A broken tent in the middle of nowhere can turn the best adventure into a nightmare. Over the years of touring with my bike and camping in my tent, things didn’t always go smoothly. I had to deal with a ripped tent fabric and a broken pole, and I will share my tips for temporary and permanent fixes for these issues.
How to fix a broken tent pole?
It was a beautiful serene evening at Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. I was pitching my tent, already looking forward to laying down after a long day of cycling through the mountains. Suddenly, I heard a cracking sound. A pole in my tent has broken.
I was close to panicking. There were no clouds in the sky, so even if I couldn’t find a way to repair my tent, I would survive the night. But the next four weeks of my bicycle tour around Kyrgyzstan were in jeopardy. At least, that’s what I thought at first.
Luckily, fixing a broken tent pole is easier than it seems.
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Temporary fix for a broken tent pole
Things you need:
- duct tape
- tent peg (or a pole repair splint)
My number 1 emergency item I pack for every bicycle tour is duct tape. It can solve (temporarily) almost every problem. If you don’t have one in your bags, don’t worry. You will find it in every hardware store, everywhere around the world.
How to fix a broken tent pole with duct tape and tent peg?
- Line up the broken parts of the pole.
- Place the tent peg along the broken pole. The crack should be somewhere in the middle of the peg.
- Wrap the duct tape around the pole and the peg. They should stick closely together.
- Voila! You can now set up your camp!
An alternative for the tent peg can be a pole repair splint. Sometimes it is included in your tent kit. Otherwise, you can buy it, for example, here. You simply slide the splint over the pole. The break should be somewhere in the middle of the sleeve. Wrap the duct tape around the splint and the pole.
Using the tent peg is an easier and faster option if your tent frame is only one piece and the fracture happened in the ridge part that’s less accessible. In this case, to put the splint on, you would have to remove the sunflower hub (that part that connects three arms of the frame). It is a bit time-consuming. The repair splint is, however, a sleeker and more durable solution.
This way, you will sleep without problems in your tent until you repair it permanently when you get back!
Permanent fix for a broken tent pole
Things you need:
- a tent pole replacement
To fix a broken tent pole for good, you will need to replace the broken link. You might be lucky and find a replacement while still travelling. When I was in Kyrgyzstan, I managed to find one in an outdoor shop in Bishkek with the invaluable help of Roberto, a cyclist from Spain.
How to find the right replacement pole for your tent?
There are many tent models on the market and no standardised measurements of tent poles. I remember being very confused when I had to figure out what replacement I needed.
The diameter of the poles in different tents varies, so it’s crucial to get the correct one. How to do it if you don’t have a measuring tape? Google “virtual measuring tape” and measure the diameter using your phone. Don’t worry about the length too much – the replacement links are usually a bit longer and you can simply cut them to the correct length (I did it using the tiny saw in my Swiss army knife).
You can also just get in touch with the manufacturer of your tent and order the spares via them or ask them about the specs.
After you find a replacement for the broken section, you will need to replace it.
- Before dismantling the pole, use stickers or a marker to number the sections of the pole. This way, you will know in which order to put them back together.
- Most poles have a top cup that you can remove by simply pulling it out (if it’s stuck and doesn’t want to move, use pliers, but be gentle not to damage the cup or the pole).
- Untie the knot on the end of the shock cord and remove the sections from the pole until you reach the broken one. Replace it with a new one.
- Put the other sections back in (you numbered them before, so it’s now easy to remember which one was located where).
- Pull out the shock cord, and make a top attaching it to the top cup. Put the top cup back in the last pole.
Your tent frame is now fixed!
If you need more visual instructions, this YouTube video explains the process quite well:
How to fix a ripped tent fabric?
I just arrived in the beautiful village of Theth in the Albanian Alps and set up my tent by a guesthouse. Chatting with some friendly German tourists, I suddenly noticed my tent flying onto a wire fence. I quickly ran after it, but it was too late: the floor and the rain cover were punctured and torn by the pointed wires. I have had the tent for just three years, it was pretty pricey, and the vision of having to buy a new one was upsetting. On the verge of tears, I got my duct tape and started the damage control.
Temporary fix for the ripped tent fabric
Things you need:
- Duct tape (or another heavy-duty tape)
- Scissors (or knife)
- A soft cloth
- A flat hard surface
The duct tape can temporarily fix everything, and if you apply it carefully, even the ripped tent will survive till the end of your trip. My tent was pretty damaged in Albania. The rip in the floor was at least 20 cm long, and the rain cover had a lot of smaller tears, but the duct tape was enough to fix it temporarily.
How to temporarily fix a torn tent with duct tape:
- Before using the tape, clean the area around the rip with a wet cloth to remove all dust and dirt.
- Wait until the fabric dries, and then stick the tape. It is best to do it on a hard flat surface (like a cutting board or a table) to ensure the tape sticks properly to the tent and that the fabric isn’t folded.
- If the tear is large, you might want to put one piece of the tape across it first and then another along it.
- Apply the tape on both sides of the fabric: on the inside and outside. Press firmly to make sure it sticks.
After this fix, your tent might not be 100 % waterproof, but it should survive mild rain.
Permanent repair for the ripped tent fabric
Things you need:
- Tenacious tape (I used this one from Decathlon, you can also use this one or this one)
- Scissors
- A soft cloth
- A hard flat surface
How to repair a torn tent with tenacious tape?
- Before using the tape, clean the area around the rip with a wet cloth to remove all dust and dirt. If there are any loose fibres, trim them carefully.
- Wipe the area around the torn with a wet cloth to remove all dust and dirt. Wait until it dries.
- Put the tent on a flat hard surface to ensure the fabric isn’t folded.
- If the tear is large, you might want to put one piece of the tape across it first and then another along it.
- Cut the tape. The piece is 2-3 cm longer than the rip. Trim the corners and round them up to prevent the patch from coming off.
- Apply the tape on the inside and the outside of the fabric. Press it to ensure it sticks.
- Some people recommend applying a seam sealer along the edges of the tape. I skipped this step, and my tent, with a bunch of patches on the rain cover and the floor, still keeps me dry even on a stormy night.
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