Folding/telescoping sticks

[swampbuck]

These days we've carbon fiber, we've got titanium, we've got retractable cable aiders. I'd hope the logical next step is a stick that either folds or telescopes for better packability. Right?

Seems like the weak link in most everybody's setup is the weight and bulk of sticks. It also seems like there's a lot of innovation coming out of this here website.

So, who's on it?

 

[raisins]

These days we've carbon fiber, we've got titanium, we've got retractable cable aiders. I'd hope the logical next step is a stick that either folds or telescopes for better packability. Right?

Seems like the weak link in most everybody's setup is the weight and bulk of sticks. It also seems like there's a lot of innovation coming out of this here website.

So, who's on it?

Maybe something like a Tethrd One stick. Cut it in half, epoxy an internal "sleeve" in one side that slides into the other, drill hole for a rod that keeps them all together. This could be double as the versabutton and the strap pushes the rod in to keep it in place (so no need for a cotter pin, etc). I'd never cut a Tethrd One stick, but maybe one made out of aluminum round tube. You could put elastic cord inside so that you pop them off and fold over and cord keeps them joined, put the versabutton on a piece of cord so you don't lose it. I'd epoxy the sleeve into the bottom half of the stick. All in all....I'd probably never buy my idea (unless thoroughly perfected).

Patent pending, of course.....

 

[bj139]

Is cost a factor? I think it is for most people. We could get NASA to develop some titanium and carbon fiber sticks but they might cost $10,000 each. They would probably still weigh a pound each. How about a rating system of $ per pound per foot height.

 

[raisins]

Is cost a factor? I think it is for most people. We could get NASA to develop some titanium and carbon fiber sticks but they might cost $10,000 each. They would probably still weigh a pound each. How about a rating system of $ per pound per foot height.

Yeah, the hinge/connection is going to be a weak link. To engineer around that would probably be big money.

But it's still fun to think about!

 

[bj139]

Yeah, the hinge/connection is going to be a weak link. To engineer around that would probably be big money.

But it's still fun to think about!

It is fun. I agree about the hinge. Some of the sticks/aider combinations I've seen people using here are simply amazing for their minimal size and weight. I don't see how they could get much lighter.

 

[swampbuck]

Only reason I see room for improvement is how many pics people show of their packs with 20" sticks bulging 8" out of the top. Man, you couldn't walk in areas I hunt without taking half the vines with you. May as well strap a rake to your back.

 

[bj139]

Only reason I see room for improvement is how many pics people show of their packs with 20" sticks bulging 8" out of the top. Man, you couldn't walk in areas I hunt without taking half the vines with you. May as well strap a rake to your back.

I hear what you are saying. I used to carry my Electrical Conduit Push Pole like shown in my avatar. Ducking beneath branches was not a quiet proposition. I have been using a throwball only for a few months.

 

[raisins]

Only reason I see room for improvement is how many pics people show of their packs with 20" sticks bulging 8" out of the top. Man, you couldn't walk in areas I hunt without taking half the vines with you. May as well strap a rake to your back.

When I ran full length Heliums in WV, my walk in consisted of a lot of "I'll just duck WAY under this overhanging stuff here.....that should be enough clearance.....AH I'm caught on thorns.......now I gotta spend 3 minutes to cut myself free with a hand pruner".

We aren't used to judging that (having a huge fin/hook on your back) in day to day life, and I always underestimated how bad everything was sticking out.

 

[bj139]

When I ran full length Heliums in WV, my walk in consisted of a lot of "I'll just duck WAY under this overhanging stuff here.....that should be enough clearance.....AH I'm caught on thorns.....now I gotta spend 3 minutes to cut myself free with a hand pruner".

We aren't used to judging that (having a huge fin/hook on your back) in day to day life, and I always underestimated how bad everything was sticking out.

Has anyone come up with a method to hang em low without swinging?

 

[kyler1945]

Folding sticks come with a significant weight penalty. Or cost. I didn’t think people would pay 100.00 a stick 2 years ago but here we are. You’re looking at 2lbs per stick if you want it to cost 100.00, or 500.00 a stick if you want to approach a pound. Think about a stick folded in half too - it wouldn’t be very pack friendly. If you rotate standoffs and steps, now you’re at a minute or two just to get the stick in climbing position. Add that to packing and unpacking. And climbing.

telescoping, or two piece is more realistic. Only problem is you have a male connection on one side and female connection on other. The male fits in the female - remember 4th grade biology? You’re looking at at least 1.5-2” to be useful. If you make that joint the versa button location - where’s that at on a 20” stick? It’s about 6-8” from the top. So your male end would have to be on the long bottom end of stick. It would be 12-14”, plus the 1.5-2” of male inner connection. Is the advantage gained by a 14-16” package over 20” worth it? My tinkering says no. This would apply to two piece takedown or telescope. Same principle applies.


it can be done. I hate packing sticks. I don’t use multiple sticks because of this. This would only exacerbate the issue in my tinkering. The only direction to go with sticks is making them lighter. Everything else has already been fleshed out.

 

[Aeds151]

This is why I have gone to 1 stick that fits on my pack with adjustable bow/gun holder. Adjust the bottom portion as long as it will go and the stick will sit lower than your shoulders. Then its back to taking off pack before climbing though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[raisins]

Folding sticks come with a significant weight penalty. Or cost. I didn’t think people would pay 100.00 a stick 2 years ago but here we are. You’re looking at 2lbs per stick if you want it to cost 100.00, or 500.00 a stick if you want to approach a pound. Think about a stick folded in half too - it wouldn’t be very pack friendly. If you rotate standoffs and steps, now you’re at a minute or two just to get the stick in climbing position. Add that to packing and unpacking. And climbing.

telescoping, or two piece is more realistic. Only problem is you have a male connection on one side and female connection on other. The male fits in the female - remember 4th grade biology? You’re looking at at least 1.5-2” to be useful. If you make that joint the versa button location - where’s that at on a 20” stick? It’s about 6-8” from the top. So your male end would have to be on the long bottom end of stick. It would be 12-14”, plus the 1.5-2” of male inner connection. Is the advantage gained by a 14-16” package over 20” worth it? My tinkering says no. This would apply to two piece takedown or telescope. Same principle applies.


it can be done. I hate packing sticks. I don’t use multiple sticks because of this. This would only exacerbate the issue in my tinkering. The only direction to go with sticks is making them lighter. Everything else has already been fleshed out.

If you take a stick used in the usual way (not one sticking) and push all desired parameters to the extreme (light and packable).....you about end up with an ultralight strap on step that is quickly attached to the tree. I think we've figured out all of that except the "quick part". Sticks are thought more secure to the tree, but you can approach their security with a step. The method I used this year is as secure as a stick to me.

Your post inspired me to explore how to use an aider with strap on steps. Just gotta figure out how to get my foot on the loop on the way down (have an idea for on the way up).

 

[Red Beard]

Someone really just needs to create a stick or stick adapter that clips to the riser of your bow or shotgun barrel. I rarely see people complaining about how their weapon gets hung up in stuff.

 

[PapaBear]

These days we've carbon fiber, we've got titanium, we've got retractable cable aiders.

Can you please tell me where the retractable cable aiders are available?

 

[swampbuck]

Can you please tell me where the retractable cable aiders are available?

I was making reference to the ones available on the Timber Ninja sticks:

Timber Ninja Outdoors- Mobile Hunting Equipment 100% USA Made

Located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina- We at Timber Ninja Outdoors work tirelessly to create innovative equipment for the Mobile Hunter. Our mission is to create quality, dependable, safe equipment to use in the field with a focus on being made on American Soil...

www.timberninjaoutdoors.com

 

[Nugget]

Has anyone come up with a method to hang em low without swinging?

I hang my sticks on the side of a predator pack. I also removed the backpack straps and added a sling style strap that allows the sticks and predator to ride along my left side like a haversac/man purse. Extremely comfortable!

 

[frankp]

If you don't mind round tubes, you could easily accomplish a "break down" CF stick using CF kayak paddle ferules. You might want to reinforce the mating surfaces between the ferule parts given compression from weight but that's completely doable.

 

[Plebe]

These days we've carbon fiber, we've got titanium, we've got retractable cable aiders. I'd hope the logical next step is a stick that either folds or telescopes for better packability. Right?

Seems like the weak link in most everybody's setup is the weight and bulk of sticks. It also seems like there's a lot of innovation coming out of this here website.

So, who's on it?

There are already sticks that fold....but they ain’t so portable.

 

[Blacksmith]

All this is exactly why I sewed a shoulder bag to carry 10 strap on steps. I like sticks for climbing but not sounding like a brush hog in the woods.

 

[2Sloe]

Anytime you take one stick and effectively turn it into two sticks that you put back together, whether that be folding, telescoping or whatever, it will be heavier due to the additional hardware needed to make it function. A single tube will always be lighter, unless you turn to exotic materials. But again, if you use those same exotic materials on a single tube, it will be lighter. Question becomes: does the packability improvement outweigh the additional weight penalty? That‘s why the EWO Ultimate one stick is so attractive at less than 3lbs, lighter and more portable than any stack of sticks on the market....today and probably forever. Hard to get a single stick truly under 1lb. Tehrd’s new sticks are one pound, not ”under” one pound and from the reviews I’ve seen, they haven’t been exactly well received due to short standoffs and squeaking. But it’s always nice to dream....