My tent pole snapped at 2 AM during a thunderstorm in Gatlinburg

I was camping in the Smokies last month when a storm rolled in around 1:30 AM. My three-year-old tent was fine through the first hour, then a gust hit and one of the aluminum poles just cracked in half. The whole side of the tent collapsed onto my face while water poured in through the gap. I spent the next two hours crouched in the corner holding the pole with one hand and trying to keep my sleeping bag dry with the other. When dawn finally came, I taped it up with duct tape and a stick I found nearby, but it lasted maybe ten minutes before folding again. I ended up packing everything wet and driving to a motel at 5 AM, paying $89 just to sleep until checkout. Has anyone else had a pole snap on a so-called 'sturdy' tent, and do you carry a repair kit on every trip now?

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