Easy 3.2oz (x2) Trekking Poles

Now THAT is a MYOG project that I could (and would) actually do!

A couple questions, so I can do the same:

Was the shaft you ordered the "GolfGear LMP-105 Driver Shaft X-Flex 46" w/ .335 Tip"?
What kind of epoxy did you use?
How long did they end up being (in CM)? I'd be looking for 130cm.

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks for the link to Dallas Golf. I've been wanting to make a pair of fixed length poles and their shafts are the cheapest I've seen.

Total length is 48.25 in. (122.55 cm). I'm 6'0" and this seemed pretty right to start. The epoxy is a typical two part tube that I had in the garage like this…

Close ups of tips and grips…

Hope that helps. Good luck.

A couple of thoughts:

Getting a 47" driver shaft ($5.99) would probably make a 125cm pole, unless my math is wrong. That's an extended length for a driver; ideally I could get a cheap 48" but I'll have to look around.

The shipping charges are the same as the two poles, but it's still cheaper than buying (and MYOG is always fun).

Thanks!

I think you could squeeze and extra inch with the standard pole. Originally, I pushed the grips on and felt they were a little long for me so I really jammed them down. As you slide the grips on you can roughly feel how far in they are by bending the grips. But these grips are fairly sturdy so I think they don't need to all the way down. If you get the longer shaft and then keep the grip up an inch you can probably squeeze two extra inches to 50"+ (127-127.5 cm). Close…

Also, there are other brands of tips out there. They may be longer by a bit as well.

They also make shaft extensions that you can epoxy into the large end. I had to do that in order to get the right length for me. They are cheap and also lightweight.

Ryan

Just an update. I used my poles for the first time this past weekend. A 40 mile/3 day AT trip in Connecticut. Poles worked great. No issues with performance. They felt plenty strong when I put my weight on them (199.99 pounds + pack). Grips are perfect.

I will say that there are some times in flat areas that having collapsing poles might have been nice. You get stuck using them when you really don't need them or want them. However, a young and poor thru-hiker we met was cursing when his collapsable pole mechanism broke and he had to venture out the next morning with one pole and no resources to replace it. So maybe solid poles aren't so bad after all?

Otherwise all I had hoped for.

Do you know what other brands or places to buy the shafts? I m from argentine and the shipping cost of dallas golf is too expensive for buying only 10 dollars of products.
Regards

Sorry, all I did to find these was a google search.

Great MYOG!

I also wanted some fixed-length trekking poles, but I started with some carbon ski poles that already had leki-style tips. These are Volkl Magisticks from REI that I bought at the end of the season last year for around $45.00. My thinking was that these poles were constructed to handle the forces that a skier would put on a pole, i.e. planting the pole with a certain amount of force, and that would translate well to a hiking pole. I don't really know anything about carbon construction other than what I've skimmed about bike frame manufacturing, though.

I removed the plastic grips with boiling water. I added EVA foam grips from Mud Hole (from this thread: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=80497). These easily slide on; I haven't added any epoxy yet, but eventually will add a dab at the top to make sure they don't slip. I do like the slim profile of the grips, but if they leave black residue on my hands once I get a chance to use them, then'll I likely get the GG grips, too.

Final weight is 4.7 each and about the same cost.