Z-fold telescopic poles

[AniOutdoor]

I know some of you have pieced together your own spreader bars for bridge hammocks and tarp pole mods, but has anyone made anything like these telescopic poles by Dan Durston?
https://durstongear.com/product/z-flick-tent-pole

[cmoulder]

I once made a telescopic pole for someone to use with a pyramid style tent. I've been making my own UL trekking poles for years using the same techniques.

If you're a crafty DIY'er it can be done with minimal tools. Here are some resources to get you started:

Poles: https://tinyurl.com/mvrxcd78
Flicklocks: https://tinyurl.com/2kjy45s5
Tips/caps: https://tinyurl.com/yc4xkn8m

Obviously the key is to match inside and outside diameters of the poles. I've used my trekking poles with OD/ID of 13-11mm and 11/9mm and they work fine. But for a stand-alone spreader bar I'd recommend 15/13mm and 13/11mm. Just a (very) rough estimate, but these would weigh about 8oz for the pair. I did make a pair (36" spreaders) once using 13/11 with a 11/9 ferrule to join them and they weighed 5.6oz for the pair.

[AniOutdoor]

After pricing out those poles, it doesn’t seem like the cost is worth it to recreate a set of those z flick poles

[cmoulder]

A lot of DIY projects end up that way — more expensive! — especially if you factor in the value of your time. And, in the end, does it function and meet your demands better than something you could buy?

What got me started into making a few things myself is that they couldn't be bought off-the-shelf. For example, for the DIY trekking poles I mentioned in the previous post I wanted some very light CF poles similar to the ones at Gossamer Gear, but I wanted them to be 2-section with flicklocks. There is no such beast so I started spec'ing out parts for size and fit and finally was able to produce my own. A trekking pole looks like a simple proposition, but when you actually get into the details of how things are cut and glued together, there's a lot of head scratching and trial-and-error. The poles eventually came out great and have lasted thousands of trail miles, and I've made a few sets since. They weigh 4.2oz each and are definitely not for 'bashers' who are hard on gear... very similar to GG LT4S (no longer made) in that regard.

In your first post you did not mention specifically what use you might have for these poles, so I thought perhaps you're looking for something custom made. A collapsible spreader bar using a flicklock is feasible to make, but most are fixed length with 2 or 3 sections joined by ferrules.

I should also mention that those Durston poles' minimum length is 43.5" so if you're going to use them as spreader bars they too will need some modification.

[AniOutdoor]

I have an x-mid, so I was wanting to use them for that as they are intended, but I also wanted to make them extend a bit longer than he sells and be able to put them over a tarp ridge line and attach to side tie outs, or double porch mode with my trekking poles on the opposite side.

[cmoulder]

I have an x-mid, so I was wanting to use them for that as they are intended, but I also wanted to make them extend a bit longer than he sells and be able to put them over a tarp ridge line and attach to side tie outs, or double porch mode with my trekking poles on the opposite side.

OK in that case you might find the max length of 51.5" adequate. I use my trekking poles extended to their max 130cm (conveniently right at 51" ) over the tarp ridge line and it works for me with HG hex tarps. Of course if you have a very large tarp or want your porch mode high enough that you can walk under it without bending over then 51" might not be enough. It would certainly be adequate IMO for the ENO ProFly.

Porch and side tie out-combo pitched...

tarp_ridge_line_02.jpg

And most times a stick will work perfectly if the pole isn't long enough...

hanging_on_myerstech_hybrid_small.jpg