Got caught in a surprise hail storm in Rocky Mountain National Park with a bargain tent

Back in June I was hiking near Dream Lake when the sky went from blue to dark gray in maybe 20 minutes. I had this $45 tent from Amazon that I bought because the reviews looked decent. No time to make it back to the car so I set up camp right there. Hail started coming down hard, dime sized chunks. The tent poles bent weird and a seam split along the rainfly. Water dumped in through the tear in about 5 minutes. I ended up huddled under a tarp I had in my pack for the next 3 hours until it passed. Lesson was I need to decide if cheap gear is worth the risk in the backcountry. Do you all lean toward spending more on shelter and skimping on something else or is it all worth the upgrade?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_coleman9d ago

Whoa you actually used a tarp under a $45 tent in Rocky Mountain National Park?

grays139d agoTop Commenter

$45 tent in Rocky Mountain National Park"? That's wild, man. I'd be freaking out if a gust of wind hit that thing wrong.