That moment when a broken tent pole turned a 4-day trip into a survival test

Last summer I was out in the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe, 8 miles from the trailhead, when my tent pole snapped clean in half during a wind gust around midnight. I'd always read reviews about aluminum vs fiberglass poles but figured my cheap $60 tent was fine for a few nights. Turns out, duct tape and a broken branch only held for about 3 hours before the whole thing collapsed on my face at 3 AM. I ended up sleeping under a tarp I almost left in the car, which kept me dry but cold. Now I'm wondering, how many of you actually stress-test your gear before heading into remote spots like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice24222d ago

duct tape and a broken branch only held for about 3 hours" - that's actually pretty good for a field repair. I've had duct tape fail on me in the rain after maybe 30 minutes. But the thing is, most people don't realize that aluminum poles bend instead of snap, so even a broken aluminum pole can usually be splinted with a stick and tape better than fiberglass. I've had a $40 tent from Walmart save my ass in a surprise storm at 9,000 feet because I took the time to seal the seams and test it in my backyard first. That said, I think you got lucky with that tarp - lots of folks would've just tried to sleep wet and ended up with hypothermia at those altitudes.

wren_carr22d ago

You're right about aluminum poles. Splinting them with a stick has saved me more than once.