Tent

A tent comprising:

• a shell,
• a frame comprising a plurality of poles supporting the shell in an erect configuration in which the shell encloses a space sized to accommodate one or more occupants,
• a fly overlying the shell and frame, and
• a clip securing the fly to a pole of said plurality of poles, said clip comprising a body having opposite ends, and a recess in the body extending from one end of the body to the other end, said pole and an overlying portion of said fly being held captive in the recess with the pole extending longitudinally through the recess and the overlying portion of the fly being disposed between the pole and the clip.

A clip for attaching a fabric fly to a tent, said tent having a fabric shell and a frame comprising a plurality of poles for supporting the shell in an erect configuration in which the shell encloses a space sized to accommodate one or more occupants, the fabric fly being adapted to overlie the shell and frame, the fabric fly having a patch on an outside surface thereof, the clip comprising:

• a body having opposite ends, a recess extending completely through the body from one end to the other end, and a slot extending the length of the body providing access to said recess, said slot and recess being sized and configured so that the clip can be moved into engagement with an outside surface of a portion of the fly overlying said pole and then pushed inwardly to cause said overlying portion of the fly and said pole to pass through the slot and into the recess to an overlying position in which the pole extends longitudinally through the body and said overlying portion of the fly is disposed between the pole and the body,
• said recess being generally C-shaped and sized so that when the clip is in said overlying position, constituting an initial position, the first pole and said overlying portion of the fly are held loosely in said recess, said clip being slidably movable along the first pole from said initial position to a final position in which said patch is also received in the recess and occupies a volume sufficient to prevent withdrawal of the pole and fly from the clip thereby to secure the fly to the pole.

A method of securing a fly in place overlying a tent, said tent comprising a fabric shell and a frame comprising a plurality of poles supporting the shell in an erect configuration in which the shell encloses a space sized to accommodate one or more occupants, said method comprising:

• a) providing a clip comprising a body with opposite ends, a recess in the body extending completely through the body from one end to the other end, and a slot extending the length of the body providing access to said recess;
• b) moving the clip into engagement with an outside surface of a portion of the fly overlying a pole of said plurality of poles;
• c) pushing the clip inwardly toward the interior of the tent to cause said overlying portion of the fly and said pole to pass through the slot and into the recess to an initial position in which the pole extends longitudinally through the body and said overlying portion of the fly is disposed between the pole and the body;
• and
• d) sliding the clip along the pole to a final position in which a patch on the outside surface of the fly is also received in the recess and has sufficient volume to prevent withdrawal of the pole and fly from the clip thereby to secure the fly to the pole.

A tent comprising:

• a fabric shell,
• a frame comprising a first pole and a second pole supporting the shell in an erect configuration in which the shell encloses a space sized to accommodate one or more occupants, one of said first and second poles crossing over the other of said first and second poles at a crossover point,
• a first sleeve receiving said first pole and attached to the shell,
• a second sleeve receiving said second pole and attached to the shell, and
• a connector connecting said first sleeve to said second sleeve and extending generally parallel to the shell at or generally adjacent said crossover point for stabilizing said first pole and second pole relative to one another,
• the connector comprising a flexible member having four corners, two of the corners being attached to said first sleeve on opposite sides of said crossover point and the other two corners being attached to the second sleeve at opposite sides of said crossover point.

A clip for attaching a fabric fly to a tent, said tent having a fabric shell and a frame comprising a plurality of poles for supporting the shell in an erect configuration in which the shell encloses a space sized to accommodate one or more occupants, the fabric fly being adapted to overlie the shell and frame, the clip comprising:

• a body having opposite ends, a recess extending completely through the body from one end to the other end, and a slot extending the length of the body providing access to said recess, said slot and recess being sized and configured so that the clip can be moved into engagement with an outside surface of a portion of the fly overlying said pole and then pushed inwardly to cause said overlying portion of the fly and said pole to pass through the slot and into the recess to an overlying position in which the pole extends longitudinally through the body and said overlying portion of the fly is disposed between the pole and the body,
• the body including two jaws defining the recess therebetween, the jaws being movable relative to one another from an open position in which the jaws are spaced apart to define said slot and the clip is movable to said overlying position, and a clamped position of the clip in which the jaws are closer than in the open position, the clip further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the jaws in said clamped position to prevent withdrawal of the pole and fly from the clip thereby to secure the fly to the pole.