who wait – perseverance.

Rinse and Perform

After draining the saucepan and getting rid of the Gorilla backpack i really could eventually see how really the dye had done the ripstop plastic. I have to admit that I thought it wasn’t likely to work at all. When I saw exactly how resistant the nylon was to taking in the dye shower when I very first submerged it I thought this is going to prove terribly. It really turned out extremely well and the darkness associated with the black colored is better than I had expected.

we rinsed the pack in cold-water repeatedly to get rid of the maximum amount of for the extra dye that you can and before liquid ran obvious. However put it in my washing machine for the next wash cycle. Finally we place the pack when you look at the dryer on a hot setting-to “fix” the dye and dry up the wet backpack.

Stealthy Gorilla Backpack

Here are a few photos showing how well the customized dye work ended up. In the event that you look very carefully you will find that the elements of the Gorilla pack which were originally black, like use and mesh pouches, tend to be a much darker tone of black colored than the light-gray ripstop plastic sections. We don’t determine if that is since the lighter material didn’t dye and or if perhaps the already dark/black pieces got even more black. Blackerer as my young ones will say.

So there you've got it. It's seriously feasible to improve along with of a ripstop nylon backpack utilizing Rit dye. I have not tested the backpack to see if this has lost any one of its ability to repel water. I think that it features, but that’s an easy fix rather than all that important in the event that you pack utilizing a liner.

What exactly do you believe? Could you color your backpack merely to alter its color? Do you realy just like the result or hate it? Be honest.