My new tent's rainfly ripped clean off in a storm at Lake Tahoe

I was camping near Emerald Bay last month, testing a tent I got on sale for $150. The forecast said clear skies, but a freak thunderstorm rolled in around midnight. The wind picked up so fast, I heard this awful tearing sound and the whole rainfly just peeled away from the tent body. I was left in a mesh dome getting soaked, with my sleeping bag turning into a sponge. I had to grab my headlamp and a tarp from the car, then spend the next hour in the rain trying to rig a makeshift shelter with some paracord. It was a total mess and I barely slept. Has anyone else had a tent fail that badly in bad weather, and what did you do to fix it on the spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora73525d ago

Oh man, that "awful tearing sound" is the worst feeling in the world, isn't it? I had a cheap pole snap on me in a gust once and the whole thing just folded in half like a taco. You end up fumbling with a headlamp in the rain, questioning all your life choices. What else can you do but dig through your car for any piece of gear that might help?

wyatt_fox688d ago

Well that's a good point about having spare gear in the car. I keep an old tent pole repair sleeve and some nylon cord in my trunk specifically for this kind of disaster. Learned that lesson the hard way after a long wet night trying to sleep under a half collapsed tarp.

joel28025d ago

Yeah that "questioning life choices" moment, @nora735, I used a tent stake and a ton of duct tape once.