Flag Pole Ideas

[jmatta]

#46727 |

Hi.

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about flagpoles. I was thinking of bringing sections of PVC pipe with joiners (or duct tape depending on what’s in my garage) and stringing them together. I’m not sure how to get the pole to stand on its own. Obviously, there’s the stand there and hold it for two hours, but there must be some more clever way of doing it. If there are trees around, you should be able to rig it up by tying it between trees, but what if there are no trees?

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

-Jenny

[TenPeaks]

#48642

I have not bought my flag yet, but was thinking of flying it from my hiking staff. This way I won’t have to carry all sorts of extra poles, ropes, etc. However, I need to see how the flag is constructed before I can figure out if this method will work.

I’ve selected East Osceola so I’ll probably be able to use the trees on the summit.

[Frodo]

#48643

PVC tubing works well, because it is strong, light, and you can cut it into smaller sections to carry up. The problem is using the PVC couplings. They are shallow, and do not hold very well even with duct tape. I would reccommend making some support brackets out of aluminum angle. Cut them about a foot long, and use them to support the pvc couplings (2-3 per coupling) by wrapping duct tape around them and the pvc pole.

[rbhayes]

#48644

How about a few of the aluminum antenna mast that radio shack sells – very light – easy to put together – a base and some guy wires and you can fly it as high as you want! If you have a few people in your group it would be easy to split the gear up.

[Greg]

#48645

Home Depot is selling 3′ x 5′ flags for ~$10 (SKU# 833983). Not the biggest flag in the world, but it’s an inexpensive option. It comes with a ~3/4″ wide pole too. We using it along with an antenna mast like rbhayes suggests.

[SherpaKroto]

#48646

As for a pole system, I got it licked today. It should work perfectly!

Home Depot:
Item 048307700087 Plant Stake (1/2 inch – the largest one) $4.49. (you will need 2 of these)
Item 754826200495 PVC Pipe (3/4 inch) $1.49

I slid the stakes into the pipe, and when I was sure they would make a tight fit, had them cut the stakes in half, leaving (2) 4 foot sections. I then
cut the PVC into (5) 2 foot sections. The plant stakes are aluminum covered in green plastic with knobs on them, so they fit nicely. I’ll duct tape each joint (now made with PVC), and then fasten 2 rope loops with duct tape to secure the flag. With any luck, I should be able to get the flag at least 16 feet up, maybe 20. I will tie off the flagpole about 9-10 feet (or higher) up to brace it with parachute cord from Walmart ($1.96). I’ve tried it, (albeit without the flag, as it is in Maine), and it feels strong enough (as long as the winds stay below 20). I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

[TrekMan]

#48647

This is my first year of participation, but here is what I am planning. I will get a 10-foot section of EMT (conduit) of both 1-1/4 and 1-inch diameter. Couplings to screw them together along with maybe 3/8 dowels to duct-tape to stiffen the joints. The conduit sizes should fit inside each other as well as the dowels into the conduits making it compact. Then along with several rope guys, should be good at about 20 feet. I should be at Wildcat D Saturday at noon. Good luck to all. 💡

[Outtabreath]

#48648

I acquired a 16′ extension pole, made from graphite and aluminum. It collapses to 8’and is not too heavy, but we’re all taking turns carrying it so it should not be too bad. A couple of guy wires and we’ll be good to go!! Look forward to seeing all the flags. :flag:

[TenPeaks]

#48649

This year I’m using section pipe to a cheap blue tarp I bought for car camping. Each cornor of the tarp is held up by 4 – 3 foot sections of pipe that slide together. I’m going to bring 8 sections so I can adjust the length of the pole accordingly. The best part is the pipe is aluminum and will fit nicely on the side of my pack.

[Tmax]

#48650

I’m using the aluminum pole sections from a cast off canvas screen house. They’re 1” diameter and about 3’ long with one end embossed to fit into the end of the next section. They interconnect securely and are extremely light so the team can easily carry all we’ll need. I’ll use the number of sections it takes to get about 15-18’ tall. I’ve cut and bent pieces from an old-fashioned wire coat hanger to form hooks to tie the flag to the mast. These are held in place on the mast with hose clamps. The flag will be tied to the hooks with 3/16” braided nylon rope. We’re using a 6X9 flag so at a point about 7 feet down from the top I’ll place a wooden ring with a hole in the center to accommodate the mast held in place with another hose clamp attached to the mast below it. This ring will have holes drilled in it and will serve as a point to attach the guy ropes which will also be 3/16 braided nylon. The guys will be tied to rocks (if we can find any above tree line 😀 😀 ).

[TrekMan]

#48651

My pole last year worked out great. See the post of 7 September 2004 above. I did not need stiffeners or duct tape at all. I used a simple loop of nylon cord strung through the grommets on the flag, knotted and then attached to the pole via stainless hose clamps. The guy ropes tied to the couplings of the conduit, but another hose clamp would do this well and save weight. My pole is 20 feet and weighs in at 18 pounds – but it is strong as it is (see Wildcat-D pics from 2004). We will fly a new 6×10 flag this year at Moriah with this veteran pole.
:flag:

[MtnMagic]

#48652

All wonderful, useful ideas.

May flags wave over the 48 once again!

[chip]

#48653

Last Minute Idea:

Home Depot has in their paint dept. an extendable pole for painting high spots. the pole costs about $40 and extends to 23′, very stable and an easy solution for anyone looking.

[MtnMagic]

#48654

Ohh nice one, I like this idea for treed in summits a lot! Hale, Zealand, and Owl’s Head comes to mind immediately. Thank you so very much chip!

[uphillklimber]

#48655

I know I am a day late for this subject, but this worked well for us. I have a telescopic 16 aluminum grade stake. We duct taped it to the corner of the fire tower. Then hooked carabiners to the the flag and slid the over the pole, and taped them in place. We braced the pole with a pair of lekis, and extended the pole.

[Author]

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