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Hit 50 nights in my tent this year and something broke
I just passed 50 nights camping in my REI Half Dome SL2 this season and on night 48 the main pole snapped right at the ferrule in a wind gust. Turns out the aluminum got stress cracks I never noticed from setting up fast every time. Anybody else hit a number like this and find out their gear was wearing down way faster than they thought?
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wendysmith18d ago
That pole snapping at the ferrule makes me wonder how much of your wear is from how hard you push the tent when setting up versus just using it a lot. Like, are you cranking the poles into the grommets with force or letting them snap into place? I've had a similar thing happen with an old tent pole where I never saw the hairline crack until it was too late, just from the repeated bending. Did you ever notice any weird wobble in that pole section before it let go, or was it a total surprise when the wind hit?
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the_sage18d ago
October 2019 was when I had that exact same pole snap on a Big Agnes tent. I push the poles in gently, never force them. The break came during a calm night with zero wind, just from the tent shifting while I got up to pee. I think the hairline crack thing is real but sometimes it's just bad material or a weak spot from manufacturing. I checked that pole after every trip and never saw any wobble or damage. It was a total surprise, makes me wonder if some poles just have a hidden flaw from the start.
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