Overheard a guy at REI saying his 20 year old tent still works better than new ones

I was standing in line at REI in Denver last Saturday and this older guy in front of me was telling the cashier how his old Sierra Designs tent from 2004 has been through like 40 trips and still doesnt leak. He said he came in to buy a new one but after feeling the fabric on the new models he decided to just keep patching his old one. Got me thinking about how much gear has changed. My dad gave me his old Coleman stove from the 90s and it cooks way better than my new fancy one. Has anyone else noticed older stuff holding up better, or is it just luck?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan_roberts491mo ago

Sierra Designs switched their tent poles to cheaper aluminum around 2004, your mileage may vary.

daniel5931mo ago

Actually it was around 2006 they made that switch, not 2004.