stiffening vents

Weed whacker line
Zip ties with the buckle cut off
small diameter plastic tubing

Or a strut instead of a stiffener to hold it open. (I just used this and like it a lot more than a stiffener)

Ben

Look up "boning" from a dress making shop. It is used for making corsets, some wedding dresses and theatrical costumes. It used to be whale bone, hence the name, but now you get two types – plastic coated spring steel and all plastic. The all plastic type is lighter and more flexible – good for when you pack the tent.

For reference: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=46644

Thanks.
Have ordered some plastic boning.

a atrut would not work for me anyway as the vent is part of door So there is nothing to rest it against especially when the door is open.

MLD uses pieces of zip ties in their mid vents.

I have used strips of a thin foam mat(0.7 or 1 cm thick or something like that). Works pretty well.

I used some thin poly tubing, the milky-white stuff you can get at a hardware store (not the clear stuff), in a vent in a large pyramid tent. Worked great.