Originally posted by Zericon
However what exactly is Rip-Stop Material. I'm using Mylar and am very happy with.. stilll learning.. I did a search i found plenty of info but none on the actually materal
Mylar is fine if you handle it right. It warps from heat so it needs good wadding protection. And it can stick together, so you can't pack it the night before. That latter reason the is the only real reason I mostly use nylon now. There are some very good contest mylar chutes. On the other hand, there's some real junk made from mylar, and mylar chutes that people make poorly themselves, and I think that's why some people don't like it.
Tomorrow I'm first-flying a really spiffy all chrome 50's sci-fi looking cluster bird, designed for the DESCON contest. I'm trusting it to an 18" chrome mylar Rockethead chute.
The answer to your question has to do with how the cloth is woven. Most weaves, once they start to tear, continue along the line of the thread parallel to the tear. Rip stop is woven so that the tear tries to take off on the perpendicular to the tear, and if it does, then THAT tries to take off perpendicular, etc. Some is good, some is not so good. Even the worst will tend to bring a bird down safely when the chute might otherwise shred, but the cheap stuff won't give you a second chance. Once it's torn, it'll get worse, just not in a straight line.