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  1. #1
    Countrybois's Avatar
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    Ridgerunner Spreader Bar Options

    So I got a new Ridgerunner to try again and have been looking at what current options there are to lighten the package if I wind up using it for long trail hiking.

    The current spreader bars that ship with the RR are a 3-piece pole for the head and 2-piece pole for the foot. The foot poles are a smaller diameter and therefore nest inside the head poles making essentially 3 poles for packing. Mine weigh in at 12.7 oz.

    The default lightweight option seems to be the carbon fiber poles by Ruta Locura, so I ordered a set of those as well. He offers either the same setup as the Warbonnet set (5 poles which nest together) or a slight lighter, and longer, 4-pole set that I believe would still nest one foot pole. Essentially, you would still be down to 3 poles to pack, they would just be longer than the 5 pole set. I got the 5-pole set and mine weigh 6.4 oz. A nice savings of 6.3 oz.

    I was also curious about using trekking poles as spreader bars. So in my Google-fu I found the best solution would be trekking poles that had a removable handle cap designed to be used as a camera mount. Leki used to have a version like that and Mountainsmith has an aluminum option. But then I found Cascade Mountain Tech has a new set of Carbon Monopod poles available! I have been using their trekking poles for years now in various iterations (aluminum, carbon fiber, 3k carbon fiber) and have been very pleased, so I ordered a set of the Monopods to give them a try.

    Well..... I haven't had them out in the field yet, but I think they are near perfect! I had already installed a set of Fugal Bridge Buttons and honestly, those and the CMT poles seem like a system custom made for the Ridgerunner.

    A set of the Monopods weigh 17.6 oz. (With mud baskets) which is 1.5 oz heavier than my 3k Carbon poles. (I'll make a couple mods to lighten them some) The Monopods fully stowed are 28.5" which is the exact size needed for the foot pole. Extend the other to the 130mm mark and it is the same size as the stock head pole.

    I weigh 185 and there was no sign of slipping, in my initial test anyway. I'm taking it out this weekend and will report back.

    So many options now.... Bring no spreader bars and use the trekking poles, bring only the CF foot pole and still have one trekking pole for porch mode/ tarp spreader pole, or bring both CF poles and have both trekking poles available.

    Also...CMT has a 20% sale going for labor day. Code LBDAY21! Bad part is the discount makes the order less than the $60 free shipping threshold.

    Nope...not affiliated with CMT or Nick Fugal....just found a system that appears to work great and thought I'd share.

    Now...I hope I like the Ridgerunner


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    Last edited by Countrybois; 09-02-2021 at 10:33.

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  2. #2
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Countrybois, that’s quite a savings in weight and additional gear. But it does come with a price in “fuss factor”. For example, if you want to use those poles for a day hike, they have to be dismantled from the bridge and reset later. Your footer pole seems easy-peasy because you said its minimum length is the exact size for that end of the Bridge. But you said the head end needs to be adjusted to 130 cm. That’s about the max distance on my normal poles. My concern is with the locking mechanism. I usually tell new hiking folks that the hiking pole’s purpose is to provide a bit of balance support, and it’s locking mechanism was not designed take a person’s full weight. Over the years I’ve seen the locking mechanism evolve and now-a-days it seems most use a more reliable external clip of some sort instead of the internal expansion screw.

    But I’d be concerned about the compression forces that pole and lock have to deal with. Once I had a pole slip out of it’s holder (wasn’t in correctly to begin with and I was too lazy to double check it during setup). Not only did it punch a hole through the ripstop nylon SpinDrift cover, it continued to hit a fence five feet away with enough force that it bounced back to the hammock. It’s been reported that when some people shorten the bridge’s suspension lines too much (in an effort the shorten the required tree setup distance), the resulting compression force can break the aluminum poles.

    I know you are not shortening the suspension lines. My point is, there may be a lot of compression force on that header pole lock, so though it’s a weight saving, the setup is not to be taken … lightly
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  3. #3
    Countrybois's Avatar
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    Sorry... I was not clear on setting the head end pole. The bottom section is left fully compressed and the top (thicker) section extended to the '130mm' reference mark, not measured at that length. There are reference marks on the poles itself. I was referring to the 130mm reference mark.

    The proper head pole length is 39".

    The poles would not be supporting full body weight by any means. I am sure there is a physics-type person who could tell you exactly what compression forces they would have on them, that's not me.

    Care should be taken in all we do. Thanks for the reminder!

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  4. #4
    Senior Member ChacMool's Avatar
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    Once, when I realized while setting up the hammock that I'd forgotten to pack the RR poles (!), I used my carbon fiber Pacer-Poles in the hammock that night. It took some fiddling, but worked out fine. It may not matter so much which hiking poles you get for this purpose, at least in a pinch. Its nice to have this as an option.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rouskof's Avatar
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    That looks neat. Mine has little flat pieces of metal where to insert the spreader bars. I suppose they got rid of those a while ago... I only hike with a single pole. I remember I used to think I could use the longer spreader bar and my pole to build a shelter with my tarp just in case I would have to spend the night beyond the tree line, as I find the RR particularly suitable to bring when going in places where you wouldn't expect to find many hanging options with big trees. The Lynx UQ and some dry grass would be an acceptable sleeping pad for a night. I even had the half UQ thinking I could carry a light half pad for the feet and therefore have the two options - to hang or not to hang - ^^ - but eventually found the pad system, even if it was just for the lower part of the body, was not comfortable enough, compared to the full-lenght UQ.
    I know there is also a system to hang with a single attaching point and your hiking pole, for example. I'd be interested to try that with a big rock and the RR. I once hanged from a rock but my suspension rubbed the rock all night, got badly damaged, and I was lucky I didn't end up on the ground. Didn't investigate more into which attaching system to use with rocks. Also one would still have to figure out a way to hang the tarp in that scenario.
    Last edited by Rouskof; 09-03-2021 at 11:19.

  6. #6
    Countrybois's Avatar
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    The poles held with no problem. Works just like I'd hoped.

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  7. #7
    Mescript's Avatar
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    Those bridge buttons are almost a requirement as often as I've heard people poke holes in their tarp.

  8. #8
    New Member
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    Still working?

    Countrybois curious if this solution worked long term?

    Genius idea.


    Quote Originally Posted by Countrybois View Post
    So I got a new Ridgerunner to try again and have been looking at what current options there are to lighten the package if I wind up using it for long trail hiking.

    The current spreader bars that ship with the RR are a 3-piece pole for the head and 2-piece pole for the foot. The foot poles are a smaller diameter and therefore nest inside the head poles making essentially 3 poles for packing. Mine weigh in at 12.7 oz.

    The default lightweight option seems to be the carbon fiber poles by Ruta Locura, so I ordered a set of those as well. He offers either the same setup as the Warbonnet set (5 poles which nest together) or a slight lighter, and longer, 4-pole set that I believe would still nest one foot pole. Essentially, you would still be down to 3 poles to pack, they would just be longer than the 5 pole set. I got the 5-pole set and mine weigh 6.4 oz. A nice savings of 6.3 oz.

    I was also curious about using trekking poles as spreader bars. So in my Google-fu I found the best solution would be trekking poles that had a removable handle cap designed to be used as a camera mount. Leki used to have a version like that and Mountainsmith has an aluminum option. But then I found Cascade Mountain Tech has a new set of Carbon Monopod poles available! I have been using their trekking poles for years now in various iterations (aluminum, carbon fiber, 3k carbon fiber) and have been very pleased, so I ordered a set of the Monopods to give them a try.

    Well..... I haven't had them out in the field yet, but I think they are near perfect! I had already installed a set of Fugal Bridge Buttons and honestly, those and the CMT poles seem like a system custom made for the Ridgerunner.

    A set of the Monopods weigh 17.6 oz. (With mud baskets) which is 1.5 oz heavier than my 3k Carbon poles. (I'll make a couple mods to lighten them some) The Monopods fully stowed are 28.5" which is the exact size needed for the foot pole. Extend the other to the 130mm mark and it is the same size as the stock head pole.

    I weigh 185 and there was no sign of slipping, in my initial test anyway. I'm taking it out this weekend and will report back.

    So many options now.... Bring no spreader bars and use the trekking poles, bring only the CF foot pole and still have one trekking pole for porch mode/ tarp spreader pole, or bring both CF poles and have both trekking poles available.

    Also...CMT has a 20% sale going for labor day. Code LBDAY21! Bad part is the discount makes the order less than the $60 free shipping threshold.

    Nope...not affiliated with CMT or Nick Fugal....just found a system that appears to work great and thought I'd share.

    Now...I hope I like the Ridgerunner


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  9. #9
    Countrybois's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NJ Peaks View Post
    Countrybois curious if this solution worked long term?

    Genius idea.
    Everything is still working great except I kept breaking the Bridge Buttons. I reached out to Nick Fugal the maker of them and he agreed they probably weren't up to that.

    So.... We made our own.

    https://www.namagear.com/product-page/pole-guardz




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  10. #10
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    Ha! Well that answers that. Just got these poles as well they were on sale.

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