My tent's main pole snapped in a windstorm on the Lost Coast Trail

It happened about 20 miles in last Tuesday, and I had to use my trekking poles and a bunch of cord to rig a shelter for the night. Has anyone else had a pole fail like that, and what's a good lightweight backup plan?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_miller241mo ago

Yeah, but what about when your trekking poles are already part of the rig? That's the real nightmare scenario. I saw what @fisher.adam did with the tent stake, which is clever, but my old aluminum pole bent in a storm and a splint just wouldn't cut it. Isn't the real backup plan just knowing a dozen different knots? I keep a few feet of that thin cord that weighs nothing, way more useful than carrying a spare pole section.

finleyf881mo ago

Honestly, calling for a backup plan feels like overthinking it. That kind of catastrophic pole failure is super rare if you buy decent gear and check it before you go. Rigging something with trekking poles is the obvious fix and it worked, so you already had the perfect lightweight solution right there. Carrying extra poles or a whole repair sleeve just adds weight for a one in a thousand chance event. Sometimes gear breaks and you just have to get creative with what you have on hand.

fisher.adam1mo ago

Ever have a pole snap right at the joint? @finleyf88 I once had a carbon section fail on a steep descent. I used a tent stake and a ton of duct tape from my repair kit to make a solid splint. It held for two more days and got me out.