If I remember correctly the weight of my gear mod added approx 7 lbs to my Series II... that's totaling up the weight you take off and subtracting it from the weight of the new gear set & Azuzalite wheels. It may of been 9 lbs... I do remember is was less than 10.
The dry lakes may look perfectly smooth but in SoCal the immense populace of recreationalists competing for areas to recreate created conflicts of interest. The ground bound (2, 3 & 4 wheeled) steroid horsepower bunch seemed to take great delight in tearing around the dry lake after our rainy season (yeah... we had a rainy season out there) creating deep and numerous ruts that once dried out (to the consistency of concrete)... made for a surface more like a railway track bed! The bungie gear helped greatly to CUSH out the bumps. A compromise that I accepted... comfort vs increase in weight.
There are appropriate choices in the many fabric coverings on the market, some more appropriate than others, one or two (debateable depending on who you talk to) appropriate choices in the Tedlar, and now I'm looking for the most appropriate choice in Mylar. Speaking strickly of the proven longevity... I wholeheartedly agree with everyone about TEDLAR as the most desirable choice for the film coverings. HOWEVER in my particular case I require a material width that the current forum member supplier of the MOST APPROPRIATE long lived FILM doesn't have. My hershey bar wing panels on the design I'm building have a 54" chord. So my explorations are for a film that's at least 60" wide. So when the MOST APPROPRIATE FILM can't be had... I MUST opt for Plan B. When examining Plan B (in this case Mylar) I find a great attraction to its clarity, cost, availability (although this one is starting to look debatable) shrinkage and tautness.
It's apparent by the responses that longevity seems to be the main issue of concern. We have Ozzie stating "there are several mylar covered MK 1's still with original mylar here in Australia flying with no problems... secret is to keep them covered & out of the sun.... (when not flying).
He also wrote "The factory recommended recovering the mylar top surface once a year and both surfaces every second year. The factory also put in a ridiculous safety factor. In OZ we have a real sun and we have the skin cancer rate to prove it. Most Lazairs here are still flying on the original covering of mylar and they still pass the slap and bash test. The one that was left all the time in the sun and weather did fall apart but it still took 5 years of constant exposure.
And lastly Ozzie says " I am more than happy so far with the mylar and the tape choices I made."
Chappy's experience led him to state "I have also had Mylar covering that was well protected from light last well over ten years, perhaps fifteen. If Mylar is always protected except for flight hours.
He also wrote "I last recovered them (wings) in 1984 (!) for an outside display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum that summer (after my daughter broke out an upper panel by hitting it with her fist as hard as she could). Even though I could walk on the wings without the panels breaking, I decided to recover. I just now went out to my trailer and slapped the stuffings out of the wings, and nothing popped.
Although I keep it trailered, it has spent many hours flying in the sun, and many weeks tied down and exposed to the weather over the years, much of it in the Florida summer sun. Pretty good for crap, I'd say."
I can't as yet find anyone to comment on Mylar's standard use on the design I'm building... but I personally believe I should explore this material fully. I think it has a place as an OPTION for myself and possibly others. I would of loved to have easily located the exact Mylar film specification or designation but since that is not the case... may the next individual seeking this information have an easier time of it due to my efforts... if I'm sucessful.
Steve