How the Maxcons system of camping accessories works

The Maxcons camping system works as a designed unit to give maximum stability and reliability to your camping equipment.

What the Maxcons camping system consists of

• Max-Peg,
• Maxcon spring,
• Woven guy rope,
• Maxcons rope slider,
• Max Pole Anchor,
• Max-Pole Steady Pin.

Max-Peg

December 2021 delivered a harrowing camping experience for many campers when storm winds and unusual rainstorms wreaked havoc in campgrounds across the country.

Campers with Maxcons tent pegs did not suffer like campers with traditional pegs. Those who did experience collapsing tents were campers who used cheaper equipment that could not withstand the severe winds.

Some campers used conventional equipment with their Maxcons pegs and that led to tents collapsing. Maxcons pegs upheld their reputation and did what was promised. So where did the failure occur?

The single biggest culprit was the pole anchor which attaches to the spigot. A spigot is a peg that fits onto the tent pole and which you see sticking out above the tent. The pole anchor fits over the spigot and connects to the guy or anchor rope. Popular pole anchors are made from plastic but they are the part that tends to break or rip in severe storms. The reason is usually that it is exposed to the sun over a long time of many camping trips. Sun weakens plastic. More so with black plastic that absorbs more of the sun’s rays and becomes hotter than more reflective white plastic.

Obviously, if you use weaker camping equipment together with stronger equipment, you know where the failure will happen.

Maxcon Peg Spring

The Maxcon Spring Peg or Max-Peg solves the problem of storm winds and gusts lifting and collapsing or wrecking tents if it is used correctly and properly set up.

Maxcon Guy Rope

Guy ropes are anchor ropes that keep tent poles upright and firmly fastened to ensure a stable tent set-up.

Guy ropes should be made from a non-stretch material so that it does not stretch in strong wind and create unstable tent poles. Ski rope is made from polypropylene or polyethylene and, as the name suggests, is used for skiing where a degree of stretch is required. Using ski rope to create stability for any structure in windy conditions is doomed to fail.

Maxcon guy ropes are made from high-quality 4mm braided cord. The braided cord gives you reliable strength and durability with zero stretch. Used with other Maxcons quality products it ensures peaceful camping in all weather conditions.

Maxcon Guy Rope Slider

Rope sliders or rope tighteners are required to tighten guy ropes to the extent needed for the complete stability of the tent and tent poles, and to keep it tight in all weather conditions.

Maxcons wanted a rope slider that is long enough to grip and pull it, that would not allow the rope to slide and become slack and that would be durable. The rope sliders are made from aluminium which makes them durable, rust-rejecting and sun resistant.

Rope sliders need to meet certain requirements to ensure that it does not fail. An important requirement is that it should “grab and hold” the guy rope. It should at all costs not slip and create a slack guy rope when the anchor setup moves because that would lead to the collapse of the tent.

Plastic or PVC sliders or tensioners are smooth and it is this smoothness that leads to the guy rope slipping when the tent experiences the to and fro movement created by wind gusts.

Max Pole Anchor

The collapse of caravan and camping tents in December 2021 was mainly the result of plastic and PVC pole anchors that could not withstand the extreme winds.

Most campers use the pole anchors that are supplied with their tents. When they need new poll anchors, they just buy either the same as their tent had or the cheapest. The cheapest is always the plastic pole anchor mostly made from recycled plastic.

The problem posed by plastic or PVC pole anchors is that they are sure to weaken with time, the more sun they experience. Add to it that plastic is in itself prone to tearing under force, and it is easy to understand why they fail in extreme winds.

Maxcons had no other choice but to use steel for their pole anchors because it is the most affordable yet strong enough material to compliment the other Maxcons products in the pole anchor setup. This was done based on the belief that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

A Maxcons pole anchor is strong enough to work with the spring steel Maxcons tent peg as well as the Maxcons compressed spring and anchor rope, without failing the system.

Max-Pole Steady Pin

When the wind gusts and enters the tent, it lifts the tent roof and in the process the tent poles.

When anchor ropes are slack, it releases the pole anchor, the tent pole falls over and the tent collapses. This does not happen when you use Maxcon pegs with the spring. What could happen is that a wind gust lifts the pole with the tent and the bottom part of the pole drops out or the tent pole settles off-centre. Both these events will let the tent collapse.

To ensure the tent pole remains upright campers use a Max-Pole Steady Pin. The pin holds the tent pole upright and the whole structure intact.

If you want to upgrade the reliability of the tent pole, you could add a spigot with a longer or metal tip and a tent pole adjuster clamp.

Conclusion

The Maxcons system of camping accessories works best if it is used as a complete system.

It is unwise to try and save money by buying only parts of the system and then combining it with parts from an unrelated system that is not of the same standard and quality material.