Throwback Thursday: The 3 Best Fabrics to Use Outdoors

We've decided to celebrate Throwback Thursday here at MMI for the first time. We've started this new blog series so you'll get a chance to see some blog posts from us you might have missed! We'll be bringing back some old favorite posts and updating them with new content (if needed) and images.

For our first Throwback Thursday blog post, we're bringing back a post on outdoor fabrics since it's the first day of summer! This was originally posted on March 16th, 2016.

The Best 3 Fabrics to Use Outdoors

Now that the weather is improving here in the Midwest and eastern part of the country, we are thinking more and more about being outside! Sun, rain, and humidity can all be factors when it comes to being outdoors in warm or cold weather. So, when it comes to fabrics, picking the right one for outdoor use is important. Let’s break down three of the best fabrics to use outside and which will weather better than others:

POLYESTER
Polyester is a tough, versatile fabric. Polyester works well outside because it is resistant to stretching, mold, mildew, and rot. It's also light-weight and flexible. When it comes to specific polyesters...PVC/vinyl backed polyesters are popular fabrics here at MMI - that can have added strength and durability. Solution-dyed polyester, especially, is great for outdoor use because it has very good sun resistance and wear properties.

NYLON
Nylon has a lot of the same qualities as polyester, but also some key differences. One difference being nylon has superior abrasion resistance, making it the choice fabric for use in military applications. Nylon is easy to wash, extremely versatile, rot and mold/mildew resistant, and somewhat UV resistant. Nylon is also extremely quick-drying and highly water repellent, too! It really is one of the most versatile fabrics in the textile industry, so it's no surprise that it has many outdoor uses.

RIPSTOPS
While ripstop is technically not a specific fabric but a weave that is done in many different synthetic fabrics...ripstop fabrics have unique uses, especially when it comes to the outdoors. These fabrics pride themselves on being unable to rip or extremely resistant to ripping, hence the name “ripstop”. They are commonly used in rain jackets and camping equipment like tents and sleeping bags. Kites, parachutes, and flags are made from ripstops, too. Ripstops are easy to identify because of the square, cross-stitch pattern they have. It seems that ripstops are growing increasingly more popular in the industry!

Lucky for you, we stock all three of these fabrics in many different varieties, deniers, and colors. We also can produce fabrics with custom colors, widths, finishes, weaves, fiber blends, and more - so it can perform the exact function required.

If we had our way in Cleveland, we would be concerned about “outdoor fabrics” all year round. But we know that’s not case, so we’ll get excited about anything outside as summer takes full force. As always, our team at MMI would love to talk about any project you're working on or send any samples your way – give us a call at 440-899-8050 or contact us.