Making your own outdoor equipment is an incredibly rewarding hobby. Whether you’re stitching up a custom backpack, a lightweight tarp, or a tailored sleeping bag, choosing the right main fabric is just the beginning. The real durability and functionality of your outdoor projects come down to the components that hold everything together. This is where narrow goods come into play. These are the webbing strips, bindings, and cords that give your gear structure, adjustability, and strength. If you ignore these vital components, even the best waterproof canvas will fail on the trail. Let’s break down the specific types of narrow materials you’ll need to stock up on before tackling your next outdoor sewing project.
Webbing for Straps and Support
Webbing is the backbone of almost any piece of camping gear. When you look at a hiking backpack, the shoulder straps, waist belts, and compression straps all rely on this sturdy material to distribute weight. You generally have three main choices here: nylon, polyester, and polypropylene.
Nylon webbing is exceptionally strong and soft to the touch, making it great for straps that rest directly against your body. However, it absorbs a bit of water and can stretch when wet. Polyester webbing resists water and UV degradation far better than nylon. If you’re building a rainfly tie-out or a strap that will constantly bake in the sun, polyester is usually the smarter choice. Polypropylene is the most affordable option and floats in water, making it great for kayak gear, but it breaks down faster in sunlight. Always remember to melt the cut ends of your synthetic webbing with a lighter to prevent it from unraveling.
Grosgrain Ribbon for Edge Binding
If you’re making a tarp, a tent, or a stuff sack, grosgrain ribbon is your best friend. Unlike the shiny, delicate ribbon you use to wrap birthday presents, industrial grosgrain is a durable, ribbed fabric strip used primarily for binding raw edges.
When you cut technical outdoor fabrics like ripstop nylon, they tend to fray easily. Folding a strip of grosgrain over the raw edge and sewing it down creates a clean, durable finish. It’s also perfect for creating lightweight tie-out loops on tents and tarps. Because it doesn’t add much bulk to the final product, it keeps your ultralight gear weighing as little as possible while still preventing the seams from ripping out under tension.
Hook and Loop Fasteners for Quick Closures
Hook and loop tape is indispensable for outdoor gear. It’s the go-to closure system for jacket cuffs, tent door flaps, and backpack pockets. When you’re sewing with this material, it’s best to avoid the adhesive-backed versions entirely. While the sticky back seems convenient for holding the tape in place before you sew, the adhesive will quickly gum up your sewing machine needle and cause skipped stitches or broken threads.
Always buy the plain sew-on variety. You can find it in various widths, and it serves as a fantastic alternative to zippers in areas where dirt, sand, and mud might otherwise jam up metal or plastic teeth. It’s simple, reliable, and easy to replace if it ever wears out.
Elastic and Shock Cord for Flexibility
Flexibility is crucial when you’re dealing with unpredictable weather and changing gear loads. Flat woven elastic is often sewn into the hems of jacket hoods, the waistbands of hiking pants, or the cuffs of sleeping bags to trap body heat.
Shock cord, also known as bungee cord, is a round elastic core wrapped in a woven nylon or polyester sheath. You’ll use shock cord constantly in camping gear. It holds segmented tent poles together, cinches down the openings of stuff sacks, and forms the zigzag lacing on the front of backpacks to hold wet rain jackets. To make these cords truly functional, you’ll pair them with plastic cord locks so you can adjust the tension on the fly without tying complicated knots.
Bias Tape for Curved Edges
While grosgrain is excellent for finishing straight edges, it doesn’t stretch or bend well. If you’re binding a curved edge, like the armhole of a sleeping vest, the rounded corner of a custom bikepacking bag, or a curved zipper opening, you’ll need bias tape.
Bias tape is cut at a 45-degree angle to the weave of the fabric, allowing it to stretch and conform around curves without puckering or bunching up. You can make your own out of leftover fabric scraps, or buy pre-made rolls to save time. Using it ensures your curved seams look professional and lay perfectly flat.
Reflective Tape for Nighttime Safety
Safety is a big deal in the backcountry. When you’re trying to find your tent in the dark or walking along a poorly lit road, reflective elements make a huge difference. You can buy sew-on reflective tape to stitch directly onto your backpack panels, rain jacket sleeves, or dog harnesses.
Some webbing and paracord even come with reflective threads woven right into the material. Adding just a few inches of reflective trim to your tent tie-outs will save you from tripping over your own guylines during a midnight bathroom run.
Cords and Guylines for Structural Integrity
While technically classified as cords rather than flat tapes, these are always lumped into the same supply category. Paracord is incredibly versatile for lashing gear to your pack, hanging bear bags out of reach, or replacing broken bootlaces in a pinch.
For tents and tarps, you’ll want a dedicated guyline cord. Guylines are generally stiffer than paracord, resist stretching when they get wet, and work perfectly with plastic line tensioners to keep your shelter pulled taut against the wind.
Putting It All Together
Sourcing the right components is half the battle when designing and making your own outdoor equipment. By keeping a good supply of synthetic webbing, grosgrain, shock cord, and hook and loop fasteners in your sewing kit, you’ll be ready to tackle any project that comes your way. Your homemade gear will look professional, function flawlessly on the trail, and withstand the elements for years to come.
