In case it is still not clear, I am just curious to know.
All of the top brands use poles made by either Easton, DAC or Yunan .
The poles are branded , some tent brands change from one supplier to another or use more than one .
In case it is still not clear, I am just curious to know.
All of the top brands use poles made by either Easton, DAC or Yunan .
The poles are branded , some tent brands change from one supplier to another or use more than one .
Maybe I should have not asked such a difficult or controversial question. I am not sure why but who knows ?
FWIW I had shock cord go slack in an LL Bean Microlight 2 within a couple years of purchase (new). Not sure how many years it was since manufacture, though. Poles by Yunan. The tent fly suffered hydrolysis around age 3.5 yrs, too.
My current frontcountry tent - the LLB Adventure Dome in fiberglass (it's now only offered in aluminum pole version, I think) - the issue I'm seeing there isn't slackness, but fraying. I think the ferrules are abrading it when the poles are folded up for storage. I'm probably going to upgrade to aluminum on that tent. It's only 1 yr old. Quest Outfitters has been super helpful in providing advice and feedback on my measurements and questions.
It is interesting that these FG poles use 3/32" shock cord but the lighter aluminum poles tend to use 1/8" cord.
Sorry for the late reply...
The MSR tent has DAC poles, the Exped has TRX poles.
OK, so it does not look like a faulty batch or poor cord used by one manufacturer but something more common to several brands.
Thats exactly what the salesperson at the shop told me, that most manufacturers and tent models are affected on a seemingly random basis.
Just a follow up - I received my Easton poles from Quest Outfitters today, VERY quickly by the standards of their cautionary timetables. I've already cut them to size (first time using one of those tube cutters that I've seen plumbers use so many times over the years). It went well, though the edge left does benefit from some steel wool smoothing. Still need to thread them with shockcord and put up the tent with it. But so far, very happy with the purchase/upgrade/retailer decision.