Found out my trusty old tent poles are actually repairable with a $2 part

2 comments

2 Comments

Oh wow, that's such a great discovery! I had a similar thing happen with an old backpack frame where I found replacement buckles for like a dollar. So what specifically is the part that broke on your poles? Is it one of those little shock cord ends or a connector piece? I'm always curious about which parts actually fail first on those things.

leo5671d agoRising Star

Hang on, I actually see it a bit different. Those shock cord ends are usually what breaks first, yeah, but I've had the aluminum sections themselves crack way more often. The little plastic tips and connectors are cheap to replace, but the actual pole sections (especially on cheaper sets) can split or dent after a season or two of rocky ground. Plus the locking mechanisms, I've seen those slip on some big box store poles after a few hikes. So I'd argue the weak point is really the tubing and locks, not just the cord ends - those you can fix for a few bucks, but replacing a whole section is a pain.