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How do I repair a broken fiberglass tent pole?

One of the fiberglass poles in my tent broke in a high wind the other day.  What is the best way to replace it.
asked Apr 29, 2014 in Camping by CamperMary

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3 Answers

A broken tent pole can cause a big problem while camping, but it is actually fairly easy to fix.

Here is a quick video that shows the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wes_f0_4LYA
answered Apr 29, 2014 by Mike Shelley
Stay warm, dry, hydrated and well-fed.Each human body puts out beewten 70 and 500 BTU/hr of heat (depending on activity level and available calories).  A decent tent will trap some of this heat, to take some of the edge off the cold, but not enough to substitute for the insulation provided by clothing and/or a sleeping bag.  The use of type of heater inside a tent is discouraged for safety reasons.  So to stay warm, you need an appropriated-rated sleeping and clothing system.(Note that each body also exhales about 8 ounces of water each day, and without adequate ventilation and tent design, this moisture will condense on cold tent surfaces and possibly run down walls to get sleeping bags and other gear wet.)On the sleeping end, your first concern should be a sleeping bag rated appropriately for the lowest temperature expected, with an additional 20*F margin.  I.e., if you expect 20*F, your sleeping bag should be rated for 0*F.  There's a few reasons for this: 1.) most sleeping bag ratings are optimistic, and are seldom truly comfortable down at their minimum rating; 2.) it might get colder than predicted during your trip.  If you don't have and can't afford a properly-rated bag, it is possible to improve a bag's cold weather performance by using a thermal sleeping bag liner, by doubling-up on sleeping bags (i.e., one inside the other), or by using additional blankets on top of the sleeping bag.  In addition to the sleeping bag you will need a foam or insulating air/self-inflating mattress to protect you from the cold, hard ground.As for clothing, use layers of clothing that you can remove or add according to the temperature and activities.  It is important to stay warm, but crucial to stay dry.  Wet clothing does not insulate as well as dry clothing, although wool, silk and many synthetic materials still provide insulation value when wet.  Cotton should be avoided as it becomes a heat conductor (rather than insulator) when wet, and takes a long time to dry.  The basic layers are:1. On-Skin (underwear top   bottom)2. Base Layer (long johns)3. Outer Layer (thick to thin, depending on activity   conditions)4. Wind/Rain shellDon't forget essentials such as a hat and gloves.  If the weather will be wet or you will be very active if would be worthwhile to bring an extra set of underwear, socks and base layer.  Aside from the insulation, there are some things you should do to keep warm:1. Drink lots of fluids, particularly warm fluids.  But avoid sweetened and/or caffeinated beverages.  If your body gets dehydrated it will affect its ability to regulate temperature.  Warm beverages help keep your body core temperature high without consuming calories.2. Eat extra calories, particularly fats.  Your body will need extra calories to generate heat.  Fat provides the ideal fuel for your internal furnace.  In particular it is beneficial to eat a hot, high fat meal close to bedtime.  3. Stay active.  The more you move the more heat your body generates.  Be cautious not to overheat and sweat.Finally, if additional heat is needed you can fill water bottles with hot water, wrap in extra clothing and stuff them inside your sleeping bag. These will need to be refilled every 4 hours or so.  You can also use chemical hand warmers that will last 8 to 12 hours.
answered Jun 13, 2014 by Katherine
The major differences beewten a 3 season and a 4 season tent are that the winter rated tents are designed to be able to support or shed a heavy snow load without the frame breaking or the tent collapsing.  They also tend to have the rainfly system designed to maintain a more reliable space beewten the fly and inner tent wall to minimize condensation and having the fly press on the tent due to a build up of snow.  Winter rated tents tend to have smaller window and ventilation areas and will more often have an exterior vestibule arrangement to block wind and to give you a place to leave snowy gear outside the sleeping area or to cook on the ground but out of the wind during storms.Unless you expect heavy snow loads or severe blizzards and extended bivouacs, a good quality (not discount store) 3 season tent can be perfectly adequate for winter camping.  I have winter camped many times with 3 season tents, in fact, probably more often than with my 4-season ones (though I own several tents of each type).  If your tent pitches tight so that the fly doesn't blow around and snap in the wind and has strong poles and a vestibule or good fly overhang over the door, you will most likely be fine in it. For winter camping in snow I always carry a microfiber towel to wipe condensation off the inside of the tent walls at night and before I get out of my bag in the morning.   Be certain you have stakes that will work in the ground conditions you will encounter.  Fat plastic stakes will not work on frozen ground   get the thin metal ones that twist in.  If you will be camping in deep snowpack, you will want to be able to make  dead man  anchors by attaching the guy lines and corner staking tabs to buried stuff sacks that you fill with snow or rocks or tying your guy lines to buried branches.  You will probably need to stake the tent more solidly than in warmer weather due to the higher potential for wind.  Nothing is worse than watching your dome tent bounce down the mountain and out of sight over a cliff (hasn't happened to me but I've seen it happen to others).
answered Jun 16, 2014 by James

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