View Full Version : replacement carbon fiber poles
has anyone used fibraplex carbon fiber tent poles as a replacement"to lighten the load". as an example, the pole set for my msr hubba hubba weighs 19.2 ounces, the CF pole set weighs 9.8 ounces(savings of 9.4 oz). I am concerned about the strength also. Has anyone used these with any other similar shaped tent? www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles2B.asp (http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles2B.asp)
Pedaling Fool
02-02-2010, 11:39
Am I reading this link correctly -- $163 for carbon fiber replacement poles for your Hubba Hubba?
Carbon fiber is a great technology and the weight saving is significant, but I don't know about that price. Very interested to hear of anyone that has purchased carbon fiber poles.
has anyone used fibraplex carbon fiber tent poles as a replacement"to lighten the load". as an example, the pole set for my msr hubba hubba weighs 19.2 ounces, the CF pole set weighs 9.8 ounces(savings of 9.4 oz). I am concerned about the strength also. Has anyone used these with any other similar shaped tent? www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles2B.asp (http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles2B.asp)
I have used them to reduce weight on other tent models. One set I have broken, and true to their warrenty, the company you mentioned did replace them. Their biggest weakness is that they are not as flexibly forgiving as aluminum so if your tent design requires bending the poles over the ceiling, you have to be mindful of not breaking them. They shatter all at once. I got in a rush to set up before a pending thunderstorm one time and shattered one of the two poles I needed right when I needed it. Fortunately, I had enough duct tape to make modest repairs to hold it that night, but this would not happen with aluminum. They will replace them, but that does not help if you are on the trail and took several months.
If your poles are straight, there is no down side that I can see other than price http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon11.gif.
Good luck!
FamilyGuy
02-02-2010, 11:54
The price isn't too wacky if you consider that the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 (Hubba Hubba shape with carbon fibre poles) is almost twice as much as the Hubba Hubba.
No experience, but I believe carbon fibre poles are are strong vertically, but not as strong as aluminum laterally - due to the non-flex. Some others will chime in here - Franco?
Blue Jay
02-02-2010, 11:59
Their biggest weakness is that they are not as flexibly forgiving as aluminum so if your tent design requires bending the poles over the ceiling, you have to be mindful of not breaking them. They shatter all at once. I got in a rush to set up before a pending thunderstorm one time and shattered one of the two poles I needed right when I needed it. Fortunately, I had enough duct tape to make modest repairs to hold it that night, but this would not happen with aluminum.
This is exactly correct. I got a set to replace very old fibreglass poles that had broken due to extreme age on my favorite tent. I have not broken them but am well aware that they are fragile. It does slow down my set up time but that is the only down side other than cost.
malowitz
02-02-2010, 14:42
The Hubba series and the Hubba HP series use the same poles. So if you get/have a Hubba Hubba HP you could drop from 4 lb 4 oz (listed weight) to about 3 lb 11 oz. The listed "packaged" weight on the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 is 3 lb 4 oz.
No actual experience - just considered it too at some point in time.
but not as strong as aluminum laterally - due to the non-flex
That is correct for the moment. This was discussed again recently at BPL , the result was that in theory lateral strength can be improved but so far it has not filtered down to tent poles since backpackers have smaller budgets than cyclist or yachtees...
Manufacturers of alpine/expedition grade tents so far have not used them although I know that some have experimented with them.
However I have not seen reported pole failures with the Carbon Reflex.
Because of the more unpredictable nature of CF, cost and (IMHO) the higher likelihood of damaging the fly by a snapped pole, I would not bother.
Franco