In today’s video I describe how I transformed one of my trekking poles into a selfie stick. Combining these two tools, I have less weight to carry and I’ll still be able to capture great content to share with you guys.
Parts:
- Trekking Pole
- Electrical Tape
- 1/4″-20 bolt (as short as you can find)
- #5 40 TPI nut (#5 course thread)
- 1/4″ split lock washer
- Two 1/4″ flat washers
- Hose clamp
Tools:
- Dikes (or power drill)
- Flathead Screwdriver
- GoPro tripod adapter mount
- 3/16″ allen wrench
- Mount that fits your phone
Start with the hose clamp, unscrew it so that it is fully open. Use the dikes to make enough space to get the 1/4″ bolt through, I had to remove three of the threads. If you have a power drill, you can use a 1/4″ drill bit instead. I’ve already sold my power drill to downsize for moving into the van, so I did it the low-tech way.
Now thread the 1/4″ bolt through the new hole in the hose clamp and trial-fit the GoPro tripod adapter mount onto the bolt. There will be a gap between the hose clamp and the mount, determine how many of your washers are needed to fill the gap (starting with the lock washer). With the washers in place, tighten down the tripod mount with the hinge bolt parallel to the hose clamp.
On the trekking pole, pick the spot where the mount will go. Wrap this spot with electrical tape to protect the pole from the hose clamp. Secure the hose clamp around the pole and tighten it down, be careful not to over-tighten as the clamp can crack the pole.
Swap out the hinge bolt on the tripod mount for the #5 nut. Using the screw from the tripod mount, the phone mount can be secured. With that, the selfie stick is completed.
I went one step further and 3D printed an extra piece that allows me to use my other trekking pole and a tent pole to create a tri-pod. The tent pole can be swapped out for any stick or pole that I find in the area, creating a tri-pod as tall as the trekking poles can extend.
If you have any questions or suggestions, send them my way and look for more updates next week.
Cheers,
Paul