Sorry to hear of your woes. I have one also, used once, no problems yet. I've had an 6-man Alaskan Guide that my wife and I have used extensively for about 7 years without a problem, other than severe fading. I did break a fiberglass pole for the vestibule, but replaced it with an aluminum one that has served well.

This thread has made me nervous about my new XPG, but it had features I haven't seen in an small 4 season tent - a couple of vents in the tent and fly to maybe keep the condensation down. We don't really need a 4 season tent here in ID for "Gentleman Camping", but it seems like with a just little wind, cold air flows under the fly and a screen top tent doesn't do much to slow it down. I thought that XPG would be the answer..... Maybe not...

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/the-american-list/

I got fed up w/ hard-to-find quality products. This list has helped me find what I need.

joe14580 wrote:http://oddee.com/item_97036.aspx

Great link Joe! I especially like the pop up tent, I've heard of them, never seen one, and the quality looks better then expected. Hard to beat a 15 second setup! That would make up for any other shortcomings perhaps. 70 cm when transported, hmmm, that's 27.56 inches, I'll have to do some measuring, it may fit.

The combo tent/backpack/jacket would seem to be worth having just for its survival aspect: keep it in the tailcone and hope the plane doesn't burn up, a lot of features in a small package.

I've had an idea for years for a back country kitplane that had slideouts like the factory built motor homes and campers do. As soon as I get a few technical problems solved I'll expand (?) on the idea I did get a ride once in a Dean Wilson designed plane that had full size van type room, I mean get up and walk around type room. It had a full bed across the back and a minimal kitchen, powered by a single IO-540 as I recall. No tent required.

I found this last night. Interesting idea for those wanting to keep weight down.

Not to hi jack the thread, but the "Made in China" thing.

HOW BIG IS WAL-MART? This should boggle your mind!! And scare you as well!

1. At Wal-Mart, Americans spend $36,000,000 every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3... Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private employer. And most can't speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, keeping in mind they did this in only 15 years.

8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy. (are we surprised)

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.

11. This year, 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store.. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.

13. The value of product for Wal-Mart passing through the port of San Diego each year is a larger sum than 93% of ALL countries Gross National Product (GNP) ...and that is only ONE port ...one way that Wal-Mart gets it's stuff..

14. Of the 1.6 million employees, only 1.2% make a living above the poverty level. (Interesting statistics eh, must be because they pay their employees so well)

15. Wal-Mart's head office is located and centralized in Bentonville. Due to this fact, there are more millionaires per square mile there than any place on Earth. (Wonder what merchandise they have it their friendly Bentonville Wallmart?)

16. The official U.S. Government position is that Wal-Mart's prices are no lower than anyone else's when compared to a typical families weekly purchases. That's the view of the statisticians at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) responsible for calculating the consumer price index (CPI).

17. 92% of everything Wal-Mart sells, comes from China . Another 4% comes from Chinese owned companies in the U.S. or in 3rd world countries. (Yes China is in charge here alright)

18. SCARY! Wal-Mart and MOST large companies, take out life insurance on it's employees, without their knowing. If an employee dies, ALL the insurance moneys go to the companies. i.e. An employee making $18,000 per year, dies, and the company might make as much as $1 million. Most often these moneys, coming from what is commonly referred to as "Dead Peasant Life Insurance Policies", is paid out to executives as bonuses. (A common practice, unknown by the common man)

19. Wal-Mart now averages a "profit" (not sales) of $36 billion per year.