My tent zipper gave out on the Lost Coast Trail last month and I'm done with 'ultralight' gear

It was the second night, right after a big rain, and the main door zipper just shredded. I had to use a bunch of mini carabiners and cord to keep it shut. Everyone says to cut weight, but my 2.5 pound tent failed while my buddy's older, 4 pound model was fine. I think some gear is just too thin now. Has anyone else had a major piece of gear fail early into a trip? What did you do to fix it on the spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.noah24d ago

Ugh, my brand new sleeping pad popped on its first night out.

jakef6624d ago

Consider how many companies now push their "proprietary" lightweight materials as a feature you pay extra for. You're basically funding their research and getting the flawed first version that fails in the field. My old rain jacket from a decade ago still works fine without any fancy names on the tag.