Bring my own supports?

[asimpson1983]

Hey - I'm going to Nevada/Utah this year for a rock climbing/hitchhiking/backpacking trip...I went last year and I brought a tent but this year I'm just bringing a tarp. I use sticks for the tarp (Ray Jardine style), but I just realized they are not so plentiful in the desert. Is it wise to bring my own poles? If so, what's the best/lightest thing to get?

-Andrew

[troglobil]

if you use hiking poles, you have all the support you need.

[asimpson1983]

Yeah sorry, I should have mentioned...I don't :(

[Cannibal]

You could always pick-up an cheap pair of poles from Walmart or Kmart. But, seems like a lot of extra weight if you are just using them for tarp supports.

Maybe you could cannibalize a fiberglass tent pole. I bet a couple of 2ft sections wouldn't weigh that much and would work for supports.

[wrongway_08]

Lowes sells fiberglass mail box markers. Cheap, light weight and flexible.
Just cut them down to the size you need.

[CoyoteWhips]

If you wanna go fancy, order a graphite kite ferrule. A four foot 2650 (http://www.kitebuilder.com/inventory/graphitetube.htm) weighs 1.3 ounces.