Well, today I have received quite a few samples of currently available canvas types. The modern canvas is dramatically different from the raw looking stuff we are used to seeing on vintage military vehicles, but all types seem to have positive and negative aspects.
The fabrics below, are all from one supplier. They sent me three different types to inspect. The serated edges of the majority afforded me opportunity to test their resistance to tearing, with impressive results.
First style, and by far largest selection, are obviously rip-stop material. They are a thick, quite stiff material, and feel like a Poly fabric. Rip-stop isn't for me, because of the chequered pattern. I think you could tie a piece of this to a bogged 4X4 and pull it out without tearing the stuff. It really feels that strong, and I did try (without success) to tear it apart. It just laughed at me! The weave is too tight for canopy use anyway, in my opinion.
Next ones are similar density and weave, minus the tell-tale rip-stop chequered pattern. Poly fabric again. It looks good, and would be worth considering for some projects. It is very stiff though, so you may not want to use it where 'billowing' canvas look is appealing. This stuff wouldn't flap much in a tornado. Probably good thickness for home awnings, vintage caravan annexes and squatters chairs. You foreign folks, look up squatters chair in google. As with the previous selection, weave is much finer than military canvas of decades ago. This type also mocked my puny attempt to damage it.
These next two are similar in appearance to the second photo BUT they are thinner material. I would be quite happy to use this for my side curtains and similar sized applications. It would keep it's shape nicely, in uses where that would be desirable, but this fabric is sufficiently thinner in feel, making it a better choice for a range of applications. This one ticks the boxes for any future side curtain manufacture I do. Remember, I still have the dismantled original curtain/s used as pattern to have a pair of new ones made, to copy from. I'll need to improve sewing technique before tackling those. The pair I had made for the restoration truck a couple of years ago were probably done in this material. A visit to the workshop tomorrow afternoon will confirm that, but I'm fairly confident. While maybe not the range of colors to choose from, I wouldn't be upset with using the one green shade shown here. There may be other colors available, but I didn't get them in the batch of samples I received. In keeping with the trend, material has the same feel and look of the previous two types, so I'm confident they are synthetic materials also. Oh, and I couldn't tear these buggers either! Is it too much to ask that I manage to rip one sample, just a little bit? Apparently it is!
This last image shows all the samples together. It's an impressive range. All are waterproof, surprisingly tear resistant, and none could be persuaded to fray. While no description accompanied my samples, I'm prepared to wager they are all very colorfast. Can't say that about the cheap, 100% cotton tarp materials, manufactured in India and the likes. As I said, all have positives and negatives, but if you're looking for longevity over replication of exact appearance, these will outlast religion!
I'll post another suppliers range in next posting, along with some visual comparison between both lots and the Indian/Pakistan made cotton canvas currently available everywhere on earth.