In light of Gary's excellent vid regarding Ring and Pins, I almost put this as a reply in that thread... but thought it too unrelated, so I'll start afresh......
Well that's very interesting, Gary... particularly in light of my latest plight.... Many thanks for that. Great vid, and certainly a technique worthy of a try!
I presume, looking at that vid, that you can't do the same in reverse, and that you must lift the complete leg to pull out the pin?
My plight? Oh, just the little matter of striking camp earlier today (Kampa Frinton 4.... Pollycotton!) in what must have been 40+ mph gusts (guessing..... may even be underestimating it!!!!)
Scared of what might happen, as once the tent was empty, the GS was being lifted and bellowing considerably. I removed all the pegs at the R&Ps first, and those central pegging points along fromt and rear ends, leaving all guys still pegged, and the four tent/GS corners. Then, on the more sheltered end, I slackened off the guys (but left attached/pegged) then the R&P straps, and removed the two legs & roof pole. All went fine, and the tent dropped at that end (I'd closed doors etc, for now, as was far too windy!)
Went to repeat on the middle pole.... dropped the one leg, went around to drop the second leg, the wind attacked with venom, at the very moment I lifted the leg to remove the R&P.... BANG! The pressure at the point where the pole enters the sleeve (where wall meets roof) was too great, and it has pulled a good 3 to 4 inches of stitching out, where the sleeve is connected to tent!! Not only does that mean that the sleeve has come away, but it has also separated the two tent panels, so a whacking great hole in effect. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any actual damage to the material, as in, it's not actually ripped anything, but some serious stitching repairs needed!!
Obviously, had to continue, so it's now bagged up, and ready to be sent to repairers later in the week.
I'll be laying it out sometime soon, to take "before" pics (Was too windy to risk on site, and besides.... I wasn't in the mood!!).
So I'll put a pic on here, and hopefully, at a later date, put another pic up, showing a successful "after" shot!!
I've got an idea of where to take it for repairs, (http://www.canvasrepaircentre.com/ ) as it's only 20 mins away, so I can deliver/collect myself, but may not have chance until Tuesdayish, (I'll call them tomorrow) so in the meantime, if anyone has any thoughts/comments/recommendations, I'm all ears.
I seriously don't think it's worth anyone suggesting I tackle it myself... the amount of damage, the seriousness of it, and the position of it, has already convinced me this needs doing professionally! Obviously, as well as it needing to be a solid repair (physically), and needing to look as new, there is the small matter of not peppering it with a million needle holes, for weatherproof purposes!!
After spending many years "on the tools" in the industrial roofing business, handling steel sheets and panels, often 1m wide by an average of 6m to 7m long, and up to 30m high, I like to think I am fairly savvy, when it comes to battling against the wind, but I can't help thinking this is down to some dumb-ass mistake, on my part.... although I'm trying to tell myself it wouldn't have happened without that excessive gust, at that particular time, and that due to the weather, it could have happened to even the most experienced of camper!
I'll let you lot enlighten me on that score!
It can happen to the best of us... All I can say is in these conditions only in peg the least amount of pegs you need to and take one section of pole out at a time...
We lost two tents on our tent display about 10 days ago with gusts up to 50 mile an hour.
Gary
Hi Mucker
Gutted for you mate hope the repairs go ok
------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Everything has been said before, but since nobody ever listens we have to keep going back and saying it all over again and again and again
Mucker, what absolutely lousy luck, I feel for you.
We took our Frinton down recently in 35-40mph gusts, and were really worried about potential damage getting it down. We had better luck than you on that occasion, and the only damage was loosing some fabric loops from the footprint.
Has anybody ever tried using a tarp to try to protect a tent from wind? Both while the tent is up, as well as when taking it down. Could it work?
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Ah bless, feel for you bud! It happened to us at Easter, the wind took the porch, broke a pole and pushed it through the sleeve fabric while we were unpitching. Only polyester for us, and only the sleeve, not actual tent fabric, so im hoping when i get it back out that a few stitches and some tenacious tape or a patch might just do it. We've replaced the 2 broken pole sections. Its soul-destroying though, especially when youve managed to pitch in strong winds, and made it stay up the whole time! Like has been said (and as you know now you can think about it rationally!) , its only stitching, which is easy to repair, and it can and does happen to other people. It isnt cos you're rubbish, its cos it was flippin windy!!
Thanks for the kind words folks.
The important thing is that I'm hopeful, as others have said, is that it is repairable, and hey... nobody died!!
In the grand scheme of life, this matters not a jot!
Obviously, I'm a little peeved, but there are worse things happen at sea.... and at least my wonderful wife appreciates the difficulty we had striking, so at least I'm not in any sort of dog house.... unlike the time my hand slipped.... and the scissors went straight through the SIG of my Icarus!!!
I'll hopefully get the ball rolling either tomorrow, or Tuesday, and I'll keep you informed how the repair (hopefully!) goes.
Bad luck mon ami. Could have happened to anyone, wind conditions today. Of all the weather conditions we get, I hate wind the worse. I've told the wife, but she just keeps doing it.
Hope you're all sewn back up soon.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Prague May/Jun 2017
Lake Annecy Aug 2017
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PS:
DandB,
I'd have thought a tarp set up would be more fragile than the tent you were trying to protect?
If I could have put my MPV between wind and tent, that would have been a help, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible, on this occasion.
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Topic: Bugger..... what an absolute %$**?*%$@#
