Fiberglass pole repair?

[PastorBen]

We have o Greatland tent that we got on clearance ($25) about 15 years ago. It's been used roughly 30 times in the last 15 years and has held up really well...that is until our last camp out last summer when one of the sections of the pole broke.

The replacement sections I've found in stores are too thin for this. Is there somewhere to find a piece to fix this? Or do I need to just invest in a new tent?

(by chance, there is an exact model of the tent we have on e-bay) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greatland-5-...item1e962cb8e7

It's been an ideal tent for us, with no leaks and great ventilation, but then again, it is 15 years old...

[a65hoosier]

Re: Fiberglass pole repair?

PastorBen - Welcome to the Forum! Sorry I did not see this until today. Sometimes new posts from new members are delayed.

Regarding your question....

It may be time to replace your 15 year old tent. That is a very good run for a tent. You certainly got your money's worth!!! The problem with repairing/replacing the pole is that you may find that something else will wear out and break as soon as you get the pole replaced (a different pole, zipper, fabric and/or waterproofing deterioration, etc). Or it may keep going troublefree for several more years. Depends on how much you use it and how much $$$ you want to invest in it. But even the best, most well maintained tents have a certain lifespan. If it was me....I would probably replace the tent. lol...it would give me an excuse to buy a new tent!!!

That said...if you still want to get the pole section replaced, you can contact the folks below. I've never used them, but have read they do decent work and they should be able to replace just the broken pole section. You will have to rethread your shockcord through the pole sections during the repair/ replace of the broken pole section (I would buy new shockcord while you're at it...shockcord is cheap). How to replace the shockcord can be found via various video on YouTube.

Tent pole/segment replacement company: http://tentpoletechnologies.com/

How to video on replacing a tent pole section and replacing shockcord (this is an aluminum pole section being replaced, but it's the same process for fiberglass): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzBK1Up1blc

Let us know what you decided to do.

[PastorBen]

Re: Fiberglass pole repair?

Thanks for the response. I decided to get (from e-bay) an exact match of what I already had. I got it for $50 including shipping, so now I will be able to use the new one and have all of my old poles to use as replacements if needed.