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In 2019, I started hiking the Appalachian Trail. Since then I’ve hiked just about 1000 miles and met hikers from around the world. I've learned that with hiking, long distance backpacking especially, the best qualities for gear are simplicity, light weight, low volume and reliability.
Capturing the beauty and the essence of the trails we hike through photograpy to share with friends and family or to rekindle that adrenaline rush when you finally reach the summit is important for many of us. Very few of us carry professional camera equipment but, combined with a selfie stick, camera phones these days can take incredible photos and video.
However carrying a selfie stick adds additional weight, requires more space in one’s pack, and adds the burden of having to stop remove the selfie stick from one’s backpack set it up and take the photograph. These steps are inconvenient or even impossible depending on the terrain. They also require us to stop, ultimately reducing mileage for the day.
As a now avid hiker who loves taking photos of every point of interest on the Appalachian Trail (shameless plug warning: follow @mountainhopper on Instagram) and an admitted gram weanie, I set out to find a solution to use my trekking poles as a selfie stick...
Experiment 1: I found a cool hack to use a hair tie to mount my phone on the stick. The results were ok but i dont carry hair ties (😆 - again check my insta to see my bald head) and there was no way to position the camera.
Experiment 2: there were a couple of products that looked like they might work, with a plastic vice like grip to secure the phone holder to the pole but it did not stay on reliably and the plastic was cheap and could not endure the abuse of the trail.
Experiment 3: if you can't buy it, make it. I did just that and took it on trail. It took a year of product testing and modifications. "Patent it" were the first words from my friend Tom when he saw what i had built.. so I did.
And now I'm excited to offer this product to my fellow hikers to enjoy.
I hope you capture epic photos of your adventures with the StikShift UL! Please share your photos and videos so I can add them to my social media.
Happy Trails!
Mountainhopper
321 Route 59, #82, Tallman, NY 10982, USA
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