PSA: My North Face tent pole snapped on a rainy night in the Smokies

Last month I was camping near Gatlinburg, Tennessee and a big storm rolled in around 2 AM. My tent was holding up fine until one of the aluminum poles just cracked right at the joint. Water started dripping on my sleeping bag and I had to scramble with a headlamp to patch it up. I ended up using duct tape and a spare tent stake to splint the pole together for the rest of the night. It held until morning but it was a mess trying to keep everything dry. Turns out the pole had a tiny rust spot I never noticed before. Has anyone else had a pole fail on them in the middle of a trip? I'm thinking about switching to a different brand but not sure what's more durable.

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_wilson5129d agoMost Upvoted

Duct tape and a tent stake is a classic fix, but isn't it better to just not have the pole fail in the first place? Rust on aluminum is pretty rare unless it sat in a wet bag for a long time. Maybe the real issue is how you store your gear rather than the brand itself. A little bit of maintenance goes a long way with any tent.

the_joseph29d ago

Always dry everything out fully before packing away and Ive never had a pole fail on me yet.