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A simple warm-up trick for tent poles in freezing weather
Last winter, I was camping in the mountains and the cold made my tent poles so stiff that one snapped during setup. I was stuck with a broken pole and no spare, which almost ruined my trip. I tried to fix it with paracord, but it was wobbly and unreliable. That night, I thought about why it happened and remembered that cold makes materials brittle. The next morning, I warmed the remaining poles by tucking them inside my sleeping bag for ten minutes before assembling the tent. They bent much easier and didn't break at all. Now, I always pre-warm my poles in cold weather, either with body heat or by keeping them in a warm spot. This small step has made my gear last longer and saved me from mid-trip disasters.
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