400D Cordura is tough. But do you really need it everywhere?
Anonymized development discussion; not a verified material performance test
Was talking to a guy making a 45L backpack. He wanted VX21 for the body and 400D Cordura for the bottom, back panel, and straps.
Why Cordura?
His old Cordura backpack had taken years of abuse and was still going strong.
Fair enough.
But then we got into the back panel.
He had XLPE foam inside, plus spacer mesh on the shoulder straps and hipbelt.
The foam handles the cushioning. The fabric against your back has a different job.
Sure, the bottom needs to survive being dragged around. And tough fabric on the outside of the straps makes sense.
But the back panel spends most of its time rubbing against your shirt.
So what matters more there? Maximum abrasion resistance? Weight? Friction? How it feels after a long day?
Maybe 400D is still the right choice. Maybe a smoother nylon would work better.
I'd rather compare a couple of swatches against the same shirt than rebuild the whole back panel based on a fabric name.
A material can be great and still be wrong for a particular part of the bag.