Sunday, November 8, 2015

Aluminum Telescoping Hiking Pole with Camera Mount!

I know many of you read RV Sue’s blog, as do I, and I have been intrigued lately by the hiking pole she keeps talking about that her friend Mick obtained for her… but… she hasn’t said much about it.
You see, my wife and I both have hiking poles that her sister got for us one year, and we love them! My wife’s is made out of bamboo, with a rubber tip and a compass built into the top, whereas mine looks like a “hickory stick” with a rubber tip and leather wrist lanyard at the top. Unfortunately, the height is set, and although ours work OK for our 5′-10″ frames. I doubt if they would be comfortable for shorter people, unless you “choke up” on them like you would with a baseball bat!
Like I said, they’re “OK” and better than nothing, but not quite ideal. Many times we like to take a camera with us, and now with nearing the time when we can get out more, it’s going to be even more important to provide more pictures for the blog. And of course, a steadier camera means better pictures. So having that hiking pole fitted with a camera stud on the top of it, and height adjustable too, so we don’t have to stand on our tippy toes to see the viewfinder… well… that’s darned near ideal!
Also, our hiking poles have rubber tips on the bottom, and I guess that’s OK for some things, like walking on a gym floor, or slick tile. But how often do you do that outside?
If you’re climbing around in the rocks and suddenly have to fend off a mad varmint, it would be like hitting him with a marshmallow! And we’ve all seen dogs or coyote’s attack sometimes for no reason. I think I would prefer to have a little more “punch” at the end of the stick than a piece of rubber!
And in a minivan in particular, space is a problem. Even though I have designed the storage to be able to hold some long items, the BBQ forks and fishing poles might have to take precedence. Having a hiking pole that would collapse to a much shorter length would be a definite advantage, and this one has it all.
Well, guess what! I located that aluminum telescoping walking stick with a carbide pointed tip on the bottom, and a campera tripod on the top, and I”m going to make it available right here! And if any of you feel obligated because of the information I’ve been giving, it would sure be nice to put a few cents in the kitty by using my link! It doesn’t cost you any more to do that than it would to go straight to the source. Maybe it would help offset the cost of the reclining couch/bed I’m still working on for the minivan. But that’s up to you. It’s here if you want it.


And speaking of the minivan project, it’s taking a little longer than normal because I am using some leftover 3/8ths plywood to build it rather than go out and buy new lumber, and the plywood had to be glued together to make it 3/4-inch thick. I only had so many clamps, so I had to do only a couple of pieces at a time, but that part is all done now. The pieces are cut to their rough sizes, and now I have to sand the edges smooth, and cut all the notches that let everything interlock together without tools. Then I’ll give it a coat of sanding sealer, which is a laquer-based product designed to keep the splinters to a minimum. Then I’ll fine-sand it before painting it all with a Hunter Green color, and then add the hardware.
It’s not going to be absolutely perfect, because after all, this is a prototype. I’m more concerned with getting all the measurements right, so I can get those dimensioned drawings done for the ebook. If after using it for awhile, I find it necessary to change anything, I’ll make any minor changes to it and then rebuild it with some nice solid hardwood and finish it off to match the burled cherry of the trim in the van.
Keep in mind, I also have other projects, like a storage cabinet to go behind the driver’s seat which will hold the porta-potty, compressor type refrigerator and the microwave, plus a drawer and even a printer. You may not need the printer, but we do for our web work, and the shelf for it supports the drawer, so if you don’t need a printer, you can use the shelf for other things.
And behind the passenger seat will be a cabinet for the portable sink, with a 5-gallon gray water tank under it, which will be close to the side door for ease of service. So for those that have hung in there this long, you might want to hang around even after the book comes out because I may have some updates and improvements to mention as time goes on. And besides, I plan to have at least four other books on this general topic of camping and RV’ing with other projects in them. But that’s for “then” and this is “now”… and “now” it’s time to get some dinner!
Let me know how you like that hiking pole. I know I’m going to get one!

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