I broke my tent pole! Wild camping gone wrong on a mountain in Wales | Camp fail disaster etc lol

[@МаксимЕремин-я6т]

I spilled coffee inside the tent on my last trip, so yours isn't that bad haha

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Oh no! I don't like the smell of coffee, so I agree that a broken pole is better than your problem 😂 I hope you can clean it all up okay!

[@mrnobodieswildcampingadventure]

Good character building stuff, as the test of a man or woman is how they deal with such unforeseen issues! Great video! Thankyou for sharing!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Fortunately this pole breakage had an almost imperceptible impact on my camp, but I've seen some campers out there bending poles in half, tearing their flysheets wide open and even having their sleeping bags blown away into the darkness, never to be seen again! I'm bound to experience things like that in the future, but I'm more than happy to spill some water and forget my shoes in place of those disasters 😂 Thanks for your comment 😊 James.

[@adge_ventures4915]

What an eventful return James 😢 That said, you stuck it out and once that pole is sorted you're back on track 😁 Hope all goes well with the ongoing knee complaint. Adge.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha yep, back with a bang and a catalogue of cock-ups! 😅 I've already had a notification to say that my replacement pole is on its way to me, three days after posting it back to Terra Nova. Can't say fairer than that. Knee is fortunately "just" some angry hamstring tendonitis, which is good news. Just needs some rehab. Thanks for the comment. I plan on a much smoother outing next time!! Glad to have you on insta after all this time. Cheers. James.

[@adge_ventures4915]

Character building n all that jazz 🙄😂 Terra nova coming good on their word ref the poles is excellent. Huge plus of their tents. Same mate. Look forward to seeing your adventures over on Instagram too 😊

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I think the character that I'm building is straight out of some kind of slapstick calamity camper comedy series! 🤣 Not a route I'm keen to pursue!! I know that not everyone wants to - or is able to - spend in excess of £300 for a tent, but I do think the value of lifetime warranties and pole guarantees are overlooked sometimes 🙏🏻

[@stuartmilne1819]

As always, a great video.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Stu! I hope you're well. Not sure where you've been this week but there were some very nice cars on display!

[@sam18a]

Thanks for keeping it real and including the negatives/hiccups enjoyed the vid, hope ya can work out why pole failed, wouldn't like to think "normal" wear and tear as I have recently purchased a panacea 2

[@joinmeoutdoors]

It's all part of the adventure, so it gets included in the vid! ✌️ I have been wondering if the pole popped out of its eyelet FIRST, which then could have whipped the pole sideways at speed, snapping it off at the neck like that. The other possibility is that the pole broke and THEN pinged out of the eyelet, which might be less likely. I'll never know for sure, which is unfortunate. Your Panacea should have the same 2 year pole guarantee, which is nice peace of mind I think 👍

[@steveoutdoors6522]

It’s one of them nothing goes right thanks for your video 👍

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha yep. Still a great trip despite the many fails! 😄 Glad you liked it, thanks Steve 🙏🏻

[@obiewon]

Many thanks for video. You need the odd catalogue of disasters to appreciate the trips where everything goes to plan. By the way, I struggle to get under 20kg on a cold winter trip too.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha I like that. Hopefully the next trip will run smoothly so that I can appreciate it like you say! 😊 And thank you for joining me up here in the 20+ kg club! Finally there is another! 😂 Thank you for your comment 🙌 James.

[@obiewon]

@@joinmeoutdoors You’re welcome James. Keep the great videos coming please.

[@chrisstone801]

Great video as always! Fair play for showing the issues you had too, it must have been frustrating breaking the pole! How was the Mac and cheese meal? Keep the videos coming, cheers.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Chris! Yeah not ideal. Glad to say that I've had the new pole for a couple of weeks now, ready for another outing 👍 Mac and cheese meal was a really satisfying and filling meal. Will definitely be going for that one again in the future! Thanks for the support 😊 James.

[@chrisstone801]

@@joinmeoutdoors great service from Terra Nova replacing it that quickly. Looking forward to seeing your Southern Cross in action again soon! Cheers mate.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yep, nice quick turnaround there! It won't be long before I can consider even lighter shelters if it keeps warming up like this 🤩 Cheers. James.

[@YONDERMOUNTAINADVENTURES]

Oh boy a string of disasters... sounds familiar 🤣!. Seemed as though the structural integrity remained somewhat intact which is good....could have been worse. Great vid as always mate. Love the nightlapse looks really cool and great to see more drone footage too. Hope your knee is OK mate and the scan/physio works a treat. Nowt worse mate. ATB Simon 👍🍻👊

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yeah the cock-ups just kept stacking up! Go out camping enough times and things are bound to go wrong every now and then I suppose, but yeah I'm glad the tent was still stable in the night. New pole is sitting here with me now, ready to roll 👍 "Knee" has been confirmed to be a hamstring tendon issue rather than knee itself, which is good news. I know you know the frustration of injuries keeping you grounded too! 😖 Thanks for giving it a watch ❤️ James.

[@thevalleywalker]

It's a hill I have not walked on for a good number of years, must put that right sometime, hopefully this year. Was interested to know where you started from then towards the end you mentioned where you had parkd up so I think I can work out your route - would be nice (&informative) if sometimes you put your routes up - I like that sort of stuff..lol. Good watch as ever - 21 kgs.. no wonder you have kneee probems.. hope it gets sorted for you with the scans. have a good weekend James.. a good watch as ever. atb Al

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Evening Al! It is a lovely quiet spot really, even though it's not so far from the Storey Arms. I think the bogs probably put people off. I think I sometimes talk about where I park and talk about/show my routes, but not always, you're right. Fortunately the "knee" issue is an angry hamstring issue rather than anything within the actual knee, so that's far less concerning. Still waiting for someone to tell me how the camp in winter with only an 8 kg pack on their backs! Thanks for tuning in and dropping a comment 🙂 James.

[@Johnnygee10]

How's it going James. Good to see you back out 👍.Over 21 kgs you must have packed a few gremlins as well 😂. My full winter kit including 2ltrs of water and food will average between 11kgs and 13 kgs depending on how many beers I take. Fan Llia lovely quiet place to camp in the Beacons, The next peak over (west) is one of my favorite places to camp 👌😉

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Ello Johnny. Haha I swear I've left a block of concrete in the Atmos 65! 🤣 My tent, rucksack, sleep mat, sleeping bag, 2 litres of water plus food is already over 9 kg, before I add any clothes, pegs or electronics. Amazing how it all piles up, and there's almost nothing that I don't use on the camp. I did eye up the next peak over, as it's a little bit higher up. Bet it's nice and quiet out there too ☺ Cheers for watching! James.

[@Johnnygee10]

@@joinmeoutdoors A couple of questions for you ? Did you work out what next peak is called and what does all your camera gear and drone weigh?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yes I saw Fan Nedd over to the west when I looked on OS Maps this afternoon when I replied. Is that the one you meant? I've never weighed my camera gear, but I keep meaning to. The drone itself (including the battery) is only 249 grams, but then I take two spare batteries and the remote as well, plus tripods, GoPros, microphone, battery packs etc. It does all add up.

[@Johnnygee10]

@@joinmeoutdoors Yes Fan Nedd a fav of mine 👌 Try weighing just your winter camping gear then you will know what your backpack would weigh if you wasn't filming your camps 😉

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Part of me doesn't want to know, if I'm honest! If I weight it all tonight, this latest video might be the last one you see from me 😅 I'll have to give Fan Nedd a bash some time 👌

[@davegalloway7531]

QC is a major factor when manufacturing products. If a company does not keep up with their QC, then the product quality drops, and it affect reviews and sales of products. Terra Nova make some great tents, even though most are made in China, like a lot of brands. Terra Nova just need to get the QC issues sorted, and they will be able to keep making great tents.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I'm not 100% sure what caused my pole to fail. Any pole failure could be down to pole design, pole manufacture (QC), tent design, an age-related issue, user error and many other things. I agree that QC is vital for good quality products, but I have no reason to believe that my pole failure was the result of substandard QC in all fairness. I have asked Terra Nova if they're able to identify the reason for the failure and if they think it might be possible to reduce the chances of a failure like this occurring. They are looking into it as they are keen to make improvements where possible 😊

[@TheWalkingKev]

It can be very boggy on the route you took. Luckily on my last camp when i walked back that way it eas all frozen solid. Hopefully they get the pole back quickly, but you've got the Berghaus to use if needed!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yep, full bog situation. Waterproof shoes were no match for those deep squelchers! Maybe I'll follow your lead and wait till it's frozen for my next trip out that way... The new pole is already winging its way to me. I only posted the broken one to Terra Nova earlier this week! The mighty Berghaus does need to make an appearance on the channel, legend that it is 💚

[@gregoryoutdoors]

Hehe thats why I preffer my Durston trekking pole tent. Sold my Terra Nova etc, not worth worrying about breaking poles and they also weigh more(over 2kg) what I like to carry for multi day hikes.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yeah you'd be hard pushed to snap a trekking pole! 🤣 I've looked around at quite a lot of trekking pole tents. They're quite heavily compromised, in ways that mean that they're not ideal for my usual camps (mainly the high roof line, making them more susceptible to wind). There's no denying that the good ones (including Durston X-Mods) make the perfect lightweight companions for long distance treks though 👌The Southern Cross 1 only weighs around 1.7 kg, which is why it's been my go-to shelter for so long now!

[@craig3401]

Well not all camps go smoothly these things can happen but those hub connection are a weak point and have stopped me but any tent with them.when I've seen them fail it's always the hub.the quasar lookes solid but I much prefer all in 1 pitching.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I have a cheaper (Naturehike) tent that uses the hub too. The Terra Nova (Yunan) poles and hub are better quality than the Naturehike items, but my Southern Cross has had far more use than the Naturehike. I think a simple straight pole arguably has an easier life than a hub design, though I am wondering if mine failed because it pinged out of the eyelet and then that pinged it upwards so fast that it fractured the opposite end at the hub. Wish I'd been filming continuous film rather than a time lapse! I much prefer all-in-one pitching tents too, personally, but did really like the look of the Quasar. Thanks for watching ✌ James.

[@frankjrabergale2545]

Really enjoyed that video , your a very honest guy , your tent was on my short list but not anymore . What’s your thoughts on the hilleberg unna ?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My personal view on the Unna is that without a vestibule, a tent is no good for me. I like to cook and store my kit in a vestibule, and wouldn't feel comfortable cooking inside the tent next all my gear. Also with two poles rather than three, it won't be as strong as the Soulo, so for me I'd still choose the Soulo over the Unna. These things are a personal choice though! Thanks, James.

[@frankjrabergale2545]

@@joinmeoutdoorsthank you , just you saying “these things are a personal choice “ has given me the confidence to know I’ll make the right choice , thank you so much for taking your time to reply ⛺️

[@joinmeoutdoors]

You'll find some highly charged opinions about tent all over the internet! We all want different things, so it's a good job there are all kinds of tents available to us 😁 The Southern Cross 1 is still way better (in my opinion) than any other sub-2 kilo tent out there that I know of, and it's been the perfect tool for me. I'm keen to understand why the pole broke, and someone has suggested in the comments here that I could insert the poles in a different order. I'll do some experimenting and see what I learn. I hope you find your perfect tent! 😁

[@unclepeteswildadventures]

My TN Southern cross 1 pole end failed too. Exactly the same one. It may have been previous abuse as it was 2nd hand. Here’s the annoying thing though. Terra Nova replaced the pole but their quality control must be poor, as they left get fractured end in the hub🙃. I should have test pitched it before using it but I assumed they’d done the job right. However on my Great Coum camp I did what you did but (another good reason to use trekking poles) I stabbed the pole into the ground and lashed the pole to the broken tent pole thus making it strong. As to my last winter camp I had 10kg My Atom pack weighs less than 500 gm I used Lone peak Altra 7 trail runners with Sealskinz waterproof socks. The trail runners are 300 go saving a kilo over my heavy boots For rain gear I used Snugpak poncho, and no rain pants. The poncho weighs the same as a light cycling rain top. Only carried 500 mm water. But had BeFree filter bottle. Stove was Trangia Micro gel fuel stove weighs about get same as Soto Windmaster but fell fuel lights well in cold and doesn’t blow out. 150 mm bottle gel fuel. 900 fill Alpkit sky high down bag Hunka xl bivvy bag Tarpstar1 tent with single man ground sheet under sleep compartment Silver foil lightweight survival blanket for floor of vestibule Light Rab down jacket Berghaus fleece 2x base layers Mamut lightly fleeced pants Down pants Two inflatable pillows Various snacks plus mugshot 3 sachets Nescafé coffee First aid kit small GoPro plus gorilla small tripod 4 spare GoPro batteries 2x SILVA Trekking poles carbon fibre Compass InreachMini Garmin satellite communicator Alpkit reflective foam mat Thermarest extherm sleep mat Thin foam full length mat Spare pair socks Gloves Tent light Head torches x2 Power bank Vertex carbon tent pole Alpkit Enough pegs to double peg 8 peg out points inc six msr groundhog and 4 eastern aluminium nails Small pouch with misc light items like tent repair patches earplugs toobrush etc Several dry bags Two exped schnozzle pump/compression sacs Storm matches Soto butane lighter 2x hand warmers That’s it. 10kg

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Pete. Thanks for chipping in here. Did your pole ping out during pitching like mine did then? How many times have you pitched it since the pole was repaired? Thank you for listing all your kit out. Your rucksack and tent alone weigh over 3 kg less than mine! I chucked two beers in as well, so I think my pack was just over 22 kg when all was said and done. 10 kg would have been a handy saving when I was being weighed down by my pack in those boggy bits! Maybe I'll have to invest the time into filming my total winter load out and identify where all this pesky weight comes from! Thanks for watching my video 😊 James.

[@unclepeteswildadventures]

That should have read Gell fuel. I haven’t had my sc1 out since the pole. The winter was so wet and windy there were very few fine days. When it was fine I took the Tarpstar 1. As it was so mild. I love that tent. Light and reasonably good in the wind. Re sc1 I think also make sure the pole on the sc1 is fully in the hub socket. Hope this helps. P

[@joinmeoutdoors]

@@unclepeteswildadventures Yeah you've clearly been getting on really well with the Tarpstar, and it weighs hardly anything! You can see from where my pole broke off that it was fully inserted into the hub, but watching the video back, it was possibly a bit foolish of me to partially withdraw the other pole when I was demonstrating how it all goes together. That could have been enough to break the other one! Have a good weekend Uncle P.

[@davegalloway7531]

Have to agree with the QC issue at Terra Nova.

[@davidhale1568]

Ha ha you are just out of practice! I’ve always been a bit concerned about the stability of my windburner so bought the Msr lowdown it’s a remote canister adapter for it or any other stove. Re knee I struggled with it six years ago tried different exercises over several months. Eventually elected to have a cortisone stab in the knee😢 it worked a treat instant cure was amazed! I think the length of the ferrel that goes into the casting should be a bit longer and the hole in the casting a bit deeper to spread the load over a bigger area.

[@davidhale1568]

Just spotted that it’s not your actual knee that’s the problem but possibly repetitive strain injury might be causing inflammation needs investigating be warned tho physios are weird people 😳

[@joinmeoutdoors]

You're not wrong there. It's really obvious when I've had more than a couple of weeks away from camping - the instinctive skills and habits fall away a little. Do you find that too? Heat exchanger stoves like the Windburner do end up very tall. The Lowdown is a handy looking little thing...perhaps I'll try one one day 🙂 I was going to say I don't see a NEED for it, so it would be wasted weight and bulk, but it would be lighter than carrying an extra 500 ml of water on every camp so that I can knock it over! 😂

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Yes, thankfully it's just another tendon issue for me to get on top of. Been plagued by them for most of my life! I really enjoy working with good physios as it happens! Maybe you found yours in the wrong corner of the internet 😂😯

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Oh, and your comment about the pole spigot - you could be right there. It is a shorter insertion length than the standard end-to-end pole connections, but it's quite a thick walled little spigot compared to the normal pole ends. I'll have a closer look again when I've got the pole back.

[@davidhale1568]

@@joinmeoutdoors yep being short it's also more likely to pop out. I used to work with physios believe me deffo an interesting bunch 😄

[@jamescarter2254]

I think the reason the pole snapped is because you attached the red pole to the flysheet first and then when you pushed the blue pole up it pushed up against the red pole and put it under a lot of stress, best to put the blue pole in first and then put the red pole over the top.👍

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi James. I was thinking about that earlier too, as I proof-watched the vid prior to going live. I re-watched the Terra Nova pitching instructions video to confirm that I wasn't going against the grain, and sure enough, the way I pitch it is as per their instructions. On top of that, I think it would be a bit of a pain trying to get the red pole seated after putting the blue pole up. Do you have a SC1? And do you pitch it the way you're suggesting? I'd be interested to hear.

[@jamescarter2254]

@@joinmeoutdoors Yes I’ve got an SC1 and I noticed after pitching it the first couple of times that when I pushed the blue pole in after inserting the red pole that it would sometimes push the red pole out of the hub, exposing the shock cord, I realised that this was probably putting undue pressure on the pole so I have always pitched it blue pole first ever since, try it yourself it’s not really any more difficult. Time will tell if this prevents my pole snapping! 🤞 Hope this helps.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I've had that once or twice too. I also remember the very first time I pitched this tent (on a camp) that I tried putting the blue pole in first and thought it was an awkward tent to pitch...until I realised that I should have started with the red pole. Since that first time, I've never tried starting with the blue pole because it seemed like a non-starter, but perhaps you're onto something here 🤔 I'll certainly give that a try - perhaps in my follow-up video once I've got the replacement pole. Thank you for taking the time to suggest this.

[@DemiGod..]

You do realise that you are wearing an animal on your head, right? No way would I get a quasar that pitches inner first in rainy UK. IF I was gonna gonna for a 2 person storm tent, would go for another Hilleberg Tarra, great tent.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha yes I am! 😁🤪

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Luke and I tend to choose good weather to camp in, so it probably won't see too much rain in reality. I also find that, on wet camps, I drip so much water inside the tent when I initially get inside that the whole thing needs wiping down before I set up my sleep system anyway, so an inner pitch first tent would require the same treatment! I'm sure the Hilleberg Tarra is excellent, but it also has to be mentioned that it's twice the price of the Quasar 😯