LAST TENT STANDING

Imagine waking up at camp one windy morning, thinking it´s just another day in the desert but as you step outside it´s as if a tornado passed by. Turns out, you slept like a baby through a storm that caused disaster for your fellow campers. That´s about what happened to our long time Tentipi camper Ryan Kennelly this spring when camping in the desert of Culp Valley, near Borrego Springs in southern California. This is his story.

Desert Camping Trip: Zirkon Saves the Evening

Last Man Standing: Zirkon Survives the Storm

So last weekend me, my girlfriend and some friends went to Borrego Springs to sleep under the stars. As it gets warmer in the desert we take took a Nemo 4 person tent. We had fully intended on sleeping under the stars, but after a great day in the desert it was getting dark and windy, bringing on a cold we did not expect. I went to the truck to get the Nemo and realized I forgot the pole!

As a permanent home for my Tentipi Zirkon cp9, I leave it in the truck year round.

“Get that thing out I’m freezing!” my girlfriend said to me and I got busy.

All’s Quiet in the Desert Campsite

No Need for Tough Tents on a Quiet Desert Evening

In about 10 minutes I put the Zirkon up and then guy wired the side with the wind against it. The wind at this point is only 5-7 mph. Not too much to be worried about. After a good dinner we all retired to our tents. Some used a cheaper 10 man tent you can find in general department stores, others were backpacking 2 man tents and the only other canvas tent except mine was a late 60’s Coleman cabin tent.

The wind picked up

Somewhere around 2 in the morning the wind had picked up to about 35mph. Gusts were up to 50mph. I most always stake down all the guy wires because I like how ridged and roomy it gets inside the tent. But this day I wanted a quick pitch because we were only staying one night and moving on. As the wind got stronger this quick pitch started to make a buffering noise inside the tent. It woke me up and I went out to guy down the tent correctly. Once battened down tight the buffering was significantly reduced and I could sleep again.

The next morning we were the last to wake up. We chatted for a while inside the warm confines of the tent, being totally unaware of what had been going on in the outside.

Breakfast peace in the super secure Zirkon while Ryan’s pals are clearing up their destroyed tents

At 7am we got out of bed and could not believe our eyes as we stepped out in the daylight. The cabin tent was a shredded mess. The department store 10 man was a bag of sand. Only the backpacking tents that were placed behind good shelter stood. The Tentipi was king. Proudly the Zirkon cp9 that had been set up in the open plains area remained upright and nearly unaffected.

The Super Strong Zirkon Stuns the Friends

“Wow, you made it”
The other campers had been cleaning up their sites since 5am at day break. At that moment, I proved to myself what the difference is between a low cost tent from a big box retail store and an adventure tent designed to shelter you from Mother Nature’s weather.

“I see your tent is still standing”, someone who hadn´t been sleeping as well as us, muttered to me.

“Wow, you guys made it through the night!” said another neighbour as he made his way around Culp Valley, looking for stuff that had blown around all night.

As the rest of the crew stood around and told stories of how to better pitch down a tent I started the tear down process. Even in 15mph wind I had the Tentipi back in its bag in about 10 minutes. One by one throughout the day, each tent owner quizzed me on the Tentipi. I could sense the respect that the Tentipi earned on that night.