Thanks the replies! I will have to check out those buttons and see if I can make those work.
Thanks the replies! I will have to check out those buttons and see if I can make those work.
Very helpful, Countrybois. Thanks for taking the time to answer so quickly. Not in full agreement about the forces on the poles, but I like the way you analyzed the problem. Decided to test for myself, so order for Pole-guardz on the way. Trying the poles, too (flip-locks).
8oz per pole does not seem exceptionally light to me. My Black Diamond aluminum poles are 9.5oz each. As Countrybois described, I think the intended load on a hiking pole catching your body weight in a fall (with the pole fully extended) is greater than the forces when used as a spreader on a bridge hammock.
I don't stumble often, so the extra force on a trekking pole while hiking is infrequent. Every time I get into or out of my hammock, there's extra force on one side. Moreover, the hammock suspension makes it a bending force, as well as a compressive one. Repeated flexing weakens things. I think catching yourself when you trip creates almost entirely compressive forces. We hear about pole locks slipping pretty often, but not much about sprained wrists. I wish we had testing that would show if hanging forces on a trekking pole are really greater than falling while hiking. I'm dubious.
Last edited by WV; 03-05-2023 at 22:07.
There are a lot of dynamic factors at play, but I agree with you that falling forces are usually far greater than compression forces when hanging. With hanging, the pressure is usually directed straight down the shaft with no lateral load, which is the real pole killer.
I once made a pair of uber-light spreader bars, 3.6oz for a PAIR of 36" poles, and actually slept on them for 4 nights, after which Sidneyhornblower (Drew Boswell) used them for about 20 nights or so (IIRC), and then I gave the whole setup to another HF member and I don't know how many nights, if any, he actually used them. BUT they are admittedly rather delicate and deep into stupid light territory. I also tested with my MYOG carbon trekking poles that weigh 4.2oz each and never had a problem.
I tried to make the conversion to bridge type hammocks, or at least work them into the rotation with my GE hammocks, but I have zero issues with GE and simply couldn't justify adding more gear, especially bridge-friendly tarps. However, if I did I would not hesitate to use the 4.2oz trekking pole spreaders, which felt plenty solid enough for me @170#.
Towns End prototype with Uber-light spreader bars... total 10.8 oz or so... (Just Bill had some proprietary design bits in the hammock ends which is why they're blurred out)
Last edited by cmoulder; 03-07-2023 at 08:32.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
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