Which pole is stronger or weaker depends on the tent. The 12 person pole is super sturdy, because we dont focus so much on people carrying the 12. That being said, in the 8 person, the Carbon is stronger / stiffer, but as alluded , Carbon is either perfect or not. Heavy / wet snow accumulation is the weak spot on carbon at the adjust holes . That being said, carbon breakage is fairly rare. If there were better / lighter poles readily available, we would buy them rather than design our own. Now I know, you folks will say maybe carbon with twist adjusters .. seems like a great option , except sand / dirt can get in those, and when it gets cold and wet tightening it can be very difficult. Far more often than NOT , the tents are fine through events that bring down trees , and with some maintaining snow is not much of an issue.
Some tips as well can help ..
1. I often put a pole on a rock for extra surface area so it does not sink .. however in heavy snow, not sure if this is wise as a little ground give may be good .. however the little ground give , will loosen the canopy and allow more snow ..the best is to KNOCK SNOW OFF
2. If expecting snow, use what I call the snow pitch , which helps snow run off (shrink the diameter and inch or two , pitch it an inch or two taller and use the side guy outs to take out slack and steepen side walls .. BTW Heavy WET snow sucks because it sticks a lot more .. and you would be surprised the weight it can be ...(Ive tested to failure in so many snow events ...so I have dug out a lot of tents in various snow conditions).
3. I know of more than a few times, that we have been the only tent left standing in some severe winds or snow ... but as ewith everything there are limits. If you are flying in .. an extra pole can provide a little extra security
4. For wind, likely using a rock under the pole is the best to keep the pitch super tight .. in snow likely a little give and no rock .. but knick the snow off ..especially if it is wet
5. While any failure is pretty rare , there are a couple things that can be done. If a segment of pole breaks .. often a log or similar can be put under it to still have a functioning pole , a stick can work if you have trees around. Duct tape often can be used around carbon that has splintered a bit (and I am NOT entirely convinced that duct tape could not help prevent a breakage .. but to scientifically test it would be difficult). With carbon, often only the failed section needs replacement, with aluminum it is usually the complete pole as it developed a permanent bend before breaking . If it were me, for instance , and I was on a remote fly in hunt .. and the weather was super severe .. and I did NOT have a back up pole .. here is what I would do
A. Look to shorten the pole with rocks or a cut log .. but keep the same tent height .. technically the shorter pole will be stronger
B. If I could .. even if I had moderate sized sticks or trekking poles .. I would Duct tape them to the center of the pole crossing a couple sections to add more strength ... and maybe do the same at the adjuster. Where they break is either the center or adjuster ...
Hope this helps
Kevin
