Adding a strap to carbon fiber trekking poles?

[Nick Smolinske]

I’ve done a bit of research on this topic and I can find several people asking for a way to do this, but no solutions.  Usually just comments about how people don’t need the straps.

Anyway, I’ve got Locus Gear CP3s and love the poles, but I’d like to put a better strap in them somehow.  Here’s my current plan, but I’m not sure if it will work:

1. Drill a hole though the grip *and* through the center of the pole
2. Thread some thin but strong cord through the hole and tie a knot in it.  I have some lawson 3mm glowire I could use
3. Make a strap modeled after the BD z-pole straps, but more durable as those seem to fall apart

The issue for me is that I have a feeling that the raw edge of the drilled holes through the carbon fiber will destroy the cord in short order.  Also, it could compromise strength of the poles.  Any thoughts on that?  I could drill a wider diameter hole and insert some vinyl tubing for protection.

Another option would be to remove the grips altogether and come up with a replacement.  I could basically make my own minimalist grip, I’d just need to find a way to keep it from pulling up off of the pole in use.  No need for padding around the pole for my hands, so 16 oz hypalon might be a good material for the grip.

Last, a preemptive strike: someone is sure to bring up how they don’t need straps . . . and guess what?  Hike your own hike!  This forum doesn’t need another straps versus no-straps discussion, so don’t start one here.

[Greg Mihalik]

This is a “rubber expansion nut” –

TrueValue, in my town of 5000, carries them.   They come in a variety of thread sizes, outside diameters, and lengths.  Cut off the “top hat”, insert thread end down into the top of the pole. (This assumes you have a supportive grip. CF by itself won’t handle the lateral stress.)

This is a “grommet strap” –

Cut it in half. Sew anything you like onto it. Insert the bolt through the grommet, and thread into the modified expansion nut.

This is virtually identical to what you get from GG –

 

…. and is the same “technology” employed in the adjustable poles.

 

[Franco Darioli]

Black Diamond sell replacement straps that maybe could be adapted , like these ones :

the one for the Z poles is available too.

or you could look at a spare handle like these :

http://www.cascademountaintech.com/Hiking-Pole-Accessories-Replacement-Parts-s/225.htm

you need to search to find out if they could be adapted or not.

Usually those handles can be removed by immersing in hot water and then twisting them off.

[Nick Smolinske]

Hmm . . . I doubt the Locus Gear grips are supportive enough for the expansion nut.  Seems like it would be really hard on the carbon fiber.

The Cascade Mountain Tech option looks like it might be really nice, and not that expensive.  I searched for a long time for replacement grips and couldn’t find anything other than the GG ones.  Does anyone have a pair of those who could tell me the diameter of the upper section?

[Nick Smolinske]

Well I just got back from a walk around the local downtown gear stores here in Flagstaff.  Took a small ruler with me and measured some trekking pole diameters, and also compared grips from different manufacturers.  I liked the Leki Journey grips, as well as the Black Diamond Syncline and Trail Pro.  All have the same 16mm upper shaft diameter as the CP3s.  So right now I’m leaning towards replacement grips from either Leki, BD or Cascade Mountain Tech.  I’m not sure if Leki or BD will sell me just the grips or not, we’ll see.

[Bob Moulder]

The photo below is something I came up with last fall and which I used for quite a few trips in order to test durability, and it has held up well.

Simply make a hole in the top of the grip in order to access the CF tube, insert a small piece of foam about 1.25″ down into the CF tube to make a “dam” and then fill the tube with some hot glue and let it cool thoroughly. After it cools, drill a pilot hole for a screw and then use a 1″ long drywall screw to anchor a GG-style strap assembly. You might be able to use some other kind of screw, but the reason I like the drywall screw is because it is the same diameter for its full length, with no taper that might split the hot glue anchor.

[Nick Smolinske]

Bob, that looks awesome, thanks for posting!  Looks like a great solution for those who put a lot of weight on their poles (like me).  I just cut the top off of one of my CP3 grips and they actually have an expansion nut-like thing in there without much area to hold it, but I think the grip provides some strength as well.

My only concern would be the drywall screw stripping out but it sounds like it’s working well for you.  Did you happen to weigh it to figure out how much weight the glue added?  If it’s negligible you could easily go up to a longer drywall screw for a minor penalty.

The only thing now would be to figure out how to add some nicer straps with that design and keep them adjustable.  I find that basic webbing straps are a bit too rough on my hands when doing long hikes off-trail (which is when I use the poles most heavily).  I liked both the Leki and BD straps that I tried in the store, but they are designed for use on a grip with a built-in adjuster.

I’m still gonna give Leki and BD a call about grips on Monday, but this idea is appealing.   I think the CP3 grips are probably lighter.  I could even cut the grips completely off if I wanted, although I don’t think they weigh all that much.

[Bob Moulder]

Nick,

I don’t know how much weight the hot glue added, but it isn’t much. I usually go strapless (as per photo) and my MYOG poles weigh 4.29oz each without straps. For the straps I use 3/4″ webbing and a ladderlock adjuster, a la GG. Oh, and I also use a brass grommet in the doubled-over strap end where the screw attaches it to the pole.

When I removed the straps this spring, there were absolutely no signs of stripping — very solid arrangement.

As for comfort, the straps feel pretty good for a few hours, although later in the day I wish they had some cushioning. Not long ago I glued some 3mm neoprene to them with contact cement to see how that works. I went ahead and remounted them to the poles so you can see what I did. I think I’ll use them a while and see how it goes. The neoprene was glued on with Dap Weldwood contact cement. The 3mm neoprene is available at seattlefabrics.com.

As below, the strap with neoprene weighs 15.1g but I forgot to put the screw on there, which weighs 2.6g, so the total is 17.7g (0.62oz) per strap.

This photo shows the screw as it is being installed to demonstrate how many threads are engaged. At this point it is screwed in perhaps 4 or 5 threads, so you can see that for this application the 1″ drywall screw is plenty long.

Finished straps, ready to rock. Still under 10 oz for the pair.

 

[Nick Smolinske]

I ended up copying your work, Bob!  So far it seems really nice.  Now that I’ve played around with it firsthand, I think the most likely failure scenario is actually the head of the screw shearing off.  So I would advise anyone doing this to finish installing the wood screw with a regular screwdriver and not a power drill.  That should stress the top of the screw less.  It still makes me a bit nervous.

I made one change from what’s shown in Bob’s photos – I put the ladder lock buckle on upside down, which makes the loose end come out pointing downward after you double-back through the buckle.  This way I don’t have to tie it off to get it out of the way.

I’ll use them for a little bit before adding neoprene, to make sure I don’t need to make any changes.  I think I’m gonna use hot glue for the neoprene, just because it’s so easy compared to contact cement.  Plus no fumes.

As far as the replacement grip option goes, I got an email back from the Cascade Mountain Tech folks today.  They say that their poles are 15mm wide at the top, only 1mm smaller than the CP3s.  So I think that those would be an easy option as well.  They didn’t have any advice on an easy way to take the grips off the poles.

[Bob Moulder]

Nick, nice to hear it worked out for you.

I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the stress on the screw head, although it is good that you mentioned tightening it by hand and not using a power drill. I think there’s more danger of stripping the threads that way, which is why I always tighten them by hand and snug them down juuuust so.

The poles above are my ‘test bed’ set for trying different ideas — hence the odd holes in the grips :^) — and they’ve got a few hundred miles on them with no problems. In the end the anchoring method is an adaptation of how GG does the LTS… hard to make it more simple than that.

Let us know how the upside-down ladderlock works, and the hot glue for the neoprene. I’ve done only a few short hikes using the neoprene but my impression is that it’s an improvement. Perhaps if they were used for a long thru where exposure to occasional long days of rain were certain, it might be a good idea to tack-stitch the edges of the neoprene and webbing every half inch or so, just in case the glue is compromised by constant exposure to moisture.

 

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