Threaded insert in trekking pole handle

[KnuckleChild]

I thought about this on a spring bear hunt. Sometimes just to get a break from sitting or craning my neck I’d just stand and sort of clamp my tripod legs over the top of a trekking pole adjusted to the right height and glass with my binos that way. Obviously not the same as a tripod but worked well enough.
Thought about drilling into the top of the handle and putting a stainless threaded 1/4-20 insert in there to thread the pan head into. Anyone try this before?

 

[Beckjhong]

Yup. It’s as legit as it sounds.

 

[KnuckleChild]

Yup. It’s as legit as it sounds.

Any recommendation on depth? Seems obvious but just making sure I’m not forgetting/missing anything before I start making holes

 

[MtnMuley]

Curious to hear how it goes, as I had the same idea a few years back for backcountry glassing. I had planned on leaving an ultralight ball head attached the whole time while using the poles while out hunting. I have a designated pouch on my AGC harness to carry my Outdoorsmans bino adapter that'd spin on in a few seconds.

 

[Beckjhong]

Use a tee nut and a piece of all thread so you can adjust the height and stow when not in use.

 

[Drenalin]

I have a Promaster tripod that I shortened two of the legs on, but left the third leg full length so I can take it off and use it as a monopod when I don't want to carry the tripod. I was surprised how well the monopod works with binos, just to get some stability for a quick look around. I don't know if I'd use that monopod as a trekking pole, but I'm pretty sure the trekking pole with an adapter would work fine as a monopod. I wouldn't want to sit with one for very long, and none of my trekking poles would be long enough to use if I were standing (which ironically is when this would be most useful), but yeah...it can work, with some limitations.

 

[KnuckleChild]

Yea I wouldn’t want to use it all day, and would still bring a tripod, but I was also surprised when I stuck the tripod on top the trekking pole how easy it was. I glassed for a good hour standing like that and the only thing that really got tired was my hand squeezing the tripod onto the pole.
I’m gonna dig around the hardware store and see what I can come up with.

 

[Drenalin]

I think you're looking for a 1/4-20 threaded insert and a 1/4-20 stud, maybe a little epoxy for the insert. You'll probably have better luck ordering online, but might have to buy a lot more of them than you need.

 

[KnuckleChild]

I think you're looking for a 1/4-20 threaded insert and a 1/4-20 stud, maybe a little epoxy for the insert. You'll probably have better luck ordering online, but might have to buy a lot more of them than you need.

Yea. Was looking at brass or stainless inserts with 1/4-20 internal threads and a flat head groove, like you use to conceal threads on some carpentry projects, but they’re expensive. Stainless T nuts are cheaper, still have to order a whole bag. Probably do that and devcon them in. I think I have a bag of stainless studs around from rigging up a bow stabilizer a while back but I wanna say the threads on stabilizers are bigger than 1/4. May swing through one of the specialty fastener places around town before I order 20 of something.

 

[philintheblank]

My local home depot has threaded inserts for sale by the peice. Check the specialty parts bin beside the loose nuts and bolts.

 

[Bendejo]

Not to take away from the diy spirit in this thread, but single trekking plies with a 1/4"20 cap are available on Amazon for about 25-30 bucks and come with a few rests for gun, cellphone, etc


Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

 

[fivebikies]

Not to take away from the diy spirit in this thread, but single trekking plies with a 1/4"20 cap are available on Amazon for about 25-30 bucks and come with a few rests for gun, cellphone, etc


Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

That is what I use, handle screws off and can fit camera or a gun rest/vee

 

[KnuckleChild]

Had to hit home depot today for something else and poked around the specialty fasteners, found enough stuff to make it work for about 6 bucks.
No glassin type hunts planned for this season so this will sit on the back burner until a rainy day, but I’ll update this thread when I get around to it.

 

[Packin_packout]

You can get a male stud with little detent ball with 1/4x20 shank on it and corresponding female socket that has the exterior knurled from mcmaster-carr. I jb welded that female piece into top of the pole assembly. That allows me to use the poles like a bipod with the old stoney bipod. Use that same male stud on outdoorsman bino post for mono pod. Use another one bottom of my slr. This gives me a mono pod. Similar to what you are trying. Allowed me to ditch the long leg Harris setup and do sitting shots off of sticks really quickly.

 

[KnuckleChild]

Stuck in the house and had some time to mess with this.

It did not go as smoothly as planned. I almost ruined the hand strap drilling in and had to play around to fix that. With these trekking poles about half the the depth that the insert is set in is a soft rubber. I didn’t epoxy it for this reason, and instead set it with E6000. It’s in there but there’s a lot of play if you really force it due to the rubber. Not sure how it’ll hold up with binos on top.

In hindsight it may work better on some other poles, but like mentioned above I’d have probably been better off just buying the cascade mountain tech pole on Amazon for $35 that has the threads with a cork cap already in it.





I’m gonna get the lightest/cheap ball head I can find and take it along for hunts when glassing isn’t the primary plan (like archery elk this fall).

 

[KnuckleChild]

So this did not hold up when ball head and binos are on it. The rubber is too soft and the insert moves even with the glue. Ended up just cutting my losses and getting the single trekking pole monopod on Amazon.