Trying to fix a busted tent pole in the dark took me two hours and a lot of swearing

I was up near Lake Tahoe last month and a wind gust snapped one of my main tent poles right at the joint. Figured it would be a quick fix with my repair sleeve, right? Wrong. It was already getting dark and my headlamp battery was low, so I could barely see the tiny splintered ends. The sleeve wouldn't slide over the break because the pole was bent just enough to block it. I spent what felt like forever trying to file it down with my multi-tool, then had to use a rock to hammer the sleeve on. What should have been 10 minutes turned into a solid two hour ordeal in the cold. I was so mad at myself for not checking my gear better before the trip. Has anyone found a better way to handle a snapped pole in the field, or is it always this much of a pain?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkerrodriguez1mo ago

Man, that sounds like a brutal night. The real mistake was trying to file the pole down, that's almost impossible to do right in the field. You just make the metal thinner and weaker. The better move is to straighten the bent section first, even if you have to press it against a tree or a log. Once the pole is mostly straight, the sleeve should slide on without needing to hammer it. A little duct tape wrapped around the splintered ends can help it slide too.

sethk431mo ago

Yeah, the duct tape trick is a lifesaver, I've used it on a bent tent pole before.