Lightweight Tarp Poles for Backpacking Shelters

These poles have been useful during emergency cover from the rain. They are durable and extremely sturdy. They are easy to use and break down to a manageable size to put away in a bin

Item is for an awning on a 1973 camper. Looks well-made and works good for holding up an awning. Poles have a shock cord holding the sections together. Watch out when you rase the adjustable top section, it can snap back and pinch you fingers. Only bad thing I can say is Amazon driver left box on porch while i was gone to store. Looked like rain when I left, got 2 inches of rain while I was away, and box was soaked when I got home. I have a carport, you would think they would have put it under there as to not get wet. It was a 2-part shipment, luckily it was items that water was ok. But the driver had no way of knowing that. I guess common since is not common anymore.

I have a total of six tarp poles in my car camping kit. I ordered these specific ones twice now, so it's probably time for me to create a review. These days, I'm an avid car and airplane camper. I'll travel practically anywhere, through any mode of transportation, for the opportunity to get a little bit of camping in. I like to camp in the lap of luxury while still "roughing it" as I'm one of those staunch tent campers. I'll go out against practically any weather condition. Rain is certainly on of the more formidable issues when this is your thing. Of course, I'm well versed in tarps and general camp protections. I bought a pair of these ages ago. They were used well, worked fine and generally did exactly what I needed them to do. I survived many an inconvenient weather systems with them. I didn't really appreciate what I had, though. I planned a camping trip where I expected 7 inches of rain during my brief stay. My plan involved a place that I wasn't familiar with, I didn't know what - if any - trees I would have at my disposal to tie off to. It urgently came to my attention that the two poles in my kit wasn't going to satisfy my preparation requirements. So, I moseyed on down to my trusty REI where I walked away with ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS worth of TWO tarp poles. I immediately placed an order for a second pair of these. If four tarp poles was barely good enough, six pairs at half that price was essential for my kit. So, let's compare them. I'll admit, my REI poles that I paid ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for are certainly more robust than these. Those REI poles are larger in diameter and in most ways, might be considered more capable. But they're not made from titanium or silver bullion! They are essentially quite similar in make and operation, it's really only a matter of size and maybe some degrees of stability. I'm not unfamiliar with rigging and setting poles. I can do fully freestanding, lean-to's, A-frames or various other combinations of tarp rigging. In most cases, I prefer to integrate anything I can use in my environment over setting another pole. Your rigging is what matters, it's what creates structure and rigity. I'd pull out any of the tarp poles in my kit, including these, and be totally fine through practically any condition I'd camp through. I'll admit, I'm not trying to survive through hurricanes. But, I do camp a fair bit in Alaska. It's hard for me to imagine Florida as a more formidable place. I've now broken these poles out through my fair share of crummy situations and have always managed to have a good time. They aren't invincible, but if anything, that's my reason for having six poles. There are lots of Chinese make tarp poles out there, they're all pretty similar. These are the ones in my kit and I bought them twice. They aren't the most amazing tarp poles, but I haven't managed to break them despite pitting them against the elements. I think if you're confident in your rigging these are good. And if you're still learning tarp rigging techniques, there's a lot less riding on these poles compared to some.

Good quality product for the price. My major complaint is that the base of the pole is flat metal. It's not going to be stable. It should have been a spike design with a rubber cap for use on hard surfaces.

You get what you pay for. These we’re pricey for tent polls but they are the best I’ve ever seen. They’re very easy to use and impressively strong too. Used them to hold up canopy at the beech in high winds. They were solid as a rock. The extending poll tip is a great unexpected feature too. I could use a couple more and will buy them to add to my set. The carrying cases are a nice touch too.

Poles are very sturdy and have a good quality feeling to them. They fit nicely in the included bag and is approximately the size of a small camping chair. Poles extend quite long and they all snap together nicely with a good fit. I bought one pair for myself and one for a friend and can recommend these as they are a great price versus some of the other items I researched that are a little less or almost equal in price but for only one pole.