White Duck Bell Tent Disaster

We have been using two 20' White Duck bell tents for less than a year. During that time, we have had to replace several of the bungees that attach the tie-downs to the tent, as they have been destroyed with normal use. Before this month's breakage, White Duck had been very responsive to our calls, quickly sending out replacement bungees.

During the recent passing of a small storm cell over our property, both tents had multiple bungees break. Because these bungees help to hold the walls perpendicular to the ground, they play a key roll in the overall integrity of the tent. When one bungee breaks, it allows the wall to become concave, catching the wind instead of routing it up and over the tent. When more than one bungee breaks, you have a "sail" with a large surface area that the wind can push against.

One of our tents had 4 bungees break during this weather event, while the other had 2 break. The tent that lost 4 ended up being destroyed, as it caught too much of the wind in the newly-formed sail. The floor was ripped from its moorings, and finally the zipper that holds the walls to the floor pulled apart, causing the entire canvas structure to separate from the floor.

We reached out to White Duck, and they have offered to assist financially with a replacement tent. At this time, we are still deciding if we should accept their offer or go in another direction.