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I put my new Outdoor Revolution VRX500S up for the first time and one of the shock cords in one of the poles broke. So tent unusable.

No reply to my email to the ukcampsite shop people so I have ordered some replacement 3mm elastic cord.

Any tips on fitting it? - particularly how taut to make it?

thanks Davy

We had this problem.  The nice man at the local camp shop fixed ours but he did give me us these tips:

1  Put it through the pole with the two metal ends first

2  Pull it tight and then fold the poles up, this will allow enough give to let the pole be sturdy when up but flexible enough to fold down

& they make it look so easy in the diagrams

Thanks Debbie for the suggestion of starting threading the elastic cord at an end section of the poles and folding the poles afterwards.  Yes you've guessed it, I am a complete newbie and need even the most basic help!

Also to fatbloke28 (are there really 27 other fatblokeson the UKCS forum?).  I struggled to understand your instructions at first, couldn't understand why you would want to feed the twine through all the poles and then pull the elastic - I had intended to put the elastic through one section at a time.  Then I twigged that your method is for when the replacement elastic cord is shorter than the total length of the poles. Very useful if the end knot has come undone/broken; your method allows you to use the old elastic cord.

I've ordered a length of elastic cord that in its relaxed state is a bit longer than the total pole length. It is 3mm diameter so I should be able to thread it one section at a time without needle or twine.

My query was really how tight to make the elastic?  With the VRX500S tent you can only remove the last 2 metres of the poles from the sleeves of the tent by pulling them (?) - so I suppose the elastic has to be tight enough that the sections won't separate inside the sleeves when pulled. But then not so tight that you can't separate the sections to fold them.  So tight enough that one section will not separate: but loose enough that all sections will separate for folding! Now I'm really confused! (ah, sudden ray of light - maybe you have to fold the pole one section at at time as they emerge from the sleeves to increase the elastic tension!??)

As you can probably guess I am a newbie to this camping malarky and am grateful to the advice of all you more experienced campers.  Although I am a bit surprised that the replies I am getting don't indicate that this is a very common thing to have to do - considering that the elastic cord on my Outdoor Revolution tent broke first time I erected it (the pole sections have a ferrule at one end only - the bare fibreglass at the other end is a bit sharp so maybe that's why the cord broke?).

Sorry this has been so long winded, cheers,  Davy

Quote: Originally posted by fatbloke28 on 16/7/2007

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its easy but watch how the poles go together (one end will have a double "ferrule" the other a single make sure the single ferrule is outermost) remove all the existing elastic then get some nylon garden twine with a large sailcloth type needle on the end (straight) then simply drop the needle with attached twine through each section (pushing them together as you go to the next)in the end you will have the pole assembled with a continuous string through.
remove needle tie elastic firmly to string, tie a large knot in elastic on the other end and gently pull elastic through poles.
pull end of elastic very tight when it emerges from last pole(make sure knot on end goes in the ferrule) then get an acquaintance to tie a knot in the stretched bit sticking out (put your thumb on elastic to stop it springing back) once the knots tied let go!if everything looks ok and the elactic is just right pull it out cut it above knot and let go.
if your knots are just right they will fit inside the ferrule but to big to pass through the pole
you want a little stretch in the elstic to allow the poles to be pulled apart but not too much otherwise the sections will be loose .

Post last edited on 16/07/2007 22:33:54

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Matty,

maybe cos the pole sections don't have ferrules at the 'male' end they are a loose fit into each other.  So if I try to erect the tent without the elastic cord pulling the sections tight together it seems quite likely that several of the sections will not be fully engaged.  So it seems to me, that when you get to do the big bend of the poles (its a tunnel tent) it is quite likely that you will damage the end of any of the not fully engaged sections (one section did splinter at the end).  Also the complete pole will be too long and will then be overstrained when bent?

I might be wrong, if anyone knows better?

Davy

Perhaps I can bring this to a conclusion by summarising the contributions.  Responders have described two methods:

1) Obtain replacement elastic cord which in its relaxed state is longer than the poles.  Can then simple thread it through each section.  Then assemble all the sections; put a stopper knot at one end of the elastic and stretch the other end and put a stopper knot there too.

2) Obtain, or re-use, elastic cord that in its relaxed state is shorter than the pole. Thread a length of thin cord through the sections (maybe using a large needle if necessary).  Put a stopper knot in the end of the elastic and then attach the cord to the other end of the elastic and use the cord to pull the elastic through the pole. Tie a stopper knot to keep the tension.

cheers, Davie

Update on UKcampsite support.  Have now been contacted by Ian of the UKcampsite team who saw this thread - seems my previous emails went into their spam folder.

They have asked the manufacturer to provide a replacement pole.

cheers, Davie

Another update.  Outdoor Revolution sent me a whole new pole.

So very impressed with Outdoor Revolution and the UKcampsite team!

cheers, Davie