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c/camping-gear-reviewsuma_patel19uma_patel195d agoMost Upvoted

Weekend storm wrecked our tent fly in the Smokies

Went up to the Smokies last month for a 3 day trip. Friday night a line of storms rolled through around 2am. Wind snapped one of the pole sections and tore the fly right at the seam. Water got in everything, sleeping bags, clothes, the works. We packed out wet at 6am and drove home shivering. Has anyone else had a fly fail that fast in moderate wind? I'm wondering if I just got a bad batch or if the material was already weak.
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troy_butler7
Tent pole repair kits with splints saved my hide after a similar failure in the Smokies a couple years back. Duct tape and some trekking pole sections got us through the last night, though we still had water seeping in through the torn seam. Sounds like the fly might've been UV damaged or just bad luck with the batch, but I'd check the seam tape on the rest of it before trusting it again. After that trip I started carrying a lightweight tarp as backup, cheap insurance for nights like that.
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