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Warning: The 'universal' tent pole splint in my repair kit didn't fit my old Kelty

It took me about an hour of fiddling and a trip to the hardware store to find the right diameter aluminum tube. Anyone else have a go-to fix for mismatched pole sections?
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3 Comments
emma_lee22
My Kelty from 2008 has a weird pole size too. Honestly, I just wrap a bunch of duct tape around the skinny end of the splint until it's thick enough to fit snug. It's not pretty but it has held for three seasons now. The whole "universal" label is pretty optimistic for gear that old. A hardware store run seems like a lot of work for a temporary fix.
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abbyf79
abbyf796d ago
My 2011 REI Quarter Dome had the same problem. I keep a short section of PVC pipe and a roll of gorilla tape in my kit now. You just cut the pipe to length, wrap it for a snug fit, and it's way more solid than just tape. That universal splint is a joke for anything not made in the last five years.
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grantnelson
Remember when gear was actually built to last? My dad's old canvas tent still pitches perfectly, but the poles are some oddball size nobody makes anymore. Guess the word "universal" just means "fits whatever is on the shelf right now.
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