Cuben fiber versus 40mph winds

[2017SOBO]

Weather conditions were very rough last weekend in the northeast with winds topping 40mph all night long. After years of impeccable service, my cuben fiber tarp was done in by a branch blown down by the wind.

I slept through it all. I woke up when a friend walked by and asked me if I was okay. I opened my eyes and the branch as 4" from my nose.

The tear is pretty complicated and covers an 11" by 8" area. I'm fairly certain I can slap a $10 zpacks patch on it and it'll be good as new, but of course part of me is a little sad to see this happen in the first place.

[MuddyWaters]

Lil tape inside and out and it will be fine

[Wise Old Owl]

Yea this material is designed to handle 60-79mph wind - its original service is the spinnaker on racing yachts. You were lucky, keep looking up before pitching!

[DuneElliot]

More to do with a projectile than the winds.

[jjozgrunt]

I don't think the winds had much to do with it, rather a stick! "Look up and live" bushwalking advice in Australia where widow makers are common.

[Malto]

The great thing about cuben is that it is easy to repair. That had to be about a 1:1000 hit.

[1azarus]

those trees look like Harriman state park... did i get that right?

[2017SOBO]

those trees look like Harriman state park... did i get that right?

Yep! Brian Memorial Shelter to be exact.

[Ashepabst]

i think you caught Bigfoot taking a leak in one of those photos

[cmoulder]

I was at Harriman with some good friends 10/23-25 and it was VERY windy.

Where a relatively small stick like that will fall in a heavy wind is unpredictable and not an indicator that one was in the path of a widowmaker.

The morning of the 24th was a lot calmer after about 5 hours of rain overnight. Photo from Island Pond Mtn
Sunrise at Island Pond Mountain_SMALL.jpg