finally found an underlayment that lasts - what's your experience?

I've had pretty similar experiences myself. Synthetic underlayment is definitely impressive, especially in situations where the weather decides to throw a wrench in your timeline. I've seen felt hold up fine too, but usually only if the job goes smoothly and quickly without delays. Once helped a buddy fix his roof after a nasty hailstorm - he'd used felt, and man, it shredded like paper towels. Synthetic probably would've saved us from hours of attic cleanup...lesson learned the hard way, I guess.

"Synthetic probably would've saved us from hours of attic cleanup...lesson learned the hard way, I guess."

Yeah, synthetic definitely has its perks, but honestly, I've had decent luck with felt even in rough weather - key is doubling up on overlap and using cap nails instead of staples. Helped my neighbor reroof after some heavy wind damage, and we went with felt (budget reasons). Took extra care sealing seams and edges, and it held up surprisingly well through a couple storms before shingles went on. Synthetic's great, but felt can still do the job if you're careful.

"Synthetic probably would've saved us from hours of attic cleanup...lesson learned the hard way, I guess."

Yeah, synthetic's convenient for sure, but felt still has its place. Helped a friend reroof his garage last fall - used felt with generous overlaps and nailed down tight with caps. Survived winter storms no problem... prep work makes all the difference.

Synthetic's definitely convenient, but I'd caution against thinking it's always the best solution. Seen plenty of synthetic underlayment lift up or tear if not installed carefully - especially in high-wind areas. Felt can still hold its own if you take your time with overlaps and cap nails. Honestly, whichever you choose, the key is proper installation technique and attention to detail. That's what really saves the headaches later on...

I went synthetic on my shed roof last year, and yeah, it's held up pretty well so far. But I totally get what you're saying about installation - my neighbor rushed his synthetic underlayment job, and after one big storm, he had pieces flapping around everywhere. Meanwhile, my dad's old-school felt roof is still going strong after 15+ years. You're spot-on about attention to detail making all the difference...lesson learned!