Got caught in a downpour at Lost Lake and my gear review opinions flipped

Last weekend I was up at Lost Lake near Hood River when a storm rolled in around 2pm, way earlier than the forecast said. My 3-season tent held up fine, but my cheap rain fly stakes just ripped right out of the mud. I had to tie off to a log with paracord for two hours until the rain stopped. That night I went through every gear review I'd ever posted and realized I never tested anything in actual wet ground conditions. It made me wonder, how many of you stress test stakes or anchors during a storm, or do you just trust the specs? Has anyone else had a brand new piece of gear fail in a totally basic scenario like this?

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1 Comment

the_phoenix1mo ago

Guess Mother Nature does her own gear reviews too.