Poles for Tarp

[Aidan]

I'm toying with the idea of some poles for my Wilderness Equipment Overhang UL tarp.

http://www.wildernessequipment.com.au/d ... de=WEOHSIL

I've made do up to now by usually utilising what ever's been handy in situ but having seen some pics of tarps in action recently with the use of poles thought I'd get some opinions and experiences of those in the forum.

I'd be aiming for lightweight and elasticated as my camping gear is hauled via my bicycle and weight and bulk need to be kept to a minimum.

Not sure exactly what to aim for, be it some UL alloy tent poles from a company like Macpac etc
Haven't put a lot of thinking into it just yet but first thoughts were two poles of two meters tall (of course approx. 1 foot lengths joined by elastic cord).

Tarp to be used for multi purposes and I just thought some poles might add some more utility to it.

Any thoughts/suggestions/ideas/drunken ramblings?

What say you?

PS. The UL Tarp is relatively recent addition to my gear as my previous budgets leaned me toward the like of BigW trailer type tarps.

[Aidan]

Ok,
I've started trolling through the threads via the search function "tarps" and have come across a couple of companies selling poles of varies materials (alloy/fibreglass), thicknesses (diameters) etc.
http://www.ansco.com.au/Tent-Poles-Acce ... s/1925.htm
and:
http://tentpoletechnologies.com
http://www.questoutfitters.com/tent_poles.htm
http://www.remoterepairs.com.au
http://www.finnindustries.com.au

I see Moondog got hold of some poles from Rays Outdoors so I'll likely pop in there for a squiz and in Edgewater WA, BCF is right next door.
Perth City has the usual suspects as far as camping/outdoor shops so its likely availability isn't an issue.
I guess its more a question of type, corded or not (for height adjustment) etc and likely the many things that have yet to spring to mind.

[Moondog55]

The poles from Rays are not light enough for walking and not really all that strong
Use the longest possible section length
At 2000 tall you will need a decent diameter pole, the 20mm / .742inch
I have a .625 for my Moss Pentawing and it is borderline at 1750 tall

[perfectlydark]

Would extended walking poles be high enough for you? I know your on a bike so dont have much other use for them, and not sure how they would compare in weight but the work well with tarp setups. They collapse fairly small too, you coukd get some cheapies on ebay maybe as durabikity probably not such an issue?

[highercountry]

Hilleberg Tarp Poles.

http://us.hilleberg.com/products/accessories/

19.5mm diameter, 390 grams ea, 186-214 cm high. Break down to 52cm sections, shock cord joined.
These poles raise a tarp high enough to stand upright under.
I carry 2 of them bike touring where weight isn't that much of a bother.
I wouldn't walk with them. Adds nearly a kilo to the load.
I think you've probably seen these photos Aidan;

[Mickl]

I have one of the smaller one of these for a Mid shelter and it works well. Not bad prices as they are from NZ as well.

http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents ... e_165.html

http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents ... e_235.html

[Franco]

Note the 16-17mm for 160-170 cm but 20mm or so for 200cm.
The TT 127 cm poles are 12.4 mm.

[Aidan]

Hilleberg Tarp Poles.

http://us.hilleberg.com/products/accessories/

19.5mm diameter,
These poles raise a tarp high enough to stand upright under.

I think you've probably seen these photos Aidan;

Hi Tim
19.5mm?
OK so standard skinny Macpac poles are unsuitable for the job then.
Wow, thats thicker and heavier than I expected.
Thanks for the link (Hilleberg)
Yes it was admiring yours and WarrenH's pics of campsites utilising tarps that re-ignited my interest and inspired my thread.

[Aidan]

Note the 16-17mm for 160-170 cm but 20mm or so for 200cm.
The TT 127 cm poles are 12.4 mm.

Hi Franco,
thanks for the heads up

[Aidan]

I have one of the smaller one of these for a Mid shelter and it works well. Not bad prices as they are from NZ as well.

http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents ... e_165.html

http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents ... e_235.html

Hi Micki,
Thank you for the link

[Aidan]

The poles from Rays are not light enough for walking and not really all that strong
Use the longest possible section length
At 2000 tall you will need a decent diameter pole, the 20mm / .742inch
I have a .625 for my Moss Pentawing and it is borderline at 1750 tall

Great tips
Thanks Moondog55

[Franco]

Aidan,
I never made the connection till just then...
The next time the circus is in town , I'll go and measure their poles.

[Aidan]

Would extended walking poles be high enough for you? I know your on a bike so dont have much other use for them, and not sure how they would compare in weight but the work well with tarp setups. They collapse fairly small too, you coukd get some cheapies on ebay maybe as durabikity probably not such an issue?

G'day Perfectlydark
Well worth looking at as a possibility.
Likely to be too short for some of my intended use but interesting just the same.
I recently saw some pics of RonK's intended http://www.tarptent.com/protrail.html which appears to utilise walking poles which piqued my interest.
Your post may well see me follow up with a shop trip for a visual and touch test.
Thanks for the contribution

[Aidan]

Aidan,
I never made the connection till just then...
The next time the circus is in town , I'll go and measure their poles.

I know some of the ULers will suggest I wouldn't likely notice the extra weight of a circus pole added to my Minaret.........

I'll go get my red nose....

[Gold Coast]

Hi Aidan,
Maybe you could get away with only one pole, plus a single tree on the other end.

Tim, in your photo's, is there a reason why you didn't use a tree to tie off one end.

[NathanaelB]

This is the pole I have, bought it from Amazon. I don't know if it's light "enough" and I wouldn't take it unless I knew there was a very good chance I'd need it and wouldn't be able to improvise anything suitable: http://www.amazon.com/Kelty-41981003-Ad ... 001M0NVGC/

[Gold Coast]

I'm in the same position as Aidan, wanting poles for a tarp and bicycle touring.

I'm thinking of buying seperate 430mm pole sections, but not using a shock cord to connect them.
That way, I can use different heights for differing conditions and set ups.

Is it nessecary to actually have the shock cord tieing all the sections together, so that the poles stay up.

[Aidan]

I'm in the same position as Aidan, wanting poles for a tarp and bicycle touring.

I'm thinking of buying seperate 430mm pole sections, but not using a shock cord to connect them.
That way, I can use different heights for differing conditions and set ups.

Is it nessecary to actually have the shock cord tieing all the sections together, so that the poles stay up.

I was actually having thoughts of a similar nature Gold-Coast.
When I did my Mudgee NSW to Perth ride, it was pointed out to me how lowering my tarp could affect temperature and keep me warmer as the temps dropped along the journey.
When I posted I'd only been thinking about a "stand-up" setup, having been looking at both my recently under utilised tarp and photo's like Tims above.
My last couple of tours have not incorporated my bivvybag but one of my tents and I think your right in that polls without the shock-cord might be more user friendly for my over all usage.

[Mickl]

Several problems with poles without shock cord I can think of. One would be that you could potentially lose pieces, the bottom piece always has a cap to stop the pole filling with dirt etc and the shock cord is what holds the sections together when linked to stop them being loose and wobbly. The pole I linked to above is linked with shock cord but the top section has a piece that can be moved in and out and locks in place to lengthen or shorten the pole.

[Joomy]

Lightest adjustable, burly tent poles that I've found: http://www.rutalocura.com/Tent_Poles.html

The .600" (15mm) 4-section pole + adjuster extends to about 187cm and weighs about 170g according to them.