Are aluminum tent poles better?

They are certianly more expensive.  Are they stronger, lighter, more durable?

That,s pretty much it man, stonger, more durable, and lighter. I would add easier to repair and the fix last longer.

More stronger per gram, in my experience.  Workmanship and design have bearing too, since a common failure point is the ferule.

Ed

I would say that they are better, stronger, and lighter. I have had fiberglass poles that lasted 10+ years. I have had some that broke after 2-3 set-ups. That being said, I'm very carefull with the aluminum poles. Replacements cost alot.

Also easier to thread through sleeves on a tent - that alone is worth the extra cost.

I have a Eureka Apex2XT tent that came with fiberglass poles. I ordered aluminum poles for it from Eureka. The difference in weight was almost 1 pound.

Also, when a fiberglass pole breaks, it is almost unrepairable. Aluminum can usually be fixed in the field.

In fact my Solo tent is actually called the 'Solitare' by Eureka.  It was originally designed and manufactured with fibreglass poles.  They had nothing but problems in Canada with the poles snapping and breaking (sometimes on first set-up).  The 'Canadian' version of this tent now comes standard with Aluminium poles and in the USA it still comes with fibreglass. 

However, get this!  The cost and weight for both tents are identical.  I'm sure the fibreglass are slightly thinner than the aluminium ones.  It is fair to assume that Eureka could go down in size and match the weight of the fibreglass poles, without compromising strength, with a set of thinner aluminium poles.

I have never had an issue with these poles and couldn't be happier with the tent overall.  BTW, it is more like a bivy sac on steroids!

Not to derail this thread but after very extensive research and actual store shopping I special ordered this tent.  IMO it is the best 'solo' tent available today for its size and cost.  For example I bought a TNF solo12 for around $300 (CND) and although the height was fantastic the overall length couldn't even fit my Prolite 4 LG Themarest inside without the ends of the mat folding up.  The Eureka has loads of length and a really cool zippered mesh canopy that you can open that allows you to sit up if you need to change inside the tent or just want some more air.   The weight of the Eureka is also the lightest on the market for its size (by far)...and ya, get this, it retails for $79.99 (CND)!

Well, that settles that.  Thanks all!  I'll spend the extra $50.

When you get them, find out if they come with a short piece of tubing-maybe 6" or so long. That is the repair piece. It is slightly larger in diameter than a pole so you can slip it over the broken parts and then duct tape it in place

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