That week in Yosemite when my $40 tent nearly ruined everything

Last July I drove out to Yosemite for a 5 day solo trip. I had this cheap Coleman tent I grabbed on sale, figured it would hold up fine. First night was okay, second night the zipper started sticking. By night 3 the rain fly tore right where it attaches to the pole. Woke up at 3am with water dripping on my face, had to pack everything wet and hike out early. I get that you don't need top gear for everything, but a decent tent is worth the money. What's the worst gear failure you've dealt with where you had to cut a trip short?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelarivera1mo ago

That zipper issue you had on night two would have been my first clue something was wrong, but I get wanting to push through. I used to be all about buying the absolute cheapest gear and just accepting it would wear out fast, because I figured everything fails eventually anyway. But after my own nightmare trip in the Boundary Waters where my no-name tent pole splintered on day one and I spent four days sleeping under a tarp (held up by paracord and hope), I completely changed my mind. I had a buddy who swore by his expensive Big Agnes tent and I thought he was crazy, but now I see the difference is in the little details like reinforced grommets and better zippers that actually save you from these situations. You're right that you don't need top shelf stuff for everything, but a tent is one of those things where spending a bit more just makes the whole experience less stressful.

lily_torres311mo ago

My buddy had a $400 MSR tent fail on him in the Sierra Nevada because a grommet tore straight through the fabric, so sometimes expensive gear just gives up too. Honestly that cheap tent got you through two dry nights before failing which sounds like it did its job for forty bucks.

the_rowan1mo ago

Does that mean we're all just gambling on gear and hoping for the best? I had a buddy whose expensive stove failed on a five day trip because the fuel valve got stuck open, and he ended up boiling water over a campfire with a tin can. Makes you wonder if the real trick is just carrying backups for the one or two things that would actually ruin your trip if they broke.