Vango Spirit 200 + (plus) pole breakage?

[pjclinch]

It's the zips that my Scouts break. Some tents only last a few camps. We try to buy the same make each time and mix and match parts, but even then the cost adds up. I have to have training sessions on how to operate a zip...

It needs training to use, but one potentially useful option/addition is a hook and ring at the bottom of each zip so you can do that up to remove some of the lateral tension, which makes things rather easier on the zip. It also has the advantage that you can have the door open for venting without it being wide open. (Was a standard feature on Saunders tents.)

Pete.

[chocky]

My wife and I are at the moment camping in New Zealand using a Vango Spirit 200+ tent.
After just 5 days use the silver pole broke on a joint and the sharp end tore through the pole 'pocket'. I managed to borrow a hacksaw and sawed off the broken bit, reassembled the poles ( obviously unscrewed the pole end to release the elastic cord) and I thought problem solved!
I emailed Vango to ascertain if they have a retailer in NZ where I can buy a spare pole kit but they haven't had the common courtesy to reply....
That was over a week ago. In the meantime I googled the issue and read the problems that others have had with these poles and joints so I found a camping shop (FCOi) in Gisborne and bought a spare 8.5mm pole kit, a mini hacksaw and a roll of Duct tape - just in case!
Well last night we had erected the tent in a remote camp on South Island and 'bang' another pole gone! This time the inner ferrule/ sleeve had snapped off clean at one end of the Gothic Arch top section on the blue pole. So it was tent down, pole out and use an alloy tent peg to make a new 'arched' section with the ends of the peg inserted into the adjacent poles trapping the elastic cords and the whole issue wrapped in duct tape. A new pole section was also used from my spares pack.
Will this be the end of the pole problem? I don't think so!
I'm glad that I had the foresight to buy the spare poles and the tools to sort it out. Today I'm going to look at the problem again and see if I can reuse the Gothic arch bit even with the broken ferrule still inside it, perhaps with the alloy tent peg pushed through it and taped up it may give me the correct angle at the apex of the tent as long as I get the poles at each side the same length!
Does anyone have any ideas about replacing these cheap aluminium poles with carbon fibre ones! I'm sure they will perform much better and be flexible.
Advice if required - carry a mini hacksaw, duct tape and a spare pole kit if you're going to get a Spirit 200+.!! .

[drossall]

If it's any consolation (it probably won't be), I remember having to square lash the poles of a traditional, large, canvas Patrol tent when they broke at a joint, and they were heavy, metal ones.

[Sweep]

Sorry to hear about that chocky - your issue is exactly the same as mine - pole broke and tore through the sleeve, threatening to make the tent unusable if that tear got bigger, as of course it might under strain.

As you will see from my adventure above I was able to get a repair (but effectively good as new) out of Vango after some serious assertion on my part.

But of course the remaining question is, how good is "good as new"?

Glad you discovered that at least the poles are pretty standard, though not maybe the arch.

Has the Spirit 200+ been discontinued?

If so, it would seem to be a poor reflection on it since the tent is nice in terms of packability and usable space.

The tent is of course not the most expensive on the market by a long chalk but neither is it ultra budget - like you I would expect more.

I will watch the thread with interest with regard to possible alternative poles.

I did have a Vango dome tent with fibre glass poles that had a pole breakage once but that was after some serious wind - rather makes you wonder if these "modern" poles are any advance, or maybe the Spirit 200+ design just puts too much strain upon them.

Good tip about taking spares - of course if you have to take too many, any weight saving is lost

[pjclinch]

As I say I'm hopeful of the retailer and Vango sorting this, but on the design issues you mention, I have no idea what DAC poles are. A manufacturer?

Yes, they're a Korean based firm with a very good reputation for pole quality. http://www.dacpole.com/html/products.htm#poles. They tend to cost more than average so tend to appear on higher-end tents. You pays your money...

I was wondering if short section poles may be an issue as I noticed that the new 55cm sections of pole which Vango sent me seemed to flex rather more than the shorter sections used on the tent - the 55cm length of course was cut down to the appropriate length and as I may have noted elsewhere the lengths are not all the same. I rather had the impression that the shorter lengths didn't flex as much and instead transmitted more force to the join between the ferrule and the "outer" of the next pole. In both cases it was this "outer" which broke. The ferrules lived merrily on.

All else being equal shorter sections mean more weaknesses and also more weight. Of course, things that may not be equal might include the space you have on your bike...

I should stress though that I inspected all the poles for damage, saw no cracks or anything, and no ferrules have failed.

When you bend the pole there is a compressive force on the ferrule and an expansive force on the outside of the pole-outer. Much easier to crack it by pushing it apart, is my guess.

Pete.

[niggle]

In my experience the life of poles is pretty much dictated by the radius of the curve. Pre-bent poles help a lot and on the 200 that 'gothic arch' piece should have a similar effect in reducing the severity of the curve. Looking at pictures the bend radius looks about OK for a non-prebent pole so I guess you've just been unlucky, but it'll probably start breaking them again after about 10 weeks use (putting up and down each day) at a guess. It's just one of the problems of alloy poles, and yes they usually break when you are just sitting next to the tent innocently:-) It's just fatigue - they've had enough:-)

Looking at the construction of such poles most appear to come from the same few Chinese factories - you will see that the thin ferrule is held in place by being pushed into the pole section and then four small dimples being bashed into it to grip. Often with new poles you'll see tiny cracks here, and with time those cracks will open so it's worth keeping an eye on them to predict when they are about to go. This is where most failures occur. By definition then the worst poles will be those with lots of joints in order to make a shorter pole - try to avoid such designs. Some poles (like DAC) are now an interference fit rather than dimples and they do seem to last better.

I had the opportunity to compare the alloy poles on the Robens Starlight 1 that I have just sold and a newly purchased Coleman Pictor X2: the poles on the Robens had no dimples to retain the ferrules whereas the Coleman poles have the usual four, but no visible cracks so hopefully I will be lucky with the Coleman: I will certainly be inspecting them after every use.

[Dave33]

Hi all, dug this post up as I had the same problem. If you don't tighten straps and guys this tent looks a saggy mess but then if it rains you want to tighten again (more sagging) but as it dries it goes taught and poles break under strain. This happened to me while I ate my breakfast - no one touching anything just "snap" as the outer dried tight. (and after several nights of high winds and no problem). I can only advise vigilance after rain. or adding elastic between straps and skewers.
But if you have a 2 day stop over and leave the tent whilst visiting a town for ex. and it dries while away it may well snap poles. Have to think about compromising on pitching too neatly and accept a bit of sag on this otherwise very confortable and practical piece of equipment.

[niggle]

Hi all, dug this post up as I had the same problem. If you don't tighten straps and guys this tent looks a saggy mess but then if it rains you want to tighten again (more sagging) but as it dries it goes taught and poles break under strain. This happened to me while I ate my breakfast - no one touching anything just "snap" as the outer dried tight. (and after several nights of high winds and no problem). I can only advise vigilance after rain. or adding elastic between straps and skewers.
But if you have a 2 day stop over and leave the tent whilst visiting a town for ex. and it dries while away it may well snap poles. Have to think about compromising on pitching too neatly and accept a bit of sag on this otherwise very confortable and practical piece of equipment.

Thanks for this- I will bear it in mind for the Coleman as well.

[Sweep]

Yes Dave, my second pole breakage (the one that caused the sleeve tear) also happened while I was peacefully eating breakfast outside the tent

Good advice of yours about allowing the thing to look saggy.

I agree that the design of the tent space-wise is very nice - I love the porch arrangement.

I haven't used mine for a bit - will report on this thread if any updates.

[RobMac]

So, what's the bottom line does anybody do GOOD replacement poles????????
Mines hasn't broken yet (preventions better than cure).