How To Fix Broken Fibreglass Tent Poles

You might think that a broken tent pole spells disaster for your tent. Well, it’s not great news admittedly, but you don’t need to cancel that camping holiday just yet, and you don’t even have to shell out for a new tent.

All you need is some replacement tent poles and a little know-how and your tent poles will be as good as new!

Note: This guide is for fibreglass tent poles only

What you need:

A set of replacement fibre glass tent poles – these Vango tent poles are good choice, and are universal, not just for use with Vango tents.
A small hacksaw
Sand paper
Duct tape

Fibreglass pole repair instructions

Your pole is made up of a number of loose ‘sections’ and an elasticated cord (sometimes referred to as a shock cord). The shock cord runs from one end to the other, through each section, and is simply knotted at either end.

Measure the section which is to be replaced (the new section is generally extra-long, so you many need to cure the new pole down to suit). Cut the new section (if needed) to the length of the pole you will be replacing using a small hacksaw. A good tip here is to put duct tape just before where you will be sawing to hold the pole in place and prevent splinters. Then remove the duct tape and sand around the edges until smooth.
Lie your full pole section out on the floor and begin to untie (or cut) the knot at one of the end – remembering to keep a hold of the shock cord.
Holding onto the shock cord, remove the sections one at a time (keeping them in order) until you reach the section that needs to be replaced.
Still holding onto the shock cord, re-thread the cord back through the sections you have temporarily removed it from and tie a large knot at the end, ensuring the cord is fairly taught. You can always modify the shock cord length at any time by fishing out the knot in one of the end poles.

Take a look at all of our replacement tent poles, or see our full range of tent spares and repairs.