Overheard a guy at the REI return counter say his tent collapsed on him 3 times in one night

Last Saturday at the REI in Austin I was returning a broken strap and this dude is telling the clerk about his brand new backpacking tent. He said he set it up by a lake in New Mexico and the wind kept popping the poles off the clips. He blamed the design but also admitted he never practiced setting it up at home first. It made me realize I should always do a dry run in my backyard before heading out on a real trip. Has anyone else had a gear fail because you rushed the setup without testing it first?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_baker572d ago

Oh man I gotta disagree with you both. Sometimes you just gotta trust the gear and your instincts. I've set up tents in the dark with cold hands and no practice and it worked out fine, you figure it out because you have to.

derek_schmidt62d ago

never practiced setting it up at home first" - bro that hurts to hear because I've been there. My first time out with a new tent I just assumed I could figure it out at the site, ended up fighting with the rainfly in the dark for 45 minutes while mosquitos ate me alive. The poles kept slipping out of the grommets because I was rushing and didn't realize there was a specific order to thread them. Now I always pitch any new shelter in my backyard at least once, even if it's just for 20 minutes. Saves so much headache.