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The tent must be about 15 years old. The pole elastic is very very slack, to the point it is a hinderance.
Is it worth shortening it to get some tension back or should I do it properly and replace the elastic ?
Thanks in advance
Replace the elastic . It'll take about 30 seconds longer. If you just shorten it you'll find that it won't stretch enough to fold the poles over (if it's anywhere as stretched as my 15yo Taurus was )
Thanks
+1 for replace the elastic. Good tight elastic is a good way to protect the poles, and I replace mine regularly. Most pole breakages occur because at some point, while putting up or taking down the tent, a joint has partially come apart, and the leverage of the short length left in has created a tiny split in the open end. When the pole is stressed by wind, the split extends and the pole breaks.
Remove the end cap and extend the old elastic, then bind it tightly to the new elastic with thread, and use the old elastic to pull the new through. If you knot it, it can jam when you pull it through the spigots.
Thanks, should I go generic or get the Vaude stuff ??
I would imagine any 3mm bungee cord would be sufficient
Generic is fine, possibly better. Online or sailing shops are the best places to buy.
Thanks all. I had pressed the buy button on the Vaude stuff after the first couple of posts. Thanks for the tips, hope to get it sorted this week. Will do the Hogan at the same time.
Job done !
Learning curve wasn't too bad, ended up just poking the elastic through, it wasn't any bother.
Main learning point was realizing that the length of elastic required was significantly less than the length of measured poles 🤔🤫🤦 😁
Well done. Poking the elastic through would have been a lot harder if you hadn't had the spare length!