trekking pole / back up paddle

[sbroam]

Anybody over look at using a trekking pole as a shaft for a spare paddle? The idea crossed my mind the other day while in a store when I passed a cheap trekking pole... I've googled the idea and it seems that the pack-raft crowd does some of that, but they are using kayak paddles, like this one :

https://www.alpackaraft.com/index.cfm/s ... PolePaddle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Being a cheap-o canoe paddler, I want to make something of my own... I've got a couple of candidate blades and can probably get a trekking pole cheap/free...

[ezwater]

The ones I've seen appear too thin and weak. They are very strong for linear compression along the axis, but not for bending. Maybe there are exceptions available for a reasonable amount. But a canoe paddle shaft must bear strong bending loads as well as linear compression.

[Smurfwarrior]

I too think the walking/trekking pole would be too wimpy... I would think though that a quality collapsable wading shaft made for walking in whitewater while you flyfish would be stout enough though..

[sbroam]

I was planning to use it skinny end up so the thick end would be there between shaft hand and blade where the bending forces are greatest. I bought a budget Fox Worx paddle for a long flat water race recently and was initially nervous at how skinny the grip end was but it held up fine to 52 miles of hard hammering. The last trekking poles I laid hands on were cheaper Coleman ones and they seemed beefier (and heavier) than the nicer ones. This would be intended for light duty use but a step up from that cheesy spare dinghy paddle PAC has Still mulling this over...

[Paddle Power]

The concept might work. Mitchell paddles also has a narrow shaft diameter near the grip.

FYI, I converted a mountaineering snow shovel into a spare break-a-part paddle. See:
http://www.lssd.ca/~bjohnston/FOV1-0003 ... lugin=Loft" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Test your work before packing it for a real trip!

[arhdc]

I like to think of myself as being as cheap as the next guy (well, maybe not PAC ) but lets be real here folks. $15 at Wall Mart will get you an el cheapo telescoping paddle that is 1000x better than nothing and a total turd to use. After that we get into the realm of backup paddles that actually work well. There are a lot of things that can be cobbled together but for my money I say that the $150 spent on an Aqua Bound Edge breakdown is hard to argue with. I have a three piece and have used the two piece ones as well and they both work great. I don't mind using my breakdown when I forget my paddle at home because it works so well. To me that is the standard and it's a hard one to achieve with something that is cobbled together at home. Don't think of it as an emergency paddle so much as a spare paddle. Mine has gotten way more use than I ever would have thought and has been well worth the money invested.

[magicmike]

+1 on the Edge 3 piece. You even get to pick where you want the breaks.-M-

[Paddle Power]

Of course, even though I posted the converted mountaineering snow shovel break-a-part paddle (from years ago) I do have a couple of Aqua Bound Edge breakdown paddles (a two piece as well as a three piece). Both are great and well worth the cost. At least with a Aqua Bound Edge breakdown paddle because it is a real paddle you can use it as such.