More Tent Testing…

2010-04-09 21:06:08.000 – Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer

It won’t be long now before I settle down with the sound of a freight train roaring all around me. Yup, it’s time to go outside and test two more tents, which we set up today. Winds are looking to climb to the 50-70 mph range tonight with high gusts possible. Last week when we tested them, the guy points did not stay very tight, causing zippers to fail and ultimately the tent. This time around we are not using snow stakes, mainly because there is no longer any snow on the observation deck. Because of this, I chose to guy the tent out how I was taught, with a combination of bowlines and trucker’s hitches. They are quick to untie and retighten and will not fail or freeze nearly as easily as the included plastic tensioners. Having it better guyed I think will help with the overall integrity of the tent.

And then there was one…

Just got back inside from helping Ryan and Brian take down one of the tents after a total failure. Two broken poles and a shredded fly means one of us is going to get a good night’s sleep inside. Let’s hope myself and the other tent can make it through the night as it is not much fun taking a tent down at 3:30 AM with 75 mph winds (we discovered that last week!).

Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer