Thoughts About Tents…

I really really wanted to post a picture of our new tent! But alas, after an hour and a half of wrestling with it, I still never got it together. 

Generally speaking I am the calmer, instruction reading, methodical putter-together of-things person in our marriage.  I understand I may not strike folks as the rugged outdoor type, but I know how to put up a tent.  In fact just yesterday I put up our old tent from ten years ago – no problema!  Seriously Bella and I popped it up in about 2 minutes flat.  Seeing that Will and I got it way before we had kids and the advent of blow up air mattresses; we wanted something a bit bigger.

Okay do not buy the Magellan Bryce Canyon II tent. It is NOT good. Right away one of the tent poles broke apart.  No biggie – I thought, we could swing by the store to replace that one part.  Then I got it all set up but…. it wouldn’t stay up. Hmm, I thought – OK, so maybe it isn’t a pop up tent, but rather the kind that makes no sense until you stake it. So I staked it…and it fell over.  Um, okaaaay.

So I finally understand that two of the poles must telescope out (become taller) to create enough tension to prop up the tent, except that the only thing holding the tent pole in the expanded position is a dubious piece of plastic, and no matter what I do – the pole slides back down shorter, causing the entire structure to lean and then fall to one side (like a slinky)

And the instructions were very uh, “English as a fourth language-y” which only furthered my aggravation. I really, totally am very patient in real life with folks that are still leaning English. I am really very NOT happy or patient when it comes to instructions that are not written in proper English. Seriously? OK if you must build the product overseas – so be it – but surely there is a poor college student somewhere that you could pay to write the instructions?? Come on!

By now,  By now it’s been over an hour, by now the kids have asked me 467 times if it’s ready yet and have given up and completely lost interest. It’s past dinner time. It’s getting dark.

So the heck with this tent. If I can’t put it up it in a few minutes in my back yard in dry, non-windy conditions then I am not taking it out on the road where the only thing between me and alligators, raccoons and the Blair Witch is some plastic piece holding up a pole that appears broken right out of the box.

So, yeah, I guess I’ll be buying (and practicing setting up) another tent sometime this week, YAY. 

But seriously – I am over the moon excited about going camping – I can’t wait!!!!  Just need to get this tent thing worked out.