Gang I Need Your Help. Regarding Hip-stick Lengths

[Doc]

I had mentioned one of my issues with the Hip Stick is it was not adjustable.  You had to decide what length you want before you ordered.

So I was wondering what kind of length would be needed for different people of different heights.

So if you could help me out.  Can you tell me how tall you are and what your measurement is from the top of your shoulder to the top of your pants at the waist.

I'm trying to get an idea if something like the Hip Stick could be made adjustable, maybe telescoping with a cam-lock????  What would be the minimum and maximum length it would have to be adjustable to?

For example  I'm 5'7" and from the top of my shoulder to the top of my pants is 20 inches.

So if you could just give me your height and that measurement it would give me a lot of data.  I think this is why the Minelab Pro Swing has not caught on because they did not take into consideration that the height adjustment needs to have a lot more variation than they provide with the screw adjustment.  Because it is so short that is why customers complain that it separates at the joint of the support strut.

Thank you for your help,

Doc

[Ridge Runner]

Good morning Doc

 I’ve never had the need for a hip stick so I don’t know if the shaft is round or flat.

 In the picture below is maybe something would work and be adjustable for different ones. The piece in the middle could take flat are round shafts and could be as long enough to fit everyone.Due to the pull on whatever you make it’s going to pull out from the body so it will automatically turn out in the direction of the weight.

You would have to think on the way to adjust the shafts.If the shafts had holes in them about a inch apart then you could run a pin in the middle of the sleeve.

 Just to show you I used pvc hot water 1/2 inch . The shafts came from my wife’s little wind mills. haha

[Ridge Runner]

In the interest of science this is what’s on the shafts 

[GotAU?]

Doc, there’s survey data posted online by CDC and  NASA on firefighter and astronaut anthropometry- it may help but as a lot of us, including myself, don’t have bodies like astronauts and firefighters (anymore at least 😉), maybe it won’t… 😆

Anyway, if it helps, mine’s 18 inches, unless I’m hunched over with my shoulders drooped like when wearing a pack, so an adjustable rod would be useful.

[phrunt]

A carbon tube with another carbon tube over it and a cam lock would be nice.

These are the standard sizes

 

Small 16" (Under 5' 8")

Medium 18" (Up to 6")

Large 20" (Up to 6' 3")

XLarge 22" (Over 6' 3")

Having one stick to suit all sizes would be ideal, as finer adjustments would be much better than having 2" gaps between sizes.  I've got a medium hipstick at 18" but would prefer it was 17", and 16" is too small.  

It's good to see you're working on improving it, I intended to do that myself but seeing I just don't use it it's on the backburner to be done at some point in the hope of if I do have a better version, I may start to use it sometimes.

I never liked wearing a harness but I don't mind wearing the swingy thingy so it just goes to show if the product is right even someone fussy like me may end up using it 🙂

[dig4gold]

Why not just get the longer shaft & cut it down until you are happy with the length. You can then just glue a sleeve at the point you cut it to hold it together. Problem solved & you have a custom fit.

Personally I prefer the Minelab Pro swing harness. I don't like the hip stick. It amuses me when people go on about being trunked up like a Christmas turkey when they wear the harness. It is a tool to do a job or multiple jobs & supposedly make things easier & more convenient & comfortable. Works well for me. The Pro Swing developed from the early days of the ML PI detectors with the lead acid battery in the pouch in the small of your back & then the bungy taking weight off the detector by clipping to the "D" eyelet up by the shoulder strap. That had its own issues. The Pro Swing then incorporated the "hip stick" into the harness to direct the weight to your hip. I have just got so use to wearing the harness from those early days that it is just like putting on another bit of clothing & I don't even notice it. Also good for clipping external speakers & signal boosters too. The waist strap is handy to for slipping your pick into. I can't see the issue people have with it. But we are all different. Bit like people not liking to wear head phones. Head phones save battery life in a days detecting & not to mention better to hear the signals on a windy day plus keep you ears warmer on cold days.

D4G

[DSMITH]

The one you sent me Doc is perfect for me and I think the total length is18 3/4 inches, I do not know what it is but the one you sent me actually seems to work better for me than the one I built, the only thing that I did different on the one I built was make the top part that connects to a harness with a D ring on the other side, I made mine a little longer than the one you sent me

On a personal note I think a hip stick that is completely adjustable in length would be fantastic, say from 15 inches to 23 inches would be perfect and would accommodate most everyone, not sure a cam lock would work to good unless you could find something that would keep the hip stick at the length you need it, like those little button things you have on your Saga Swing arm with holes set at every half inch like say starting at 15 inches then 15 1/2,16,16 1/2 and so on up to 23 inches in length.

[Mike Furness]

If it helps any Doc I am a bit different with a long torso and short legs, pant leg inseam is only 29". I'm 5'9.5" and the top of shoulder to my belt is just shy of 24" as measured on me by a friend. I tried to get an accurate measure by myself and came up a lot longer for the belt to shoulder. Any way hope that helps.

[Jeff McClendon]

I'm 5'11". Top of my shoulder to top of pants is 23".

[Doc]

Thanks guys, this helps a lot.  I'm not trying to duplicate the Hip Stick.  It's a great tool but there are some shortcomings with it.  I have been drawing in my idea book for 4 years.  I have tried all kinds of different ideas.  And I also know the way most prospectors think.  I think one of the reasons the Hip Stick is so popular, is because it's not some big elaborate harness system.

I even got a rig from Australia that is an over the shoulder support system.  Not for me, too much stuff, straps, big piece of curved metal next to your head, wants to slip off your shoulder.  I get the concept, but the execution just doesn't work.  Another thing sent to me from Australia mounted around your waists and it had an arm that stuck out in front of you from your waist, that pivoted right and left.  Again just too much.  When the form exceeds the function, no one wants it.  OK it may do what it's supposed to, but it's big bulky and annoying.

Prospectors are happiest when the accessory does the job it is designed to do, and does it simply. Keep It Simple Stupid, "KISS".

So I think I'm getting there.

Doc