G
Guest
Guest
I do not loan gear out much anymore, provided loan means giving it to someone outside the family for a trip on which I am not present. I would still loan gear for trips, despite some comical returns, but I no longer know many gearless folk.
One of our old Timberlines was loaner cursed. I lent it to a young post doc back in the 70s, who wanted to impress his girlfriend with a backpacking trip in the Smokies. I had him over, showed him how to set the tent up and all seemed well.
He and the GF drove to the Smokies, hiked in and made the first nights camp. Somehow made camp; the two little plastic pipe sleeves that quite critically hold the poles together were nowhere to be found.
They hiked back out the next morning, drove to town, bought a cheap tent and hiked back in. He was convinced I was screwing with him, and I might have if I had thought of something that evil, but those critical connector pieces never did turn up.
After getting replacement pole connectors I lent that same Timberline to visitor from South America. Again, I showed her how to set it up, and this time made dang sure the pole connectors were in the stake bag when she left.
When she returned it the pole connectors were there, as were the stakes, the ground cloth, both vestibules and the fly. There was no tent body in the bag.
She was stupefied about where it might have gone. Accent on the stupe.
This was pre email. I wrote Eureka with a tale of woe and asked how much to buy only that rather important component. A couple weeks later I received a new Timberline tent body and a note saying Gratis.
One of our old Timberlines was loaner cursed. I lent it to a young post doc back in the 70s, who wanted to impress his girlfriend with a backpacking trip in the Smokies. I had him over, showed him how to set the tent up and all seemed well.
He and the GF drove to the Smokies, hiked in and made the first nights camp. Somehow made camp; the two little plastic pipe sleeves that quite critically hold the poles together were nowhere to be found.
They hiked back out the next morning, drove to town, bought a cheap tent and hiked back in. He was convinced I was screwing with him, and I might have if I had thought of something that evil, but those critical connector pieces never did turn up.
After getting replacement pole connectors I lent that same Timberline to visitor from South America. Again, I showed her how to set it up, and this time made dang sure the pole connectors were in the stake bag when she left.
When she returned it the pole connectors were there, as were the stakes, the ground cloth, both vestibules and the fly. There was no tent body in the bag.
She was stupefied about where it might have gone. Accent on the stupe.
This was pre email. I wrote Eureka with a tale of woe and asked how much to buy only that rather important component. A couple weeks later I received a new Timberline tent body and a note saying Gratis.
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