Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

[CamperG]

Howdy Campers!
I have an awesome Stansport tent from 1998 vintage (wedding gift). I spoke to Stansport 2 years ago and they did not have any luck. I figure my only hope is finding a camper with the same tent.

It is a square two person, which is deep green with deep orange accents, and one door. I need to know the length of the crisscrossing poles, so I can get this tent up and running again. Does anyone out there know the dimension of these polls?

I have included pictures of the tent hoping it may jog someones memory.

Thank you very much,
Greg

[terasec]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

can estimate best you can
then get poles longer than you need,
can then cut the poles to size

[a65hoosier]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

Hi Greg and Welcome to the Forum!

Can you determine the name of the tent? Perhaps on the tent itself, or on a tag inside or a serial number (like on a gear pocket)? Absent a name or serial number, a suggestion may be to do an internet image search for Stansport Tents to see if you can "see" it online and come up with a tent name. A name would make replacing the poles oh so much easier.

You should be able to get the dimensions of the tent by measuring each side and then....with it staked down, go inside it and take a measurement of the peak interior height (this will be a rough estimate as it is hard to duplicate and measure a dome interior height just by raising it up). This will at least provide some information on sizing.

If you can get a name on the tent, and/or provide measurements, I would contact Tent Pole Technologies (http://tentpoletechnologies.com/). They make and sell all sizes and types (aluminum and fiberglass) of tent poles for every sort of tent going back quite a ways. They have the pole diameters and segment lengths for a multitude of different tents. Even without a tent name, they may be a good resource in helping you get the proper size poles based on the tent size measurements you provide. They may also have some suggestions/recommendations on what they would need to produce the length/diameter poles you need for that size of tent.

Absent any name...terasec's suggestion to order/purchase long and cut to size might be your best bet. Just make sure that your pole segment lengths are fairly even to spread the stress more evenly. ie...don't cut one segment down to nothing like a fourth of it's original length...better to have the 2 end segments of a pole be cut down 4" each rather than one segment cut down 8".

Good luck. I will do some poking around and see what I can discover.

[MacGyver]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

If you know someone with a similar sized tent who will lend you their poles, try erecting it to get a better idea of what size you need. If their poles are too long or too short, you should be able to measure the difference to figure out what length poles you need for your tent.

[a65hoosier]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

Greg:

I forgot to mention: With a tent that is 18 years old make sure the waterproof coatings are still good (they should not be sticky or tacky-which indicates breakdown of the DWR finish) and that any seams which are taped are also in good condition. I would hate for you to spend money on poles only to find out the tent is no longer waterproof and/or requires major waterproofing/seam sealing work. Might not be worth it on an older tent. Of course, if it holds sentimental value, than that could change the monetary decision....

[CamperG]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. Due to sentimental value, I will use the estimating ideas and try to resurrect this little tent if I can keep it under $80.

[James.]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

And I was going to say that after almost 20 years it might be time to buy a new tent.

[MacGyver]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

My Eureka 3-person dome is somewhere around 25 years old. The waterproofing is shot, probably won't ever use it again since I got a 4-person dome and yet I still can't bring myself to get rid of it. I guess some memories are hard to throw away?

[tplife]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

My Eureka 3-person dome is somewhere around 25 years old. The waterproofing is shot, probably won't ever use it again since I got a 4-person dome and yet I still can't bring myself to get rid of it. I guess some memories are hard to throw away?

Bring it out (up) here into the local mountains. A brisk wind and rainstorm in SoCal, and you'll be ready to say "Adios" as you leave the SaniTainer by the showers, LOL.

[Bojib]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

I'm thinking that you could do a little trigonometry once you know some basic measurements, then determine the approximate length from that information.

Unroll it and stake it out tight on the ground. Measure from one corner to the other corner. That will give you the base length. Then try to determine what the center height will be, and that will give you the height (altitude) you need.

It's been a long time since I've taken trig, so a very crude measurement would be to do it like this:
Once you have the base length (corner to corner), divide that by two and it will be length (b). The height will be length (a). Doing it this way we are treating it as a right triangle, trying to solve for the hypotenuse. That fun old equation (a)squared + (b)squared = (c)squared

So, if you measure and it's 10 feet from corner to corner, divide that number by two to get (b), so 5 feet (doing this to divide it into two separate right triangles). Then say the height in the center is 4 feet, just use that number. That would give you (5)squared + (4)squared = (c)squared, or 25 + 16 = 41(squared). Now take the square root of 41 to lose the (squared) part, and you wind up with approximately 6.4 feet. That would be 6.4 feet from one corner to the center top of the tent, so you add another 6.4 feet to go down to the other corner. Giving a total of 12.8 feet. Since a tent isn't exactly a triangle, this is a crude estimate, you would want to add a foot or two to get the curvature in there since it's a dome.

Hopefully this gives you somewhere to start. Maybe someone knows a better way to do this and can chime it with a simpler method.

[MacGyver]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

I'm thinking that you could do a little trigonometry once you know some basic measurements, then determine the approximate length from that information... Hopefully this gives you somewhere to start. Maybe someone knows a better way to do this and can chime it with a simpler method.

In a case where a couple of inches can make the difference between a nice taut pitch and something either too loose or too tight, I can't imagine trying to get a measurement the way you describe. The pole sleeves aren't tight to the body of the tent, so that's already changed the length according to your calculations. To keep it super simple, I'd just go with a cheap set of repair poles from Walmart or Amazon or something and cut 'em down to whatever's needed

[Bojib]

Re: Tent going way back - Stansport 1998

In a case where a couple of inches can make the difference between a nice taut pitch and something either too loose or too tight, I can't imagine trying to get a measurement the way you describe. The pole sleeves aren't tight to the body of the tent, so that's already changed the length according to your calculations. To keep it super simple, I'd just go with a cheap set of repair poles from Walmart or Amazon or something and cut 'em down to whatever's needed

True, but it gives a place to start to have an idea of what length of repair poles to go with.