: Suddenly polyester looks better to me. I stayed away from it because I know
: it is less puncture resistant. But I may try it if won't do this. I don't
: think puncturing is a big risk here, but it is possible to hit a sharp
: stick or rock.

Polyester can be at least as durable as Nylon and it can also be more abrasion resistant. It also absorbs finishes better, so you can use water-borne finishes if you like, though I still prefer oil-based poly's.

I've used 9, 10 and 13 oz. polyester, and 8 oz Nylon on boats.

It seems to me that the reason most people seem to choose Nylon is that it's really easy to sew, since it's more elastic than polyester and conforms to curves readily. It's also inexpensive, which doesn't hurt. The downsides are water absorption that can result in loose skins and problems/incompatibilities with water-borne finishes.

I found the 9 oz. polyester that Dyson used to sell to be an excellent skin fabric that was nearly as easy to sew as 8 oz. Nylon. Unfortunately, it's not available through them any longer. The 10 oz. from Tacoma Tent and awning isn't bad, but the weave is somewhat coarser. Dyson's 13 oz. polyester is all but bulletproof, but it's a real bear to sew, as it has very little elasticity and you must sew it VERY tight in order to get it to conform. The "Bill Low" sewing method I use was developed for sewing this fabric and it works well, but I doubt that most other sewing methods would create enough thread tension produce a tight skin. You can expect to have seriously sore hands after sewing this stuff. This fabric is relatively expensive, but it should last a long time, especially if you coat it with a two-part product.

Polyester can be heat shrunk. The 9 oz. shrinks considerably, the 10 oz. somewhat less and the 13 oz. not that much. You have to be very careful, as the shrinking temp for polyester is very close to it's melting point, but that's also true for Nylon.