My tent pole snapped in the middle of a downpour on the Appalachian Trail last month

I was about 8 miles from the nearest shelter near Hot Springs, NC when a gust of wind just cracked my main pole like a twig. The whole tent collapsed on me while rain was dumping so hard I could barely hear myself think. I tried to duct tape it but the break was too clean, so I ended up rigging a tarp between two trees with some paracord I had. Slept like a wet raccoon that night, but at least my bag stayed mostly dry. Has anyone else had gear fail at the worst possible moment on a route?

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1 Comment

oliviapatel1mo ago

Feel for you, that's a brutal situation. Nothing like a gear failure miles from safety to really test your wilderness problem solving.