Tent Poles ( material )

[mercalia]

I have bent a couple of poles from my Vaude Mk2 and want to replace them

I have looked at their purchase website and there seems to be 2 qualities of pole

https://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Tents/Tent-Accessories-Parts/Pole-11mm-AL7001-x-55cm-W/Insert?number=128590060

https://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Tents/Tent-Accessories-Parts/Pole-11mm-AL6061-x-55cm-W/Insert?number=128530060

AL6061 and AL7001

any one know the difference between them, as they are the same price. The poles come to together to form an exoskeleton and the poles bend alot

[thelawnet]

The series (6xxx, 7xxx) refers to the elements in the alloy. 6xxx is with magnesium & silicon, 7xxx is with zinc. Specific blends with other elements are then defined by the full number, such as 7001.

7xxx is stronger, in general. Besides that, heat treatment can increase the strength of a given alloy.

For T6 treated (description here of different treaments http://www.matweb.com/reference/aluminumtemper.aspx)

7001 has a yield strength of 90,000psi, while 6061 is only 40,000psi

http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet_ ... 7d9e10be5b

The 6061 is potentially weaker still as it may have a lesser treatment, given the lack of info.

7001 may have inferior corrosion resistance to 6061 https://books.google.ca/books?id=iEeiQE ... P1&pg=PA36

[Brucey]

you would have to assume that there is only one reason for using 7001 material and that is that it is heat treated to T6 condition and it is in fact stronger than 6061 would be. However it is less ductile too and may snap like a carrot under conditions where a 6061 tube may just bend a little. Both alloys can be supplied in temper conditions which result in much less strength; about 1/3 the strength is possible, but pointless.

I note that these poles join with a sleeve. In the picture of the 7001 pole, the joining sleeve looks a different colour which may mean it is a different grade material. In any event it may be that the joiners limit the strength of the pole.

FWIW glass fibre or carbon fibre poles work very well in tents which have long arch poles that are curved to shape; oftentimes the end structure is not as rigid but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; a strong wind may be less likely to flatten the tent permanently.

cheers

[mercalia]

This is the tent, quite old now atleast 10 years old maybe 20 been out of production some time

Vaude Mk2 click to enlarge

As you can see the alloy poles bend quite a lot as they are normally straight. last summer I fell over and onto tent and bent a couple of poles so want to replace them.

The poles parts look the same on the ones I have just silver . The poles are a single assembly connected by elastic so just pop together. very quick to erect, but it is a hair raising experience to bend the poles to slot into the tent cover at the base

[pjclinch]

People get a bit too hung up on material IMHO. While it's important, poles almost always break at the joins, and the way these are engineered that will have a considerable impact on the overall strength of the whole system that looking at the material alone won't tell you.

In other words, saying Bike A is stronger than Bike B because it uses 531 rather than plainer chromo is a bit of a leap of faith assuming the welds are of the same quality.

You're looking at components of a complicated system, not a sheet of metal defined by a number. In this case I'd ask vau De what they suggest, and why.

Pete.

[mercalia]

People get a bit too hung up on material IMHO. While it's important, poles almost always break at the joins, and the way these are engineered that will have a considerable impact on the overall strength of the whole system that looking at the material alone won't tell you.

In other words, saying Bike A is stronger than Bike B because it uses 531 rather than plainer chromo is a bit of a leap of faith assuming the welds are of the same quality.

You're looking at components of a complicated system, not a sheet of metal defined by a number. In this case I'd ask vau De what they suggest, and why.

Pete.

# I have & am waiting for an answer from Vaude.de

[jaminb]

I love my bespoke carbon pole with magnetic joints. Bought one for my Sil Hex Peak but any length and section size available as well as friendly helpful advice on what you might need and want you dont!

http://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/s ... at=shelter

[mercalia]

People get a bit too hung up on material IMHO. While it's important, poles almost always break at the joins, and the way these are engineered that will have a considerable impact on the overall strength of the whole system that looking at the material alone won't tell you.

In other words, saying Bike A is stronger than Bike B because it uses 531 rather than plainer chromo is a bit of a leap of faith assuming the welds are of the same quality.

You're looking at components of a complicated system, not a sheet of metal defined by a number. In this case I'd ask vau De what they suggest, and why.

Pete.

# I have & am waiting for an answer from Vaude.de

well they werent very helpful just telling basically what others have said here but less detail. SO I am none the wiser so bought 4 of each grade. Should last me as they have to be shipped from Germany so bound to go up in price post Brexit