Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

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hondated
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Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by hondated »

I seem to have been unfortunate in that the last few tents I have owned I somehow have managed to break several FG tent poles. In my defence though it has occurred after having high winds.
So can anyone tell me whether FG tent poles can be replaced by something stronger or is it just that I need to spend more money and get a more expensive tent.
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gaz
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by gaz »

Alloy tent poles.

The challenge may be finding replacements in suitable lengths.
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whoof
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by whoof »

Try Go Outdoors they have 13 poles sections or sets in various lengths and diameters.
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by Heltor Chasca »

gaz wrote:Alloy tent poles.

The challenge may be finding replacements in suitable lengths.



This^ And it’s easy enough to cut the ends down to shorten them a little if need be. I’ve only had to take off a little before, so I can’t say weather a much shorter pole would be stiffer and therefore the curve may not be 100% perfect. The only pain is having to rethread the elastic. :evil:

I guess you could cut the length off then slice it downwards like one would fillet a fish. Without snipping the elastic.
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pjclinch
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by pjclinch »

If you check out "serious" tents the number with fibreglass poles is roughly this: none. There's a reason for that...

So as suggested, alloy if you can find something suitable. Scottish Mountain Gear are usually my first port of call for repairs and they're a repair agent for several brands so are probably pretty good for sourcing random lengths of pole. https://www.scottishmountaingear.com/repair-service/pole-repairs.

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RickH
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by RickH »

Heltor Chasca wrote:...The only pain is having to rethread the elastic. :evil:

Re-threading the elastic isn't hard, you just need some thin wire (you only need 1 pole section length plus a bit more, say, 50% as you only thread it through one piece of pole at a time) to poke down the hole that you can then twist tight on the end of the elastic & pull it through (a knot would be too big). If you use new elastic don't cut it down until you're sure you have the length right AFTER you've finished assembly.
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mercalia
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by mercalia »

RickH wrote:
Heltor Chasca wrote:...The only pain is having to rethread the elastic. :evil:

Re-threading the elastic isn't hard, you just need some thin wire (you only need 1 pole section length plus a bit more, say, 50% as you only thread it through one piece of pole at a time) to poke down the hole that you can then twist tight on the end of the elastic & pull it through (a knot would be too big). If you use new elastic don't cut it down until you're sure you have the length right AFTER you've finished assembly.


well it can be hard getting the little spring out they some times use to anchor the cord inside the tube to?
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hondated
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by hondated »

Thanks everyone there,s some great advice there which I will follow up.
dinger207
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by dinger207 »

Alloy poles in any length, thickness, and suitable section length can be obtained from hampton-works.co.uk.
Albeit some 18 years ago, they made me poles for my Saunders Spacepacker with a shorter section length to suit my packing needs for £22 including postage. They are still in business, see their website
dinger207
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by dinger207 »

gaz wrote:Alloy tent poles.

The challenge may be finding replacements in suitable lengths.

See my post below
crazydave789
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by crazydave789 »

depends on the style of tent single hoop, semi geo fully geo or tunnel.

car boots often have scrap tents, larger outdoor shops might have a graveyard upstairs you can access.

the sites like ali express and ebay sell them too or just ask if anyone is scrapping a tent.

I used to have a pre fibreglass dome tent that used bamboo, I often had to repair them with dental floss when they split but they were light and flexible.

if wind is the problem then it might be worth altering the tent to make a DIY tension band system, our old vango equinox was excellent for squatting down in the wind.
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hondated
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by hondated »

dinger207 wrote:
gaz wrote:Alloy tent poles.

The challenge may be finding replacements in suitable lengths.

See my post below

Thanks dinger207
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hondated
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by hondated »

crazydave789 wrote:depends on the style of tent single hoop, semi geo fully geo or tunnel.

car boots often have scrap tents, larger outdoor shops might have a graveyard upstairs you can access.

the sites like ali express and ebay sell them too or just ask if anyone is scrapping a tent.

I used to have a pre fibreglass dome tent that used bamboo, I often had to repair them with dental floss when they split but they were light and flexible.

if wind is the problem then it might be worth altering the tent to make a DIY tension band system, our old vango equinox was excellent for squatting down in the wind.

Thanks crazydave789 some good ideas there.
nsew
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by nsew »

I wouldn’t be spending 30 or 40 quid on replacement alu poles. Good money after bad. Look at something like Wild Country Hoolie 2 person or Jack Wolfskin Gossamer 2. They can be found new for about £100. You’ll get good (enjoyable) living space and will be durable because they weigh in at around the 2kg mark.
nsew
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Re: Replacing Fibre glass tent poles !

Post by nsew »

Incidentally, the separate Gossamer 1 or 2 groundsheet is 150 denier (Hilleberg 100d) 10,000mm head, can be found for £12/£18 and makes a brilliant bivvy / tarp groundsheet for protection of your nice mattress. They used to be 200d. Far more practical than more expensive, leaky (yuk), white (yuk), Tyvek.
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