I recently made a set of two carbon fiber poles as a pole-mod for the side pull-outs on my Hammock Gear 4S Cuben fiber tarp using supplies from Goodwinds. I used the following:
SkyShark P300 Non-Tapered Wrapped Carbon Tubing (.292" OD, .244 ID)
Carbon Tube Ferrules 4.0" x .240" to join sections
Solid Carbon Ferrules 2.75" x .240" to attach arrow nocks to the ends
Apex .240" Nocks for the ends
.234" and .281" vinyl end caps to protect the ends of the CF tubing
Each pole is 48.75" overall, made up of 19" and 21" end sections and a 6.75" center section. The nocks add 1" to each end. The 19" end sections have 2" of ferrule sticking out of them, making them the same overall length as the 21" end sections. With the nocks, each end section is 22" when disassembled. I have been toying with the idea of fitting my frameless backpack with little webbing pockets so that the 22" end sections can double as pack stays.
By leaving out the center section I can rig my tarp with 42" poles instead. The shorter length seems to work better when the tarp sides are pulled down low for the weather, while the longer length is needed if the tarp is rigged flatter, like when it is in porch mode. The poles are pretty stiff, but work quite nicely if sized properly. I did lots of testing before cutting anything.
The total weight for both poles, with protective end caps, is 2.9 ounces. The nocks and ferrules were glued in place with IC-2000 rubber-toughened cyanoacrylate glue (from my local hobby shop). This glue gives you at least 30 seconds of working time, sets really quickly after that, but should flex with the poles because of the rubber in it.
If I made the poles again, I would use the tube ferrules throughout instead of the solid ferrules. The tube ferrules are more than strong enough for the job and should save at least a gram or two.
Taylor
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