when life breaks your tent before womyn's fest...

we here at "things that come out of our mouths" have succeeded in fixing our tent. the elastic that keeps the pole pieces together snapped. of course you could buy a relatively inexpensive replacement or a new tent, but you would learn no life skill that way (sarcasm)! and then, what would become of those poor tent pools, how could you deal with that guilt? exactly. that's what we thought too.
so, after much trial and error, we found the best way to thread elastic thru involves:

• replacement elastic cord
• sewing needle
• thread
• masking tape
• scissors

Step 1: Line up all the poles. Use this to make sure your elastic cord is long enough. You will want extra to tie knots on both ends. For now, only knot one end. One knot will suffice.
Step 2: Next, find the pole with joints at both ends. There is only one like this. On our tent they are metal, though they probably vary in style. This pole will be the first and most difficult to get the elastic through.
Step 3: Use this pole to measure the thread. You'll need twice the length of the pole approximately.
Step 4: Take one end of the elastic and tie the thread to it very tightly. Wrap this joint with a wee bit of masking tape. You want the tape to be mostly on the thread but covering the tip of the elastic. This will help the elastic fit in the smaller section of the tent pole
Step 5: Thread the needle on the free end of the thread.
Step 6: Drop the needle through the pole. Secure the thread on the opposite end of the pole and carefully pull the thread until the elastic follows through. This is tricky, so don't worry if it takes a few tries. We broke the thread the first time!
Step 7: The rest of the poles are easy to put the elastic through. Just make sure you start with the joint-less end of the pole. When they are all on there, knot the other end to secure the poles together.

Tahdah! Your tent pole is better than new! Enjoy all the camping adventures in your future!