Stereo Stick

[P3D Peter Homer <P.J.Homer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Refering to the posts about using a combined walking stick monopod/Tripod
for hiking in the mountains I have been experimenting with devices like
this for the French alps and I am off to Norway shortly. I first tried an
extended tripod but with the legs closed and fitted into an empty film can
as a ferule. Next I tried an ordinary monopod as an "Alpenstaff" but it was
probably not realy robust enough and would close up if leant on heavily.
Once I saw an advert for an antique device described as something like a
camera walking stick , I though that you could have a stick with tripod
legs which could fold out to make it self supporting . Something like the
the arrangement for the tripods on the stands for projection screens and
lighting stands . Using an old lighting stand I made one by disconnecting
the tripod from the base and raising it out of the way held by a hook. The
bottom was fitted with a ferule and by releasing the tripod again it would
drop onto the ferule and open out. This worked well but as a lighting stand
does not need to be that portable it was far to heavy to use as a climbing
stick.
  I have thought of getting one of the climbing/skiing sticks refered to
and fitting it with a tripod head to make a monopod. Or even because you
sometimes use two sticks in walking and certainly skiing with a third
carried closed up on the backpack assemble them into a tripod when needed
using on of those small tripods to hold them together at the top and
provide the head.  P.J.Homer



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