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Can you build a 1.3 pound stick

When drilling holes in DIY climbing sticks to lighten them up, how big of holes and how far apart is recommended? I've got 1/8" wall 1" square tubing. I go 270 or so with gear on.


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PJC said:
When drilling holes in DIY climbing sticks to lighten them up, how big of holes and how far apart is recommended? I've got 1/8" wall 1" square tubing. I go 270 or so with gear on.


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I suppose it is all a guess. How safe I am not sure. Maybe that is why there is no response.

I will tell you what I have done and I have tested my sticks a bit but not for a season
1. My sticks are 1/16 wall
2. I weigh 200 pounds with no gear
3. I drilled my sticks on all 4 sides with 1/2 holes one inch centre to centre of holes apart
4. Holes are drilled straight through side to side but staggered 1/2 inch on the other side

The weight saving is not huge on a 1/16 stick but is more on a 1/8

The Infant sticks no longer have holes in them as far as I know which may say something for a stick designed for 300 pounds




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Ontariofarmer said:
I suppose it is all a guess. How safe I am not sure. Maybe that is why there is no response.

I will tell you what I have done and I have tested my sticks a bit but not for a season
1. My sticks are 1/16 wall
2. I weigh 200 pounds with no gear
3. I drilled my sticks on all 4 sides with 1/2 holes one inch centre to centre of holes apart
4. Holes are drilled straight through side to side but staggered 1/2 inch on the other side

The weight saving is not huge on a 1/16 stick but is more on a 1/8

The Infant sticks no longer have holes in them as far as I know which may say something for a stick designed for 300 pounds




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I think the reason his are being made with no holes is the cost of manufacturing them with the holes drilled in them. I climbed his sticks once with the holes in them and they were solid. I don't know if his sticks are 1/16" wall or 1/8".


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Dan probably figures if people want to lighten up their sticks they can drill their own stinking holes. Lol


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GBlevins92 said:
Yes they measure 24 1/2" now and yes I did definitely lightened them up!
d1ae3323113e8dae30b68267bf0cbde1.jpg



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Are those 1/2" holes on 1" centers?


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PJC said:
Are those 1/2" holes on 1" centers?


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Yes sir, well 7/16" actually mostly because I had a brand new 7/16" bit in the tool box but I think 1/2" would have been fine.


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I kept the holes away from the standoff’s and cam cleat on mine
There is a lot of stress at those points


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PJC said:
I think the reason his are being made with no holes is the cost of manufacturing them with the holes drilled in them. I climbed his sticks once with the holes in them and they were solid. I don't know if his sticks are 1/16" wall or 1/8".


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I think my sticks are good for me but time will tell.
 
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Babshaft said:
I called hawk in February and asked if they'd sell me the standoffs. They said no, because they receive the sticks completely assembled and packaged from the manufacturer. I said what happens if I break a standoff and want a new one? They said, send it to us and we'll give you a whole new stick. Damn them and their great customer service haha. Pay attention to how much you cut off. If you keep it ~ 8", and use the left over middle steps you'll be able to create a set of micro sticks as well. Then you can swap the standoffs from your 2 step modififed sticks to your micro sticks when you want. If you like the micro sticks, you'll just need to order standoffs for them. If you buy lone wolf standoffs and file a ~ 1/2" wide, 1/8" deep groove vertically in the face where it mounts to the stick, it'll work on the heliums. You'll know what I mean once you get your set and see the profile on the heliums.

I hope that makes sense and helps!
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@Babshaft & anyone else that may know

-Have u put LW stand offs on heliums before?

-If so, did they stack good?
(Seems like wouldn’t be as compact)

-can they lock together with Versa button fitting into a hole of next stick?
(It seems like the sticks would sit higher/further apart and possibly not allow button to reach)

-Did u have to make any attachment bolt holes bigger ( I think they use different screw sizes)?


I’m probably gonna get some & cut in half to make 6 sticks at 15” with longer aiders.


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Tapeworm said:
@Babshaft & anyone else that may know

-Have u put LW stand offs on heliums before?

-If so, did they stack good?
(Seems like wouldn’t be as compact)

-can they lock together with Versa button fitting into a hole of next stick?
(It seems like the sticks would sit higher/further apart and possibly not allow button to reach)

-Did u have to make any attachment bolt holes bigger ( I think they use different screw sizes)?


I’m probably gonna get some & cut in half to make 6 sticks at 15” with longer aiders.


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I didn't try the lone wolf standoffs. They'll definitely not stack well with those standoffs. They don't stack well with their own standoffs haha. You're right about them needing a hole on the back side for them to sit well with the versa button. DaveT did an excellent job showing that in a video. I didn't have to make any holes larger.

My opinion (so it isn't worth much haha) is that if you're going to make a micro stick: go small. Instead of cutting them in half, try an 8-10" stick with a 5-6 step aider. You'll only need 3 to get to 20+ feet.

Let me know if you need any parts, or if you want me to ship you a micro stick to try out.

Cheers,
 
I need the capability to reach 40-45ft so definitely trying to reduce bulk.

I’ll need 6 sticks with aiders.

I like the price, weight & folding steps of helium.

Problem is no way to get additional factory stand offs so need to order a bunch of LW stand offs & versa buttons.







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PJC said:
Dan probably figures if people want to lighten up their sticks they can drill their own stinking holes. Lol


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When @DaveT1963 and I were up there with him, he let us take a look at his sticks. We didn’t climb any trees with them, because we were covering too much ground to stop.
From the time we got to look at them though, they were light as heck, and felt solid as a rock.
 
I would go with the Wild Edge Stepps you could carry 12 with a moveable aider or kaider and probably get that high.
Tapeworm said:
I need the capability to reach 40-45ft so definitely trying to reduce bulk.

I’ll need 6 sticks with aiders.

I like the price, weight & folding steps of helium.

Problem is no way to get additional factory stand offs so need to order a bunch of LW stand offs & versa buttons.







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donnieballgame said:
I would go with the Wild Edge Stepps you could carry 12 with a moveable aider or kaider and probably get that high.

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With those I would use 5 or 6 like BassBoy also with long aiders for a 7-8ft per move but the learning curve is worse for those I think.
I’m not gonna have a lot of practice time.

I’ll end up getting WE Stepps eventually though.

I liked the pic of the cam cleat on a WE & that would help ease the transition so maybe tinker with some later in the season.




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So what has everyone done with their steps they have had left over after cutting down their Helium’s???
 
Tapeworm said:
With those I would use 5 or 6 like BassBoy also with long aiders for a 7-8ft per move but the learning curve is worse for those I think.
I’m not gonna have a lot of practice time.

I’ll end up getting WE Stepps eventually though.

I liked the pic of the cam cleat on a WE & that would help ease the transition so maybe tinker with some later in the season.




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I have three unused, brand now cam cleats for sale. PM me if interested.


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My sticks have been rock solid for me this year. The only thing I want to do diffident get rid of the LW standoffs and put on either beast standoffs or the look alikes being manufactured by one of our members. I’m not recalling his site right now. He makes steps for sticks as well. Anyone know who I’m talking about?


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Found it. Dano, doublesteps.com


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