Where does Ripstop come from?

Ripstop comes from the United States, first documented in the 1940s.

Plate No. 095fabric

The box grid of reinforcing threads that stops a tear running.

First documented: 1940s
Origin: United States, United States
Fiber: nylon, cotton, polyester
Weave: plain weave with reinforcing grid
Family: plain

Plate No. 095 · fabric

Ripstop

Ripstop is plain cloth woven with a periodic grid of heavier reinforcing threads, every few millimeters, that arrest a tear before it can travel. The technique was driven by the Second World War, when nylon ripstop replaced silk in parachutes, and it has clothed the demanding ever since: spinnakers, tents, hot air balloons, flak jackets, hiking shells, and the flag planted on the Moon. The visible box grid is the whole point, engineering you can see, a fabric that fails locally instead of catastrophically.

Illustration: a 1940s parachute-packing hall, vast pale nylon canopies billowing on long tables, riggers at a distance, high windows — A 1940s parachute-packing hall, vast pale nylon canopies billowing on long tables, riggers at a distance, high windows.

Named for

Named for its function: a weave that stops a rip from running.

In the record

1940sNylon ripstop replaced silk in wartime parachutes, founding the modern technical-textile industry.

Common questions

What is Ripstop made of?: Ripstop is plain cloth woven with a periodic grid of heavier reinforcing threads, every few millimeters, that arrest a tear before it can travel. It is traditionally made of nylon, cotton, or polyester.
Where does Ripstop come from?: Ripstop comes from the United States, first documented in the 1940s.
What is Ripstop named after?: Named for its function: a weave that stops a rip from running.