My tent went from 'cozy shelter' to 'giant nylon kite' in about ten seconds flat.

I set it up in a field near Boulder, thinking the afternoon breeze was fine. A sudden gust caught the rain fly before I could stake it down properly and launched the whole thing twenty feet into a creek. Anyone know a good tent that can handle a surprise wind test?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rose1d ago

Honestly that sounds like a wild story but is it really that common? Most tents I've used would just flap around a bit in a gust. Unless you're camping in a tornado or something, a properly clipped tent body should hold it down. Maybe the stakes were just really loose or it was a super light model.

danielr9412d ago

Oof, that's rough. Honestly though, no tent is really a kite unless it's not staked down. The real trick is always staking the rain fly first, before you even put the poles in. That way the wind can't get under it.

anna_fox712d ago

Come on, is that really a thing? I've set up plenty of tents in a breeze and never once staked the fly first. Danielr94, you make it sound like a hurricane drill. If your tent body is already clipped in, a little wind under the fly isn't sending it to the next state.