Vietnam Silk Liners

[Aushiker]

Hi

I was just looking in eBay at silk liners and see that there are some lower priced silk liners coming out of Vietnam such as this one from spirits_of_vietnam. Does anyone have any experience with these liners from Vietnam?

Thanks
Andrew

[blacksheep]

I assume you read this bit on their ebay page?
Although the label specifies 100% silk, it is a 100% art silk fabric using high quality synthetic fibers so it has silk satiny for softness as well as synthetic fibers for durability.
nothing silk about them..

[Son of a Beach]

Yeah, you gotta watch them. My wife got a well-known brand 'silk' liner only to realise later that there's absolutely zero silk in it at all. I was very careful when buying my no-name brand one to make sure that it really was 100% silk.

Not a problem if you only care about it being thin and light, but I find most synthetic fabrics stink much worse with BO than natural fibres. The synthetics also make me sweat more, which is the main reason I got a liner in the first place - less contact with the sleeping bag fabric itself. Although I think I might end up changing over to using silk pyjamas - less tangly for a restless sleeper.

[Mountain Rocket]

Care to name drop the brand Nik? I would kick myself if I bought a synthetic one without realising!

[Son of a Beach]

I think it was Kathmandu, but would have to check to be certain. However, I think there are many brands that sell 'silk' liners with no silk in them at all. When they say 'silk', they mean 'looks and feels silky', not 'made of silk'.

[Aushiker]

I assume you read this bit on their ebay page?
Although the label specifies 100% silk, it is a 100% art silk fabric using high quality synthetic fibers so it has silk satiny for softness as well as synthetic fibers for durability.
nothing silk about them..

I missed that with that particular listing but they do have other listings suggesting pure silk, hence the question.

Andrew

[ignavus davus]

Hi Andrew
I bought a couple of these liners a few weeks ago (from spirit of Vietnam)- figured at a bit over 20bucks delivered for 2 it was worth the risk. As for the fabric, it looks silky and feels silky, so it must be silk right? I have no way of knowing for sure, but the weight they claim is true (on my scales anyway) and I actually like the feel more than the s2s ones that I find a bit too thin. The downsides - the sewing is not good (lots of loose theads) and the big killer, they are too short! I am 170cm (5ft 7in) and with my feet on the bottom the liner only just comes past my shoulders, but then has another foot or so of liner above this where a full size pillow is supposed to go in (I guess they are meant more for hostelling than bushwalking). I am going to get my mother to modify mine (wife won't sew) so that the actual bag goes right to the top rather than having a pillow compartment.

Dave.

[Rico]

Yes, the length is a problem for most of the gear they make in Vietnam. I was looking into the opportunity to buy some nice hammock from there, but when I tried them, they were way too short for me. Vietnamese people are not very tall on average, even smaller then Chinese, and anything that is not specifically designed for export may be not suitable for the Australian market.

[Aushiker]

The downsides - the sewing is not good (lots of loose theads) and the big killer, they are too short! I am 170cm (5ft 7in) and with my feet on the bottom the liner only just comes past my shoulders

Thanks for the heads-up. I hadn't considered that as being an issue.

Andrew

[Mark F]

There is a simple test for real silk - just google. If you test a thread of silk ensure you test one from the warp and another from the weft of the fabric - they can be different materials.

[Nuts]

You can get the S2S liners a fair bit cheaper than local prices. Even then, perhaps pure silk (if they are?... what is the ripstop thread) might not be the best. Someone mentioned it tags when using it anything but Nakid. i held a few up to the light, sure enough they had fibres pulled aside (probably makes them less warm in a hurry?). Grabbed one of those scottish silkworm ones (abt 30% silk) a bit cheaper. It seems to have held up much better.

[dplanet]

Hello AusHiker,

I will be back to Tasmania Australia soon; therefore, this thread is found. Will look into this for my next liner and thank you for your information.

[gmac]

Picked up a couple of silk (???) liners whilst in Hoi An last month for $5 each complete with carry bag, and that was without bargining for a lower price

While the label states 100% silk, not to sure. The width is ok but they are a bit short at just 1.80m so lack the ability to pull it over the shoulders.

If all you are after is a very light weight silk type sheet they are ok.

gmac

[Aushiker]

Hi

I am in Singapore for the weekend and by chance walked pass a shop selling only silk clothing etc. In a rash movement I picked up a pair of Chinese silk (100%) pyjamas for AU$50. At least I know the sizing is correct and maybe it will prove to be a better choice than a liner.

Will try them out in December.

Andrew