Those fiberglass poles that hold up the roof in pop-up blinds seems to break after a season of use under stress.

What do you guys use to replace them? Does small, PVC pipe bend well without breaking?

Thanks.

you can buy replacement tent poles that
will substitute at academy, campmor, rei, etc.

only set i broke got gorilla taped and outlasted
the rest of the blind. i think they may still be
in the bushes behind the motte where i set one blind.

I found some 3/8" plastic flex pipe in the Plumbing section at Home Depot last night and it seems to work great. I tried it this morning in a new Dog House blind that I have and like the results. I took the 10 ft section of flex pipe and Cut it the same length as the poles that came with the blind. I also cut the ends at an angle to give them more of a point to fit better into the stops inside the blind. And while I will be keeping the blind up all season, the pipe flexes well enough to that you can coil it for easier carrying. And should it lose tension or arch strength over time, you can just flip the sections 180 degrees so that it has tension in the opposite direction.

I use a 3/8" wooden Dowel wrapped in duct tape to give it a little more flexibility without breaking

Another good suggestion.

But I'm not sure I can get an 8 ft section of dowel for what I paid for the flex pipe - $4

Mine is nearly 10 years old, been mistreated, blown over by storms, left out all year, dug out of the ground at least twice.. it's so faded the 'camo' pattern is now more like hunter orange and it's held up by a rope tied from the top and two sides to the mesquite tree it sits under. I'll take pics this weekend.. it's a sight!

The well worn appearance probably makes it stand out less.

Old poles I've saved from dead pop ups through the years.

Fiberglass electric fence post from Tractor Supply. Cheap and work perfect

The deer and especially the pigs don't seem to mind. I think the only one bothered by it is me! It's about half a mile across a pasture from the ranch house and it sticks out like a sore thumb on the tree line! Might hit it with some rattle can striped before I leave this weekend

Fiberglass tent poles.

snapped a quick pic of my setup. Dang blind sticks out like a sore thumb but they got used to it. If you look close you can see where the top is being held up with a rope. The back side you can't see is also tied to the tree. Two poles on the top snapped off at the hub and the pocked for the pole on the back wall broke through.

I hate being on the ground.. Next year I'm gonna build an elevated blind and tuck it back in the thick stuff behind where that blind is now.

Dan I don't know where you are but I have a few from old ones I would let go for a hand shake.

My theory is that the deer you're hunting now grew up with that old pop-up in place and probably pay little/no more attention to it then anything else in their everyday environment.