Canvas vs Nylon; Fabric Strength and Durability

A lot of people seem to have a perception that all canvas type carriers are stronger and more durable than their nylon counterparts.

This assertion with respect to a specific back pack may or may not be true depending on the thicknesses of the two materials being compared. An extremely thick canvas backpack may very well be stronger than a very thin nylon backpack, but that does not tell us much about the strength of the materials themselves.

The reality is that, just to continue with the above example, nylon is quite a bit stronger than cotton canvas. The tenacity (load per linear density) of cotton canvas is 3.0 to 4.9 grams/denier.

Type 66 nylon on the other hand, which is commonly used in backpacks, etc, has a tenacity of 6.0 to 9.5 grams/denier. As a rough rule of thumb, nylon is about twice as strong as cotton canvas for the same density of material. That would mean that a nylon thread  can be half the thickness of a canvas thread, and still be just as strong. Of course, if you take cotton canvas that is three times as thick as its nylon counterpart, it will be stronger as a whole.

When it comes to abrasion resistance, cotton canvas is rated as low, while nylon cordura is rated as good.

Maybe you have also heard people speak about the durability and strength of their woollen fabrics. The tenacity of wool is about 1.6 grams/denier, weaker than cotton, and much weaker than nylon derivatives. In fact, wool is notoriously easy to wear out. That is why until recently you would mainly see it as a mix with synthetic threads.

The above differences however cannot be detected by our senses, so too often we will just hold a material in our hands, and conclude that the one that is thicker and “feels more solid” is in fact the stronger one. That is not necessarily true.

Anyway, this is just some food for thought. Thicker materials always seem stronger to us, but it’s not necessarily the case. If you are concerned with strength, look at the strength of the individual materials, select the strongest one, and then get it in the desired thickness. Don’t just go by whatever seems the strongest to you.