Replacement Tent Poles

Everyone knows how important a tent pole is for the tent. If the tent pole is not proper, the whole camping experience can be perfectly ruined. That is the reason people who go on camps and hikes are very much concerned about their tent poles.

With most tents that are available today being foldable, the tent poles are carried separately. This has made it possible to have replacement tent poles so that if the tent poles that originally came with the tent become useless, then the replacement tent poles can be used.

There are replacement tent poles available of varying sizes because tents are of varying sizes too. The best replacement tent poles are those that have an adjustable, sometimes telescoping, length. Most manufacturers make tent poles that can be adjusted from 4 feet to 8 feet. The mechanism to adjust this length is a sliding mechanism, not very different from what is found in umbrellas.

Once the length of the tent pole is adjusted to the required value, then there is a lock that can snap the adjustment shut. Because of that, the tent pole remains at the length that it has been adjusted at. The lock is available of various qualities too. The best locks are the friction locks that can hold the tent pole very secure at the desired length. Dimensions of replacement tent poles vary.

Replacement Tent Poles - Construction

The weights of replacement tent poles are generally quite less in comparison to tent poles that were available in earlier times. Now, because of the use of hard metals and their alloys, these tent poles can be extremely sturdy even if they are light in weight. Various metals and their alloys are used.

Galvanized steel is considered to be an excellent choice. The steel ensures the required strength and the reduced weight, while the galvanization ensures that the rod does not get corroded. However, other metals are also very commonly found in replacement tent poles, and replacement aluminum tent poles are arguably the most popular. Fiberglass tent poles have also been replaced in recent years, as discussed below.

A typical replacement tent pole can weigh about 2 pounds. They can have different thicknesses too. You can commonly find replacement tent poles within thicknesses of 0.75 inch to 1.5 inch.

Usually, replacement tent poles are not available singly but as complete tent units. These units contain most of the parts that can be used in tents on a replacement basis. Such a kit can cost as little as $10, and can be easily ordered online; we specifically discuss options from Stansport and Texsport.

Some of the parts that would be present in such a kit would include the tent pole itself, the ferrules, the shock cord, the leader wire, pole caps and an instruction manual detailing how to go about assembling all these things into the tent. Eureka produces a line of replacement tent poles, many for their own tents. 

A recent development with replacement tent poles is the fiberglass variety. Fiberglass is a synthetic material that does not corrode at all. It is also very lightweight, making it a perfect tent pole material. This kind of tent pole is commonly found in tents that are used in the summer. Using a fiberglass tent pole is a very good idea if the tent material itself is lightweight, because these poles are known to bend under pressure and not get shattered.