Scramble Tarp Pole Attachment Point for 9mm - 10.25mm Poles

More of a hack than an earth changing invention - but still useful

Born out of frustration at not finding a suitable tarp attachment method for the excellent 10.25mm DAC NSL Featherlite poles. Scramble found a hardy trekking pole tip (ferrule) whose internal diameter made it ideal for the 10.25mm DAC poles.

Anyone can make these, all you need is the aforementioned trekking pole tip, a drill and some strong cord (Scramble use 1.5mm Dyneema, available here), but not everyone can be bothered, so Scramble offer them here to ensure that customers who've purchased their tarps or the DAC NSL Poles have an easy way of attaching pole to tarp.

An added benefit of these attachment points is that if a tarp attachment fails, in an emergency, poles can be placed directly against the tarp fabric (not recommended) since these rubber pole end attachment points have a larger surface area making piercing the tarp fabric less likely. 

Of course, for those that use trekking poles as their tarp poles, none of this matters but for those that don't, choosing ultralight poles will save a great deal of weight. A DAC NSL 2-section 9mm pole combined with a 3-section 10.25mm main pole weighs around 130g and will easily manage a lightweight 2-person tarp. However, though significantly lighter than trekking poles, these DAC poles don't have a native attachment point and thus Scramble's 14g add-on hack.

Finally, the 11mm internal diameter means these will work with both 9mm and 10.25mm poles, but the fit is much better with the 10.25mm poles. This isn't that important as all the weight and pull of the tarp is downward and so this attachment fixture is pushed down onto the pole end. However, the DAC Repair Sleeve for the 9mm Poles fits perfectly inside these Pole Attachment points. So if you carry a repair sleeve anyway, it's not such a bad idea to put it to use and make it a significant but non-essential part of the attachment system:

Specification:

• Weight: 14g
• Dimensons: 4cm (L) x 2cm (W)
• Material: Hardened rubber and 1.5mm Dyneema cord.