[pct-l] Trail Gear - Pole Tips

[DayLate07 .]

I've used a picnic table too.  Slid the pole end between two board on the
table and find a spot where the pole just fits but the end will not go
through.   Then just pull up sharply and it will sometimes just rip the
ends off.  The nice part of this is no tools required.

If they are glued on and won't budge I've found I could cut them off with a
wood chisel.  Just work your way from the top of the tip downward and the
plastic splits pretty easily.  Of course I rarely carry a wood chisel
with me on a thru hike.

Day-Late



> >
> > Great ideas for replacing pole tips I?ve never thought of.  Heating them
> > up and twisting them off with a chord!  I?ve gotta try it.  And as said
> > before, it?s not the carbide, it?s the plastic holding the carbide that
> > gives up, allowing the carbide tip to push up inside and become useless.
> > Then if I?m trying to get a good grip on rock with plastic it?s not good.
> > On a sandy trail you won?t notice the difference, but on tough terrain,
> > that carbide is important for grip.
> >
> >
> > I use poles really hard and go through 3 sets of tips per thru hike, so
> > I?ve gotten good at replacing them.  Most folks don?t need to change them
> > that often, but I beat them up but good over the miles.
> >
> >
> > The first time I had to replace a tip myself was the day before Idyllwild
> > and I whittled it off with a knife.  The plastic is tough and it took
> > forever with the little knife I had.   But it worked and the tip came off
> > easily once I?d cut through, and off I went with a new tip, only to have
> > the second pole?s tip give up the next day.  When I got into town, the
> guy
> > at the gear shop showed me how to easily replace it with a pair or pliers
> > and I?ve since modified the technique for doing it on trail without the
> > pliers, and it?s quick and works every time.
> >
> >
> > If you?ve got access to pliers, a hammer or large rock and another
> person,
> > have your buddy hold the bottom section of the pole in both hands.  Then
> > grip the shaft loosely with the pliers just above the plastic fitting and
> > give the pliers a good whack with the hammer or rock and the tip pops
> right
> > off.  It?s always come off with the first blow in spite of the glue.  I
> > like to scrape that glue off with the blade of a knife and put the new
> tip
> > on clean aluminum, but I don?t know if that?s really important or not.
> > Bang the pole and tip on a tough rock or pavement really hard several
> times
> > and you?re good to go.  I?ve never had one that I?ve replaced fall off on
> > trail.  They wear out again, but stay put just fine without glue.
> >
> >
> > In the field I look for a fairly large rock with a broken edge that is a
> > bit sharp and a second smooth one for pounding.  Have a friend hold the
> > bottom section of pole with two hands and put the sharp edge of the first
> > rock on the upper edge of the plastic tip.  Give it a good blow or two
> with
> > the rock and it?ll pop right off.  I?ve done a good bit of pole repair
> with
> > this technique on my own poles and many others in just a few minutes on
> > trail.  So, if you?ve got extra tips in your pack  there?s no need to
> wait
> > till town.
> >
> >
> > I?ve also found that if one tip goes, the other will probably die within
> a
> > day or so, and I always replace them both when I either have a pliers or
> > have just the right rock.  Oh, and in a pinch off trail I?ve used a screw
> > driver held against the top of the plastic fitting and whacked it with a
> > hammer.  The main thing is a sharp blow aimed directly at the top edge of
> > the tip.
> >
> >
>