UL pyramid/ mid/ tarp carbon fiber/ aluminim center pole. Choices.

I have a 62" pyramid. Easton 0.625" pole. I have used that a lot and seems strong enough. But I don't do 60 MPH mountaineering, might not be strong enough for that.

I have a 59" pyramid. Easton 0.433" pole. I think I'm pushing that. When I tighten all the corners down the pole flexes a little. I might decide to go to a bigger pole. Definitely choose more sheltered location.

Your 50" – 0.433" Easton should be pretty good – 3.5 ounces – you'll still want to avoid hurricanes. I think some people would use 0.625".

0.344" – I think that would be pushing it. I have some that's about that size and it's pretty springy. You could try it and see if it works.

The .433 sounds like a good reccomendation, about 3.5 ounces is a little heavier than I imagined, but still managable.

I have a Hexamid and Joe's pole flexes too much. I replaced it with the Ruta Locura carbon and am now a happy camper (err… Backpacker).

@ Nick: What was the price of your Ruta Locura CF pole? (just curious)

Michael,
Glad you found the Ruta Locura .450: http://www.rutalocura.com/Tent_Poles.html

The Easton .433 sounds almost as good for a little less money.

Sorry I could not be more helpful when you inquired.

I just want to give a shoutout to Mr. Farrington, I read several threads he posted in (long detailed posts) about tent poles and he really knows his stuff!

I am ready to click that buy button though, just not sure where to click!

@ Nick: What was the price of your Ruta Locura CF pole? (just curious)

$60 including shipping.

54" 0.45 Ruta Locura weighs 3 ounces – $60

54" 0.433 Easton weighs 3.8 ounces – maybe $16 including shipping from Quest

I'm guessing Ruta Locura is stronger?

A lot of money to save 0.8 ounces

Jerry,
Don't know about stronger, but guessing also that the carbon RL pole is stiffer.
The Easton .433 poles, although very strong, are made for larger hoop and dome tents, or possible smaller hoop and domes. So they have to be flexible.
(There was a post recently by a guy who bought the .433 for the hoop on the TT Scarp for winter use, and the .433 was able to flex to the arc of the smaller tent hoop.)

The structure and quality of carbon fiber varies so much it is probably a cra*shoot to guess about strength. It might be worthwhile to contact RL first to confirm that the tube is filament wound or wrapped construction. If it is pultruded, not so good. If it is laid up using CF cloth, that is better, but not as good as filament wound or wrapped with the tent pole tube I've been break testing for several years.

With the "Samuel" and "Mr. Farrington," you guys must have me pegged as being a real geez. You are right, but my attitude is getting younger every day. When it reaches around age 6, I'll stop posting and give you all a break. In the meantime … hah!

P.S. Oops. RL says that "The carbon fiber is constructed of a custom multi-directional layup, including a fabric, layer, …" That sounds pretty good.
The price for the .45" diameter pole is $50 on their site.

Easton's site says they have a .490 outside diameter pole with an insert of .433.

I think people here are calling it .433 insted of .490.

Am I wrong?

http://eastonpoles.com/views/tent/expidition.php

I bought the 0.433 Easton poles from Quest

The outside diameter is 0.433. I just measured with my ruler as 0.43 +- maybe 0.01. Outside diameter of insert is 0.36.

Thanks for confirming that.

I wonder if why Easton doesn't list it on thier site.

Bearpawwd sells a .490 od pole with similar weight to the .433. http://www.bearpawwd.com/poles_stakes/poles_stakes.html

Michael,
The 433 and 490 are two different tubes.
Good that you came up with the new Easton spec sheet. For a long time the old one was taken off their site.
The new spec sheet appears to be their new line of alloy tent tubes. The 433 has been eliminated.
But as Jerry points out, Quest still sells the old line, and probably will continue to do so until their inventory is sold out. Maybe Tent Pole Tech has the new line.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you may be overlooking that these Easton poles are designed to bow in hooped tunnel tents and domed structures, or "pop-up" tents, as Roger Caffin likes to call them (derisively?). It is a mistake to think that just because the poles are larger diameter that they will be stiffer, if they are designed and intended to bow. The carbon ones intended for mids, should be much stiffer, like a trekking pole. If you want or are comfortable with your mid pole bowing, then the Easton poles will save you money. If not, a better carbon pole will not bow anywhere near so much. If it does, it is a rip-off, and not worth the extra money. A big plus with carbon can be the stiffness attainable at lighter weight.

Was thinking of this thread today looking at an aluminum alloy avalanche probe, about 1/2" diameter in a shop. It bowed a lot, not as much as a fly rod, but sort of, and I would not want 45-55" of it holding up my mid (if I used mids). It's fine to have poles bow if that is part of the design, but if the design calls for a straight pole, as does a mid, the bowing can cause problems. While it might help when bowed to keep the sag out of a silnylon mid, there are other ways to do that, and a number of mid users have posted here that the bowing and flexing in high winds is a problem. Please let us know what you decide and how it works out.

Can you imagine how much money Easton and the DOD spent deciding what new diameters they wanted for their tent poles?

That makes sense – my 0.433 pole bows when I really tighten it.

Haven't noticed that with the 0.625 poles.

Can you make aluminum poles that don't flex so much? Different alloy? You could have thicker walls, but then they weigh more. You can have bigger diameter, like the 0.625, but then they weigh more. I guess that's why you get Carbon Fiber.

I think I'll continue to use the 0.433 poles.

What happens if it bows too much? Will it fail? The tent will flap around more. Mostly, I try to camp in more sheltered location and in better weather for multiple reasons.

Jerry,

Re: "Can you make aluminum poles that don't flex so much?"

You could take a look at 5/8" aluminum tube alloy cross-country touring ski poles that I have often found at under $20 a pair out of season. Some of them are quite rigid, thin-walled and highly tempered. But haven't weighed any that were less than 1.1 to 1.2 oz. per running foot. For a four foot pole, that would be 4.4 to 4.8 oz, plus the weight of ferrules, tips and shock-cord to make it foldable, which is probably heavier than desired. Note that Swix makes poles that do not taper.

There are also the golf ball retrievers sold in Walmart, etc. K-mart has one called the Intech Ball Retriever that telescopes out to around 9 feet, and is made up of three concentric aluminum tubes. The middle one is about 1/2" in diameter, weighs .76 oz. per running foot and is more rigid than flexible tent pole tubing. That would be 3.04 oz for a four foot pole, plus the weight of ferrules etc. But I don't know how strong it is in terms of resisting permanent bends in a blow. Want to save it as is for stock for when needed for a project. They are about $12 US if I remember right.

There is probably a carbon X-C pole lurking out there that would be stronger, lighter and less flexible. They run up to 160-165 cm, so are plenty long to make a mid pole. And even if tapered at the end, that portion could still be used in the bottom section of the mid pole. Although I don't use mid poles, after this thread, will keep my eye out, especially come late winter and spring when the sales happen.

Nick Gatel,

Now I am highly considering ordering the ruta loctura 3 ounce pole. The weight is good and one selling point is that it breaks down into 4 sections. How long is your pole? And are the sections even length?

Also how is the flex, durability, and appearance of the pole holding up?

Do you use trekking poles? If so, what about using one of your trekking poles with a carbon extension? Ruta makes those as well. Just a thought. Good luck.

Michael,

It is working out well. Much less flex. As far as measurements, I won't be back home for at least a week until I can measure it.

Nick, thanks, let me know if the 4 sections are even length.

Also, did yours come with a metal tip?