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Homemade Trekking pole
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May 31, 2006 at 7:29 pm #1357266
> coul da tip be glued into an appropriately sized piece fo bamboo and a hand grip added to it?
My 6-foot by 1-inch bamboo poles (13 oz.) hold up fine if I cut the bottom just below a knuckle and wrap with duct tape. Once I found the perfect rock to fit inside the shaft, and that worked well. I’ve put a lot of miles on the poles and the bottoms don’t show much wear. I’ve broken several, however; don’t fall on them. A hand grip isn’t necessary; just sand the hold area lightly to smooth down any ribs. I wish now I’d stashed a dozen more poles in the container when I left Hawaii, but the three I have are holding up well.
Another mod is to cut the top of the staff at a 30-degree angle, then fit a slightly larger hollow piece of bamboo over it as a cover. You can quickly turn the staff into a spear for defense against pigs or pig dogs.
I love hiking in a bamboo forest in the wind.
Jun 5, 2006 at 10:22 pm #1357522Roger,
Good point. I also mentioned this in a post on 4/11, but it is good to reiterate the potential weakness. I have yet to break one of the pultruded poles (and my kids haven’t broken theirs yet either), but I also realize it is only a matter of time…
Jay
MYOGJun 20, 2006 at 5:34 pm #1358275I have made my own trekking poles. The tips were just trekking pole tips you can find on the web (carbide tip) with a 10mm socket. The grips are Komperdell replacement grips, plastic, with the classic trekking-pole strap latch mechanism with the plastic plug arrangement. The shafts I get from dragonplate carbon fiber (http://www.dragonplate.com) as I have found their stuff is good quality and very fair price.
I mount the handle with 30 minute epoxy and mix it with about 30% microballoons (a plastic powder designed to cut weight from the epoxy and make it fill better). It works great.
The final poles weighted 5oz each and I don’t know how I ever got by without them.
I don’t understand how this system with the strap attached to the bottom of the trekking pole grip works. It seems counter-intuitive to me since when a trekking pole is properly used the strap should go over your wrist and that would put your hand on the shaft of the pole and not on the grip. I recognize one doesn’t actually “grip” the grip in the first place, but rather use the grip as a guide… but I guess I am saying I don’t see how to use that setup. :)
Oh, and I do use pultruted poles since I can’t find roll-wrapped ones in a size I like and a price I am willing to pay. Also, I can’t find tapered poles which is what I really want…
Jun 20, 2006 at 11:53 pm #1358289>>”I don’t understand how this system with the strap attached to the bottom of the trekking pole grip works. It seems counter-intuitive to me since when a trekking pole is properly used the strap should go over your wrist and that would put your hand on the shaft of the pole and not on the grip. I recognize one doesn’t actually “grip” the grip in the first place, but rather use the grip as a guide… but I guess I am saying I don’t see how to use that setup. :)”
I’m not sure what strap arrangement you are describing. i think you are describing the strap arrangment used by UL-weight CF poles, like on the GG LightTrek and BPL Stix poles. Someone (BPL???) has dubbed it the Riemenliechter.
If this is the method that you are referring to, the purpose is to function as non-load bearing keeper straps so that you don’t accidentally drop one, as well as to facilitate conveniently letting go of one, or both, to scramble (if the poles don’t need to be stowed), drink from a bottle, fetch an energy bar from a hip-belt pocket, or some other need of the moment.
To those who have never tried not using wrist straps, and who don’t have some physical or medical reason for having to use wrist straps, if using UL CF poles, one is very likely to find that load bearing wrist straps are not necessary. There is a very big difference between standard Al poles of several years ago and UL CF poles.
When using UL CF poles without load bearing wrist straps, many people have found no forearm or grip fatigue and no wrist related pain or numbness – again if one has a physical or medical issue in any or all of these areas, perhaps load bearing wrist straps are a necessity.
UL CF poles allow the grip to relax on the forward arm swing since the poles are so light that no noticeable exertion is required to keep the poles in the hands even though the grip is greatly relaxed at this point in their use. The grip is only tightened momentarily when pushing off. This provides a large rest period for the areas of the body involved with gripping.
This subject has come up in years past on these Forums. The above is not only my personal experience, but also other respondents similar experience.
Of course, it may not be for everyone. As with so many things, there is often no right nor wrong – just a personal preference.
Lastly, there are some LW CF poles that use load bearing wrist straps. LL TrailStiks and TrailStik3 poles. The wrist straps are load bearing, but unless a special request is made at the time of purchase for longer wrist straps, a standard length wrist strap is used (it can be swapped out for a longer one by the user). I have the standard length on the original pair of TrailStiks, but asked for longer ones on the newer TrailStik3. The standard, shorter straps are used merely by placing the hand through the strap opening and gripping the strap and pole. The longer one i asked for allow strap use in a manner identical to more main stream non-UL poles (i believe this is the similar to how you described your strap use on your homemade poles). I have used both vintages of TrailStiks. Wonderful poles. Highly recommend them, particularly the newer 3-section version. The unequal section lengths are designed so that shelters of different heights may be pitched using these poles. They are also very stiff. The really neat part is that the straps use a Prussik knot (very familiar to climbers and cavers) which allows adjustment over the entire length of the pole in LITERALLY under two seconds. Very nice when tranversing rough, uneven terrain that requires near continuous stepping up and down.
To complete the picture, Nordic Walking poles (and at least one no longer manufactured, if i’m not mistaken, Leki trekking pole) use an entirely differenct wrist strap mechanism. A velcro adjusted slightly padded wrist strap is secured around the wrist and is then connected to the poles by webbing. Using these, none of the wrist strap need be placed within one’s grip. The wrist is basically suspended, so to speak from the pole when the hand is placed through the wrist strap loop and then is secured by tightening the velcro’d adjustment. Some of these straps (on Leki Nordic Walking poles at least) have a quick release mechanism which allows the strap to slide out from the pole’s handle and still be securely attached to the wrist. This is nice because otherwise it takes a few seconds to undo the velcro, lenghten the wrist strap loop, and then using both hands slide the wrist strap loop off of the wrist.
Ok. This post is too long already. Hope this info helps.
Jun 24, 2006 at 6:44 pm #1358508I’ll prolly get lit up for making a strong statement here, but I’ll accept this risk because I think it was correctly stated that this, like so many things, is a personal preference.
… “Riemenliechter” … marketing for “serves no useful purpose” as far as I am concerned. I studied the design in some detail and all I could figure it was for was to keep one from dropping the pole and a convenient way to avoid having to invent a way to attach a load bearing strap to the top of the pole and adding the weight (however minimal) of a load bearing strap.
As far as I am concerned, if you omit the strap then you might as well omit one of the poles as well because they are no longer trekking poles.
The main benefit I have found from my DIY trekking poles is that they work as trekking poles should 100%: They take weight off my legs and knees adding miles to my day… yet the “swing weight” of the pole is so light (the projected weight of the pole down to the end of the ground) that I hardly even notice I am carrying them.
That said, I have often wondered if “swing weight” really had anything to do with anything. One doesn’t “swing” trekking poles… they are more or less drug behind you at an angle. On uphills, perhaps, the pole is swung somewhat to provide the motion of the stroke, but I have to wonder if this is significant. I think the benefit isn’t from the “swing weight” but really just from the overall lower total weight.
Oh well! Yet another controversy surrounding gear and it’s “proper” use. (Chuckle) What are the odds … ;)
Jun 28, 2006 at 7:43 am #1358637I’m the one that originally posted the link to the golfsmith shafts. Now I am regretting that post based on my own experience.
I finally got around to making myself a set of poles from the golfsmith shafts and I took them out for a test this past weekend. Well, I broke a pole on the first day of hiking. I was going downhill and planted the pole on a rock and put a fair amount of my weight on it. There was a loud crack and piece of the pole shot forward about 10 ft. It barely missed my hiking partner who turned around, surprised at first, but then started laughing. It was really quite funny.
Anyway, some more facts/observations for anyone who is interested. I weigh around 190lbs plus a 5lb day pack. I had attached a strap to the poles with a prussik knot and was putting more weight on the pole that broke due to a sore foot. Here’s a picture of the broken pole:
I really like the light weight of the poles and will make another. However, I think that I will try them without straps.
Jun 29, 2006 at 4:33 am #1358688Sorry to hear about the broken pole.
I have a pair of telescoping poles I bought from Alpkit in Europe a while back that are made from roll-wrapped CF. I love them and use them once in a while. They have done stress tests of them and were unable to break them with their test rig (that put a lot of off-axis weight on the pole). They intended to test to failure but I don’t think they ever re-did the test like they said they would.
…still they are great poles.
My DIY poles have taken a few “direct hits” and have bent but never broken. Still, I haven’t tested to failure. I do know they will have their limits and that one day I’ll find that limit!
CF fails totally differently from aluminum in that it just snaps. I can see from your posted pics (thanks!) that they just snapped clean off. Strange but it looks like they broke in two places? How did this happen, or did it?
Aluminum would bend/deform and then the tube would crimp and fold.
I think this is a good argument for using tapered poles rather than straight shafts. Tapered poles should be a lot stronger than pultruted shafts, but will be more expensive and heavier unless you can find them in roll-wrapped CF.
BTW, CF prices have gone through the roof and I am told it’s because Airbus is buying huge amounts of the stuff to make their new airplanes. I am not sure if this is true but I do know it has gotten very expensive. The best place I have found on the web to get it is “dragonplate” carbon fiber.
Jun 29, 2006 at 9:16 am #1358701Yes, they broke in two places at the same time! As I mentioned the middle piece shot forward about 10 ft and almost hit my hiking partner. Very strange.
Jul 5, 2006 at 4:06 pm #1358993Had your partner been hit and killed that would fall into the tragic “what a way to go!” category.
Oct 5, 2006 at 1:02 am #1364288Hi
I’ve also made carbon trekking pole but they’re telescopic.
Seize 1m30
Weight 120grs eachOct 5, 2006 at 10:45 pm #1364375> I can see from your posted pics (thanks!) that they just snapped clean off. Strange but it looks like they broke in two places? How did this happen, or did it?
This is actually normal for a high tensile tube when bent beyond its stress limit. It WILL snap in two places at once. You can actually predict this on theoretical grounds – or so I am told.
And it CAN happen to aluminium tent poles too when they are work hardened and bent beyond endurance. But fortunately that was the last night of a 6 week overseas trip …
Jan 2, 2008 at 12:02 pm #1414577Anyone ever use these shafts to make hiking poles? Only 54g. Do you think they would be too light [if there is such a thing]
http://www.golfsmith.com/products/1907W and on sale for 16 a piece.
Frank
Jan 2, 2008 at 3:53 pm #1414602To make a fun driver, I bought a carbon shaft with a "bubble" structure in the shaft about 5 inches below the handle end. The difference in weight is neglible, but the added strength may be just the ticket for trek poles.
The driver is still in one piece and when I really connect it goes 300 yds! One memorable drive went 345 into a wind!Dec 4, 2008 at 8:04 pm #1462217Here's my humble attempt using golf club shafts to make trekking poles:
http://jasonklass.blogspot.com/2008/12/diy-gear-project-homemade-carbon-fiber.html
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:26 am #1462357Very nice Jason! Yet another good creation you've done.
Feb 22, 2009 at 1:11 pm #1479808I wanted to make some MYO CF poles for myself and my wife, after seeing some projects from Jay Ham, Jason Klass and Casey Bowden. Our old poles were about 16oz and 18oz, so I thought we could use a little upgrade. We also bought some REI Peak UL poles (6.4oz) during the big sale recently, which brought the weights down, but we could still go lower, and cheaper.
I sourced some CF poles on ebay, and found some "Saltwater Foam Tapered Grip" fishing pole handles at Cabelas ($5 each 0.625 ID), and topped them off with some Leki pole tips ($13). The poles measured 40", and were perfect for my wife (5’4”). For me, I added a 5" extension, and hid that inside the handle. I glued them together with Gorilla Glue on the handles, and craft glue on the tips. The final lengths were 100cm for my wife's pair, and 115cm for mine.
In the end, the weights were:
Naked poles: 2.8oz
Handles: 1.4oz
Leki Tips: 0.4oz
Total: 4.6oz (100cm), 5.4oz (115cm)
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