Need to fix REI Quarter Dome 3 shockcord

So a few things:

• Option 3 is definitely your cheapest option, and provided it’s only the shockcord that’s failed (no other major cosmetic flaws). Running shockcord is much easier than most MYOG tasks, and much cheaper than a new tent. It’ll be work to find someone that will fix it rather than just doing it yourself. I’m sure you’re more than capable!
• I WOULD NOT use it without the shockcord altogether. IMO even if you tag it, that’s so much work to constantly match up poles every time you set it up. Idk how the QD3 is, but my Big Agnes tent is color coded, so I don’t even have to guess which side of the poles match up to which side of the tent!
• Not sure where you kept the tent stored, but inside is always best. If I kept my tent in the garage or the attic, it’d likely degrade MUCH FASTER. I live in Florida… so it gets hot aaaannnd humid for a good half of the year, and shockcord would be shot pretty quickly. But, by your profile pic, I assume that you might be in the opposite scenario and have extreme cold temps? Not sure how that affects shockcord, or if shockcord gets more brittle at very cold temps. Never thought of that before. Idk… Google, or someone on here, could probably speak to that more.

If you do want to repair it yourself, check out Quest Outfitters tutorial/info here: https://www.questoutfitters.com/Tent_Poles_FAQs.htm

Scroll down to the part that says “SHOCKCORD HOW MUCH & WHAT SIZE DO YOU NEED“. Realistically, a quick skim through the whole page would probably be helpful. It should give you info on size of shockcord to use use, how much you need, and how to feed it. I would just match the size of the shockcord that’s in the poles already.

Quest will probably ship you out free samples of different sizes if shockcord. You can use that to see what size you need. They have great customer service and have answered many of my questions, and I highly recommend them.

If you are definitely looking to offload it as is to get something lighter that isn’t too big, that’s completely understandable, and I may be interested in buying the QD3 from you.

If the rest of the tent is in good order-rainfly is not delaminating-I would redo the shock cord. Won’t cost much and you can put the tent together and use blue masking tape to mark poles. Use pictures from the net if you need help remembering how they go.

Also? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rei-Quarterdome-3-Tent-Frame/363022170928?hash=item5485cebb30:g:mtEAAOSwu7de3clW

So the problem is: I cannot find pictures of this tent pole assembly anywhere, not even at REI. Not on google images. Nowhere. Even calling REI they cannot give me pictures of the tent pole assembly, so that I could figure out how to put it together. I would love to do it myself and cost them nothing, but instead, REI has now sent me a shipping label so I can send them the whole thing and they can decide if I am worthy of a refund or not. What a waste of time and money. I just want to know how the poles look when put together, or the schematic of how they are supposed to assemble. You’d think the factory would have it, someone would have the design somewhere, but no. They don’t. I will never buy a “hubbed” tent again. Gadzooks. The very polite call center person asked me “is this a Big Agnes?” No, I just gave you the item number; it’s an REI tent. Oy vey. Nothing like being on hold for 30 minutes. Well, I hope they’ll fix it or refund it. Then I’m starting over to find a decent tent.

If they do fix and return it, I will number every pole and piece and take a photo of it when it’s together so that I can do it next time. As I said, I like the tent generally, but the poles, ugh.

I did have it stored in a HEATED garage, which stays about 75 in the summer and 50 in the winter. Those temps should be ok storage for any camping gear. The shock cord is either defective, or just not built to last more than a couple years – which in my opinion is de facto defective.

>> Even calling REI they cannot give me pictures of the tent pole assembly, so that I could figure out how to put it together.

Most likely that is because they buy the tents already packaged up from Asia, and have no knowledge of how they are made. Very sad.

Have you asked Quest or TentPole Technologies?

Cheers

Yeah, Tentpole Technologies gave me a very reasonable quote, but when you add in shipping back and forth, I’m looking at $100. Knowing that this will probably happen again, not sure it’s worth it. Although this time I would at least label all the parts and also take a few photos. Which I think I’ll do with any tent now, just to make sure I can do the work myself! It’s too bad, because the tent itself, I was super happy with.

Could you sit don on the floor with all the bits and spend an hour or two ‘fiddling’. I can’t help asking as I am a born MYOG fiddler!

Cheers

Karen, I feel your pain.  I had a Half Dome 2+ of the same approximate vintage and found that the shock cord was toast after only a few uses in the first couple of years.  I think there must have been a crappy batch of shock cord from the factory.  All of my other tents (including REI tents) have endured much better.

REI’s often-helpful videos were not so helpful in restringing the tent poles, but I ended up finding a very knowledgeable REI employee who worked in the Boulder REI’s rental department that was able to show me that there is a small plastic piece in each hub that has to be popped out in order to get the new shock cord in.  If your 1/4 Dome is similar to my 1/2 Dome, when you take out the old cord you can see a small button-like folding plastic pin that the cord loops through.  You can see that pin at 1:26 in REI’s repair video here  https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/how-to-fix-a-tent-pole.html  My poles have two hubs, each with two of those pins.   Remove that pin, loop the new cord through, and there you go.

I know a picture would be helpful, but I sold that tent partly out of frustration with the pole design.  One option for you if you want to keep the tent is to surf your local REI’s garage sales (once they start happening again) and buy up old 1/4 Domes for poles.  You could also see if there is a rental person or knowledgeable shop tech at your local REI, if you have one.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks everyone. I never could figure out the poles today; there are a lot. I didn’t count all the pieces, but maybe 15 or more? Short poles, long poles, two black plastic hubs, another metal one, and another clear plastic one. Just really crazy. A photo might have helped me put Humpty dumpty together again.

Roger, you have a lot more patience than I have for this sort of thing! I can weed my garden for hours and not get bored, but sit down with umpteen parts and try to put together, no. I once did a 3D puzzle of the Houses of Parliament with my kids when they were pre-teens; the kids stuck with it for a long time before finally abandoning it. We had to redo several parts to make it work and it took days. I sat up late drinking and finishing off that thing one night just to be done with it! I think it sat in our living room for a year, just because I couldn’t let that much effort go to waste. I hope my future tents can be simpler.

Anyway, I’ll have to see what REI will say. They paid to ship it back to them, and maybe they’ll just fix the poles for me and return it. I kind of hope so, so that I don’t have to think about selecting something new. If not, if they give me some cash back, I’ll start tent hunting again. Funny that I now have 2 1-person tents, an old Eureka 2 person tent that weighs 6 pounds, a 4 person tent that weighs 9 pounds, and a 6 person tent that’s 12 pounds, but none really are light enough for two of us. I like the space of the Quarter Dome 3 for 2 people and it’s not bad at 4 pounds. Some day I’ll sell or give away the others, but for now they’re good loaner tents, or ones I’ll let my kids take with their friends.

Chuckle.
Never disassemble what you cannot reassemble later.

Of course, you only find out what you can’t reassemble AFTERwards.

Cheers

Update: I never could fix the poles, so REI told me to ship it back. After a month they finally let me know that they will give me a partial refund, which is more than fair, since it’s outside the warranty period. But, I really just wanted my tent back with a fixed pole set! So now I have to find a new tent.

I got a 3p because my husband likes his space. Mostly I’m solo, but for the rare times we go together, I will need another 3p. I might try to go used, since we will rarely use it. Anyway, I wanted to update all of you with the outcome. Whatever I purchase next, I’m going to avoid weird complicated hub assemblies!

Won’t help you now….but if you ever need to do this again check this out.

And not specific to any one tent….

Thanks but putting shock cord in the poles was NOT the problem. It was trying to figure out how 18+ poles with connecting plastic hubs all fit together and putting one piece of shockcord in ALL of them at once. Or something like that. If it had been one long pole with multiple sections, easy peasy. What I needed was a diagram of the assembly.

Never mind…..couldn’t edit my post…..

I usually start with light nylon or Spectra cord and get all the parts threaded onto that. Granted, no hubs in mine, but starting with lots of non-elastic string lets me play around.

How do I get the string through each bit of tube? Usually it is not hard, but I have resorted to starting with heavy thread and a ball of cotton wool, and then blowing.

Cheers

I have a couple of tents with those complicated hubbed set ups.  Have been dreading the eventual demise of the shock cord.   Your experience confirms my fears.

My two person Big Sky tent uses simple straight cross poles.   Much better.