PoleVaultPower.com

I now have my own pole - an 11'6" one - and a ski rack on my car that works well with it.

Now I need some recommendations on what to put it in before I lock it in the rack.

Most I see online are 15 feet long or so, which seems a bit big, and are bulky. The ski rack has size limitations, so it can't be too big or too thick.

Looking for something shorter and that will fit a little better. Most likely just one pole will be carried. A long "sock" would probably work if they make them.

What are you guys using, if anything?

Thanks. Mike

Here's a suggestion that's much cheaper than a commercial PV model, and just as good ...

I don't know how (or why) you plan to lock it onto the rack, but that's a good idea if you leave your car on the street anywhere unattended with the pole on the rack - since you probably paid a lot of money for your pole. However, if you're always with your car, it's unnecessary to lock it - it just needs to be secure so that it doesn't accidentally slip off the car when you hit the brakes.

Check a building supply store for a PVC pipe with a diameter a little wider than your pole (also allow for the diameter of your butt plug). That should do it, with a PVC caps for each end. They come in 20 foot lengths, but just saw it down to 12 feet.

You should glue one of the caps to the pipe (PVC solvent welding glue - just ask the store attendant). The other cap is a bit trickier. One solution is to just tape it shut each time, but that's not very secure (if you really want to "lock" it).

The secure solution would be to put the cap in place, then drill a hole thru both the plug and the pipe, then put a padlock thru the holes. The lock should have a long enough of a shackle (the "U" shaped part of the padlock) to reach thru both holes. If they don't sell those at the building supply store, you should check at a locksmith store.

If you can't find a padlock with a shackle quite long enough, then instead of drilling the hole at the widest point of the diameter, you could shorten it up by drilling the hole on just one side of the pipe and one edge of the cap.

That locks the pole inside the pipe, but it doesn't lock the pipe onto your car rack. That one's up to you to solve.

What can you do with the 8 feet of pipe left over? Lots of things related to pole vault training! Instead of me listing them all, let's see who else can make some suggestions! There's too many for me to list here!

I know PVDaddy could use one instead of a broomstick!

Oh yes, one more thing ...

If you really want to jazz up your pole pipe, you can paint it to match your car! Much nicer than just white PVC!

Kirk

Interesting idea, but isn't there something easier, softer and lighter than a pipe? Not sure the diameter would fit in the ski rack either.

Right now, the pole goes in just like a pair of skis and the front and back both have locks built in.

Home Depot and Lowes have something called "Drain Sleeve", I think, that is a filter sock that goes over corrugated drain pipe. Until we got a pole bag, we used this on every pole. It comes in a 100-foot roll and is inexpensive. Just tie up one end and cut it about a foot longer than the pole. Fold it over and tape, wire-tie, or Velcro it shut.

ClintonMagus wrote:Home Depot and Lowes have something called "Drain Sleeve", I think, that is a filter sock that goes over corrugated drain pipe. Until we got a pole bag, we used this on every pole. It comes in a 100-foot roll and is inexpensive. Just tie up one end and cut it about a foot longer than the pole. Fold it over and tape, wire-tie, or Velcro it shut.

That sounds really good, thanks. Mike

I use this cut to length for our "pole bags" at the high school. It's not too heavy on it's own and an athlete can carry it filled with 10 poles on their own.

http://www.menards.com/main/plumbing/ro ... c-9567.htm

You can get a 100' section of 8" for less than $100 and cut it to length for the different size poles you have I do a 15'6" length and a 13'6" length for boys and girls. You can also get caps that snap on pretty well and tape one end on with duct tape.

Mike Ritter wrote:

ClintonMagus wrote:Home Depot and Lowes have something called "Drain Sleeve", I think, that is a filter sock that goes over corrugated drain pipe. Until we got a pole bag, we used this on every pole. It comes in a 100-foot roll and is inexpensive. Just tie up one end and cut it about a foot longer than the pole. Fold it over and tape, wire-tie, or Velcro it shut.

That sounds really good, thanks. Mike

Bought the 100 foot Drain Sleeve roll for $20 at Home Depot, cut a piece off, sewed one end in on itself and I left enough at the other end to just tie itself up. Worked beautifully! Great idea and so easy and inexpensive. Thanks! Mike

PVC pipe is heavy for a pole tube, but when I was starting out, I had a short and fairly thin PVC pipe that held about 5-6 poles under 12'6 in length. That was a good tube, light enough to carry around easily

KirkB's idea is pretty standard and simple for one pole, and it's not very heavy and it will fit on your bike rack.

You don't need pressure grade pvc, just the standard white stuff will do. You need an end cap for 2" PVC pipe, a threaded coupler, and a pressure cap to threaded cap with a square end on it for any pole 10" long, you have to extend it for yours. It takes less than 5 minutes to make for less than $10 anywhere. PVC of this type comes in standard 10" lengths cheap, but you will need an extra chunk about 2" long which is often at the same store as cutoff's from somebody elses project and pipe-to-pipe couple to extend it. instead of a bike lock you can drill a 1/2" hole through the center of the pipe near the end and use a pin and lock for a Class II or III trailer hitch and now you have a "lock". I usually put a small nerf ball or foam in the permanent endcap to protect the top of the pole.

I usually tell the kids I make these for to always put the top in first so the pipe stays clean and also offers the advantage of being a weather shelter for your taped handhold when the weather is poor during the spring. This works great for one pole or a javelin, but if you carry a collection you need something bigger. If it's a javelin DEFINATELY pad both ends so it doesn't come out if you get hit or hit something. You don't really need a javelin launcher on your car.

The sock idea I have used to protect poles in a bigger tube, but I wouldn't do it otherwise. It's too easy to damage the pole by cinching it down too tightly, and if it's on your car that way on a rack it may wobble in the wind and fracture as well. Remember these things are stronger and lighter than they used to be and are far easier to damage since they are essentially still fiberglass of a newer generation. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And yes, I know this post is two years old, but I just saw it and thought the info would be useful to someone else down the line. Kudos to Kirk and Becca for providing more timely assistance. I have a whole post on this subject somewhere in cyberspace on this board if you wish to search for it.

When carrying just a single pole, or two, I don't use anything if the weather will be good.

I've also found a good/cheap solution for protecting it from the rain and such. In Lowes, I came across a clear plastic tube for florescent tube bulbs. There were two sizes, the longer one was also wider. They were in the light bulb isle. I cut it in half, glued one of the caps at one end, as well as used duct tape to seal it, then slide it over the top of the pole to protect the grip tape on the pole. I used duct tape to tape it onto the pole. I then put the covered end forward so that the wind from driving was pushing it onto the pole, rather than trying to pull it off. It works great, and can be used to cover the grip tape on the pole at meets/practice to keep it dry from rain and dew .


Men's tool rules:
1. If it moves and it's not supposed to - use duct tape.
2. If it doesn't move, but it's supposed to - use a hammer.