My cheap tent zipper gave out in a downpour near Lake Tahoe

I was camping near the lake last fall when a big storm rolled in overnight. The main door zipper on my old tent just jammed and then the teeth split open about halfway up. Water started pouring in right onto my sleeping bag. I ended up having to use a roll of duct tape from my kit to seal the flap shut from the outside. Has anyone else had a tent fail like that, and what did you do to fix it on the spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

reed.skyler12d ago

Tbh that's the universe telling you to upgrade your gear. Duct tape is the camper's version of an emergency room tourniquet, it gets the job done but you know things are bad. Ngl I had a pole snap in some wind once and used a stick and a whole pack of zip ties like some kind of wilderness MacGyver. You just have to get creative when your shelter tries to become a water feature. At least you had the tape, some people would have just been a human sponge.

milam4812d agoTop Commenter

But isn't duct tape just part of the gear? Why spend a ton on new stuff when a five dollar roll has saved my trip more than once?

the_wyatt12d ago

What's the point of cheap gear if it fails? That duct tape fix is a classic move, but you're basically camping in a trash bag at that point. Time to retire that tent for good.