Stick clip for airplane travel??

 Anyone have a suggestion for a telescoping pole to use for airplane travel (i.e. that fits in a duffle)? I know how to improvise a stick clip, but I'd rather have something more reliable. 

The Epic folds up to 18 inches.

http://www.epicsport.com/products.400.html

Not sure how TSA will react if you try to carry it on.

The Trango compact beta folds up to 27 inches but is a little more fragile. But more useful for clipping pre-hung draws.

http://www.trango.com/p-266-beta-stick.aspx

+1 for the beta stick. It’s definitely not the best stick clipping device but it’s extremely compact and fits inside a carry on. Other option is obviously just to take your super clip head and buy a pole whenever you get to where your going. 

I use a 265 cm aluminum avalanche probe with a superclip attached to the end.

My partner bought a Callaway golf ball retriever, removed the head and made a super-clip attachment. Then he got a fishing pole carrier and takes it carry-on to the plane. It’s a little wobbly/flimsy at full extension but works reasonably well for putting draws on. It stays open from friction so it doesn’t handle compression well and isn’t suitable for removing draws or clipping in the rope.

The Beta works good. I have flown it all over. I like the bring a superclip with you and buying a pole though too. 

Kalius makes a really good and compact one

Mike Byrnes wrote:

+1 for the beta stick. It’s definitely not the best stick clipping device but it’s extremely compact and fits inside a carry on. Other option is obviously just to take your super clip head and buy a pole whenever you get to where your going. 

I recommend bring a roll of climbing tape, when you get to the crag find a long sturdy stick and tape a quick draws to the end of it, clip it and rip it. I'm from the East coast though, not sure how well that would work for desert climbing. 

Jake Gounaris wrote:

I recommend bring a roll of climbing tape, when you get to the crag find a long sturdy stick and tape a quick draws to the end of it, clip it and rip it. I'm from the East coast though, not sure how well that would work for desert climbing. 

I think the east coast is the only place you really need to stick clip everywhere I have been on the west coast I can clip the first bolt from the ground with my hand!

John Wilder wrote:

Super clip head and then just buy a pole when you get wherever you're going. If you're flying, there's a hardware store somewhere. When you're done, either donate the pole to the crag or the local gym.

+1 for this method. We've done this on a trip out to Vegas to climb in Red Rock Canyon.

Home depot has telescoping light-bulb changing kits for $22. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayco-11-ft-Pole-Light-Bulb-Changer-Kit-with-Attachments-CE-600SDLB12/100354521

Bring your own superclip, and donate the pole at the end of y our trip. (We ended up giving it to a group of locals we met while climbing.)

ViperScale . wrote:

I think the east coast is the only place you really need to stick clip everywhere I have been on the west coast I can clip the first bolt from the ground with my hand!

You need to climb more places out here. 

Rob Warden...Space Lizard wrote:

Kalius makes a really good and compact one

+1 for this design. It is basically a 9-foot Avy Probe with a built-in SuperClip head. It is the best complete stick clip package I’ve ever seen and if I didn’t already have my own homebrew stick clip that I love, this would be the one I’d get.

Kong PROG X-Large 45cm taped to a wild stick could also be an option.

ViperScale . wrote:

I think the east coast is the only place you really need to stick clip everywhere I have been on the west coast I can clip the first bolt from the ground with my hand!

You've obviously never climbed at 

Smith

ORG

Mt Lemmon

VRG

Maple Canyon

....and a bunch of other places. Some (Smith) are more notorious in this aspect than others (Maple).

Tim Lutz wrote:

I've heard there are sticks just lying around at most areas.

Not around here in Alberta. There are lots of sticks, but a) they're way down that slope you just scrambled up to get to the base of the climb, and b) they're limbs that fell off lodgepole pines: short, crooked, and weak. A Trango Beta Stick in the approach pack is a good thing.

greg rosselol wrote:

Avalanche probe or tent pole with mad rock trigger wire attached to quick draw with a couple of rubber bands. Light, works great, little extra gear

Thanks for this idea. I have a Mad Rock trigger wire QD I use sometimes with a hiking pole but had never thought of using a tent pole for its obvious extra length.

The Kailas one looks pretty slick, but I am not sure it would count as a carryon.  Tent poles are sometimes allowed through but are technically against the rules.

I've used one of the carbon fiber telescoping legs from my tripod that detaches to form a monopod...the maximum extension is a little too short, but camera monopods are explicitly allowed in the TSA rules.

There are some really cheap 72" monopods on amazon that might be a workable.  Still a bit short, but affix a superclip to the end and you've got an extendable pole that is less bendy than the Trango Beta Stick and can be used to remove draws.

I've been trying to research suppliers of telescoping aluminum/carbon tubing and fittings to see if I could design my own solution.  What I envision is basically in impractically long monopod.  Put a camera thread and a foam grip at the top.  Size it so the collapsed length is short enough for carryon luggage and the extended length is 7ft or longer.  Then come up with something like the Superclip or Kailas clip that can attach to the other end.

For bonus points, give it something like the normal hybrid monopod foot, but with a carbide tip beneath the rubber and make sure it is sturdy enough to be used as a walking stick when extended to ~4'.  Then you've got a stick clip/heavy trekking-pole that is carryon legal because it is a "Camera Monopod"

greg rosselol wrote:

Avalanche probe or tent pole with mad rock trigger wire attached to quick draw with a couple of rubber bands. Light, works great, little extra gear

Up to what length does this work?

Never tried it, I see the convenience of it - however this feels like it would be a little bit too bendy, with a draw at the end and fully extented, to be accurate with it (say it's a tricky one).

Super clip head and then just buy a pole when you get wherever you're going. If you're flying, there's a hardware store somewhere. When you're done, either donate the pole to the crag or the local gym.

Andrew Krajnik wrote:

+1 for this method. We've done this on a trip out to Vegas to climb in Red Rock Canyon.

Home depot has telescoping light-bulb changing kits for $22. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayco-11-ft-Pole-Light-Bulb-Changer-Kit-with-Attachments-CE-600SDLB12/100354521

Bring your own superclip, and donate the pole at the end of y our trip. (We ended up giving it to a group of locals we met while climbing.)