Bridge Hammock with SYCLONE MAX POLES (.446")

[DerNageler]

I am purchasing some poles from Quest for a bridge hammock. Does anyone have any experience with the Syclone Max Poles 0.446"? The diameter is a little less and they are supposed to be stronger.

Would they work? Or is the 0.625" the way to go?

[Just Bill]

Simple answer- .625" is the minimum you should use to about 225lbs.

Practical answer- If you have to ask the question then the answer is no.

Mildly thoughtful answer- I don't know a ton about them but I believe the point of those poles is to flex more without breaking- not ideal in a bridge.
"According to a Popular Science study, they are 80% more resilient to failure and bending fatigue than aluminum in wind and flex testing. Syclone poles flex farther and take more turbulent abuse than any other pole material tested while still returning to their original structural shape and weigh less than aluminum poles. They described them as the most resilient tent poles ever developed "

Long answer:
I believe I am still the only one to build a bridge with .490 poles. Those were the Easton Aluminum version. I would imagine a properly laid up CF pole could go, but Cmoulder has thus far built the lightest working set I am aware of, which was put into one of my SUL bridges for folks under 200lbs. But those were closer to 5/8" diameter and the Ruta Locura poles I use are .600".

You'd have to be fairly light, and have a very well designed bridge to pull off the .490 poles. Again- it looks like the Syclone is designed for lateral loading (wind loading) which likely comes at the cost of compression/tensile strength as that is really not that critical in a tent pole.

Looking at the pole on quest... 18" with ferrule is 1.0 oz, 18" with Ferrule is .8 ounce. Double that for 3.6 ounces and add 14g for tips and you're a hair over 4 ounces for a pair.
Heavier than the set Cmoulder built, but lighter than the 5.5 ounce set I use from Ruta Locura.

A Ruta Locura set (you can ask him for my 36" Happy Medium Set) is worth the 1.5 ounces extra in my opinion. Best balance of UL without going stupid light.

The .490 set I built is a 26" set and was about 114g total with no ferrules. (4 ounces)
I was able to build a working set with ferrules but it was fairly sketchy and used for FKT attempts only.

Again- you need a well designed bridge... and a high tolerance for risk.

Not talking shmack as it's a good general design- but the Bic/Hiker Dad bridge is not on that list.
To be fair none of the common options for DIY or commercial use are optimized for SUL poles.
Keep in mind- that is my very bridge designer snobby statement referring to the absolute lightest possible bridges- which really is not a goal many folks have. In general if you're going for a bridge you can probably spare an ounce or two of peace of mind so there is very little need or motivation for 99.99% of folks to push things that far. Not to mention not much use in risking a lawsuit for a vendor. The ones I sold were only to trusted folks who understood exactly what they were getting.

Also keep in mind- I was told some of things I have done could not be done.
So while you did ask the question and the answer is quite probably no... don't let that stop you if'n you feel strongly about it.

[DerNageler]

Thanks for the information, this is helpful. I was just going to make a hikerdad bridge. I wrote Ruta Locura regarding the happy medium set. We shall see what they say.

What bridge designs to you recommend?

[cmoulder]

I'd like to buy a piece of this stuff just to get a rough feel for its side deflection.

But .446 sounds awfully skinny for a spreader bar, especially with a material that is designed to flex more.

I'm not really a bridge hammock guy but this little engineering challenge always lures me in.

[Just Bill]

Thanks for the information, this is helpful. I was just going to make a hikerdad bridge. I wrote Ruta Locura regarding the happy medium set. We shall see what they say.

What bridge designs to you recommend?

The Hikerdad bridge is a good place to start, with the added bonus of being able to purchase a precut kit.
Much like the RR- it's a decent 'one size fits most' option.

After that:
WV's PBH (peoples bridge hammock) is a great place to start if you find the Bic bridge is 'close' but you'd like to tune things up a bit.

If you can take it on- The Ariel from Grizz is a nearly ideal backpacker's bridge.
Recessed bars allow a more compact pitch, more 'bang for your bar' and amsteel in channel suspension is a big upgrade.
But it is a difficult build.

Like anything- if you don't have a problem- gear can't fix it. So get that Hikerdad bridge built and if it works- you win. If not, keep searching for a winner.
Most importantly- once you find one you like you can stop sewing and go use the gear.

[Just Bill]

I'd like to buy a piece of this stuff just to get a rough feel for its side deflection.

But .446 sounds awfully skinny for a spreader bar, especially with a material that is designed to flex more.

I'm not really a bridge hammock guy but this little engineering challenge always lures me in.

yes- I took a quick hard pass on those for myself but my curiosity was up a little. I've pancaked a few tents over the years so I have some appreciation for the idea ... but no viable application these days.
I'm picturing these as something that would have survived where other pole sets died when the wind was too extreme. During the storm- I suspect you'd still get flattened out- but the next morning there would be less carnage to clean up. Good for tents, I'm not sure it would really make a difference on an internal pole mod for a tarp.

On the scale- you're not that far ahead compared to the Nanolights either- but you do get a better bend radius which would be nice for a bivy.

[cmoulder]

Haha, yeah I think they're going to be great for their intended application but way too noodly for us. Need something a bit more al dente.

[DerNageler]

I watched the Engineering the Ariel GRIZ Video. Good Stuff! Thanks. It doesn't look like too much. I have a bunch of 1.6oz. Hyper D and 1.7 oz. MntX and still have a large amount of a spool of Amsteel and stuff. I like the design of the Ariel. Very nicely thought out.

[DerNageler]

I.have search for info on the peoples bridge, but all I can find is a video of WV getting in and some discussion of people saying it is a good design. Is there more detailed info?

[packman9000]

The Hikerdad bridge is a good place to start, with the added bonus of being able to purchase a precut kit.
Much like the RR- it's a decent 'one size fits most' option.

After that:
WV's PBH (peoples bridge hammock) is a great place to start if you find the Bic bridge is 'close' but you'd like to tune things up a bit.

If you can take it on- The Ariel from Grizz is a nearly ideal backpacker's bridge.
Recessed bars allow a more compact pitch, more 'bang for your bar' and amsteel in channel suspension is a big upgrade.
But it is a difficult build.

Like anything- if you don't have a problem- gear can't fix it. So get that Hikerdad bridge built and if it works- you win. If not, keep searching for a winner.
Most importantly- once you find one you like you can stop sewing and go use the gear.

Not to sidetrack this discussion on OP, but on a related question: Since there's less stress on the foot end, have you tried building a RR-style foot end with an Amsteel-in-channel head end? I talked to Josh at Ruta Locura about having a 600 at both ends and he recommended the 710 up top due to the heavier load from the torso; as the longer of the two bars I get that it would be more susceptible to bending. I'm wondering, in the interests of reducing stress to go for a lighter head bar (perhaps SUL, but I'm just wondering aloud) and a potentially shorter tree allowance if that would make a difference...if you've noticed anything mixing and matching spreader styles, and if it would be worth it, or any downside.

I can afford to move things around a bit because I weigh only 140 on a good day.