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Post by ryans309 on Feb 9, 2017 9:45:47 GMT -8
Hey everyone!
I dont know if this is the proper place to post this but I am an engineering student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. My team has been assigned the task of creating "multifunctional hiking stick." We are not allowed to come up with what is multifunctional in the poles. We are to ask people what they want so we can create something the people want. So if you wouldn't mind answering some questions I would REALLY appreciate it!
What kind of hiking do you do?
Do you use hiking poles while hiking?
If yes, what poles do you use?
What are your dislikes?
What are your likes?
What would make them better?
If no, why not?
What would make you want to use poles?
What are the main things you pack in your backpack?
Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack?
What do you want quick access to in your pack?
How often/long are you on the trail?
What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole?
How much would you spend on a “multifunctional” hiking pole?
Thank you guys for all of your help!
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 9, 2017 10:22:20 GMT -8
What kind of hiking do you do?Mostly on trail, multiple overnights.
Do you use hiking poles while hiking?Yes.
If yes, what poles do you use?Have used Lekis, but now own Black Diamond
What are your dislikes? I do not like the springs that go with shock absorbing types.
What are your likes? Cork handles, tilted
What would make them better?
If no, why not?
What would make you want to use poles?
What are the main things you pack in your backpack?Sleeping shelter, food, clothing, kitchen gear.
Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack? No, and certainly nothing I can imagine a trekking pole would help.
What do you want quick access to in your pack? Rain gear, and the tarp I use to set up when it is raining. This tarp allows me to set up the tent out of the rain.
How often/long are you on the trail? Multiple week long trips per year. Not many just overnighters.
What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole? An ultralight umbrella, to keep the sun and rain off.
How much would you spend on a “multifunctional” hiking pole? Depends on what the other functions are. $150 doesn't seem too much, if they are as strong as the current market, and have some useful add on. The problem, as I see it, is that "useful" is subjective. My trekking poles already do double duty when they hold up the tent, in lieu of tent poles.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Feb 9, 2017 10:26:14 GMT -8
Sometimes.
Black Diamond and Komperdell (I think)
Two more things to take on the trip
Cork handles; depending on my shelter they hold up/stake out my tent/tarp
Invisibility and 0 grams
Food, clothes, shelter, FAK, cooking stuff
Not much
Clothes for rain/snow and cold
Not enough - by a long shot
Beer
Depends on weight, features, etc. Carbon fiber is obviously much more expensive than aluminum, for example.
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amaruq
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Call me Little Spoon
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Post by amaruq on Feb 9, 2017 11:09:10 GMT -8
I don't currently use poles, but I'm considering at least one for an upcoming trek. Primarily for use as a third (and fourth?) leg in swift river crossings. I know already I won't like any shock absorbing types.
I don't need any further functionality than adjustable, lightweight, and sturdy, and many hikers probably agree with that. Rather than incorporating something into the poles, how about incorporating the poles into something else? That would still meet your multi-functional criteria. Purpose-built pole-supported shelters are easy enough to come by these days, but how about something like an ultralight cot designed around the poles?
Is it useful? I don't know. Will it give you something to work on for your school project? Probably.
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markskor
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Post by markskor on Feb 9, 2017 11:32:24 GMT -8
What kind of hiking do you do? Off trail, high and deep Sierra - fishing mostlyDo you use hiking poles while hiking? yes If yes, what poles do you use? Black Diamond Ergo corks What are your dislikes? weight...also dislike any poles with a "shock" feature. What are your likes? everything else What would make them better? 3-section pole, flick locks, cork handle, CF on top two sections and aluminum on the bottom section.
What are the main things you pack in your backpack? Tent, sleeping bag, kitchen/food, sleeping pad, extra clothes, and fishing gear Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack? no What do you want quick access to in your pack? nothing...(Megan Fox?)How often/long are you on the trail? 100 nights a year What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole? maybe an "easy to use" sling camp chairHow much would you spend on a “multi-functional” hiking pole? ~ $150 |
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Post by Coolkat on Feb 9, 2017 12:30:35 GMT -8
What kind of hiking do you do? Mostly on trail multi-day hikes
Do you use hiking poles while hiking? Yes.
If yes, what poles do you use? Leki Super Makalu
What are your dislikes? The stupid anti-shock system (noisy and doesn't do any good)
What are your likes? Cork handle
What would make them better? A threaded hole to mount camera
What are the main things you pack in your backpack? tent, sleeping bag, food, clothes
Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack? Nope
What do you want quick access to in your pack? Rain poncho
How often/long are you on the trail? Multiple week long trips per year. One 7-10 day trip and several long weekends
What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole? A threaded hole to mount camera
How much would you spend on a “multifunctional” hiking pole? $75
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Feb 9, 2017 13:03:30 GMT -8
I'll skip to the heart of the matter -- what new feature could be incorporated into hiking poles that adds a new functionality:
- Compass built into the top of the handle. I'm sure someone has done this before but I'm not aware of it being offered currently.
- A way to capture and store energy from the poles that could be used to charge/run electronic devices.
- I don't fish, but I wonder if the pole could be made to function as a fishing rod.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Feb 9, 2017 13:39:42 GMT -8
The cheesy little compass I've seen in the handle of hiking sticks were not so impressive. I like my real compass that doesn't have air bubbles to knock the compass off north. And a hiking pole is not 'whippy' or long enough to be a fishing rod. That would be an impractical, unworkable meld.
I hike off trail and on.
My poles are used for stability in unstable terrain, for propulsion/joint relief on the trail, for a selfie stick with the StickPic, for tent poles or tarp poles, for stream crossings, for fending off snakes or dogs, for knocking ticks out of the shrubbery in front of me, for reaching things that slip out of reach off a hillside or in ditches. I've used them to shove aside poison oak leaning into a trail.
I use a cheap pair of metal poles off trail, and Gossamer Gear Lightrek 4s on trail. The cheap pair fold into five sections, and tolerate impacts on the horizontal axis so if a boulder strikes them/I run one into a rock they don't break as carbon fiber would, and also, I won't cry if the $40 poles are broken, but I would if the $150 8 oz pair of carbon fiber poles did.... I have had the GG poles for nearly a decade.
I want quick access to lunch and rain gear. They are in the top of the pack for that reason.
I hike every weekend. I have three 5+ day outings planned this year, and will do single and two night outings each month, year round.
My poles are multifunctional enough for my purposes. Adding anything to them would affect packability or durability.
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Post by dayhiker on Feb 9, 2017 14:40:54 GMT -8
Multi use?
1) Mono Pod, I have actually put one on. The ones that are pre made are not as good as Black Diamond Poles
I sometimes take a third pole to make a tripod with some bungy
2) of course you can use them to put up a shelter (rather than using tent poles)
3) ice ax (some ski poles have this)
4) chair - I think there are some models already out there, I have not been able to make one yet.
I do like durable ones that don't slip over anything else.
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Post by trinity on Feb 9, 2017 15:11:43 GMT -8
What kind of hiking do you do? Day hikes, 1-5 day on trail backpacking trips.Do you use hiking poles while hiking? When backpacking, yes, when day hiking, no. If yes, what poles do you use? Locus Gear CP3s. What are your dislikes? Foam grips, thin straps.
What are your likes? Very lightweight, nicely balanced, sturdy for an ultralight carbon fiber pole. What would make them better? Cork grips. If no, why not? What would make you want to use poles? What are the main things you pack in your backpack? Tent, clothes, sleeping gear, cooking ge ar. Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack? Not really. What do you want quick access to in your pack? Rain gear, emergency equipment (plb, etc.), water.How often/long are you on the trail? Lots of day hikes, 8-10 backpacking trips a year, 1-4 nights. What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole? Chair. Fishing pole.How much would you spend on a “multifunctional” hiking pole? It would have to be a pretty cool hiking pole to make me buy a new set and give up my CP3s. I already use mine with my flat tarp and my duplex, so my poles are already multi-use. I think it would be very difficult to come up with a better multi-use purpose for trekking poles than structure for a shelter. |
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Feb 9, 2017 19:23:00 GMT -8
I use Leki Ultralight Ti Trekking poles. I want my poles as light as possible. Therefore, I want nothing incorporated my poles.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Feb 9, 2017 19:25:41 GMT -8
I use Leki Ultralight Ti Trekking poles. I want my poles as light as possible. Therefore, I want nothing incorporated my poles. Same here. They're also my tent poles. |
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Feb 9, 2017 20:22:18 GMT -8
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toejam
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Hiking to raise awareness
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Post by toejam on Feb 10, 2017 5:31:03 GMT -8
I want my poles as light as possible. Therefore, I want nothing incorporated my poles. I think it's a pain in the ass to have a pole in each hand, but is becoming more necessary the older I get. And I do need a pole in each hand - a single pole doesn't catch my stumbles. My poles are used to hold up my tent, so that makes them multi-functional. |
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Post by Lamebeaver on Feb 10, 2017 7:44:00 GMT -8
What kind of hiking do you do? on and off trail hiking and snowshoing
Do you use hiking poles while hiking? yes
If yes, what poles do you use? cheap (usually Swiss Gear)
What are your dislikes? easily bent
What are your likes? cheap
What would make them better? less easily bent
What are the main things you pack in your backpack? sleeping bag and pad, tent, food, fishing gear, etc.
Is it a hassle to get things out of your pack? no
What do you want quick access to in your pack? water filter, camera, rain gear, pant legs
How often/long are you on the trail? typically 2-4 days (1-3 nights)
What would be really cool to see incorporated in a hiking pole? most have changeable tips/baskets which is an important feature.
How much would you spend on a “multifunctional” hiking pole? very little. It's a hiking pole, the high tech equivalent of a stick.
Afterthought: I've seen trekking polls that have a cap you can screw off, exposing a camera mount. This might be handy for someone that takes lots of pictures. I also use a trekking pole as the center pole for my primary backpacking tent, but this doesn't require any special adapters, etc.
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