Frequently asked questions

Why a presale?

The Small Stick is a (super sick) physical product that we are personally manufacturing the aluminum head of right here in the US. That costs money. And having a presale gives us two important things:

1) A little bit of cash flow to help us buy the materials we need in bulk, which ultimately keeps the price of the Small Stick down.

2) An indication of whether people – like you – want to buy the Small Stick, before we invest a bunch of time and money into a full production setup. But we think (hope?) that you will, because we wanted one for ourselves – that’s the whole reason we made it.

Why is the presale US-only?

Simplicity – for now. We just don’t have international shipping sorted out yet, so we’re keeping the presale domestic. But when the Small Stick goes fully live, it will be available everywhere.

That said, if you really, really want one and you’re not in the US, send us an email with your address at info@smallstickclimbing.com (or fill out the form here) and we’ll see what we can do.

Why will it take 4 weeks to get my small stick?

Because we’ll be making the first 250 Small Sticks after the presale closes (that’s why it’s a presale), which takes a bit of time. But we’ll get yours to you as soon as we possibly can, and we have a whole CNC machine shop to make ‘em.

Can I clip up using the SMall Stick without a quickdraw?

In short, not right now. That puts a lot of force on the pole, which is super small and ultra-lightweight. Keeping the pole that way is our number-one priority: that’s what makes it feel good taking falls with. So far, we haven’t found a way to make the pole robust enough to suggest that it gets used that way… but we are actively working on it, right now. And if we can find a way to make that happen, we will!

Does the Small Stick replace my existing stick clip?

Unless your stick clip is also small and mighty, no. The Small Stick isn’t designed for the role of a regular stick clip – that is, stick clipping high first bolts. It’s a totally new tool that’s an addition to your sport climbing kit, not a replacement for something already in there. Why? The Small Stick is just… not that big! Intentionally: that’s what makes it so great for its intended purpose as a mid-route stick clip.

That said, if the first bolt is lower than 5’7” + your reach, then you can absolutely use the Small Stick as you would a regular stick clip. Plus, with it being so light (113 grams – only slightly heavier than a single quickdraw), the extra pack weight is entirely unnoticeable.

Will the Small Stick be available in different colors?

Maybe! That’s definitely something we’re considering going forward – so if you have a preference, let us know. As one of our first 250 customers, your opinion carries a lot of weight. In fact, we’re open to your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions in every capacity – so if you have any feedback, don’t hesitate to let us know about it.

What if the pole breaks?

Good question, you. Good question. If you’re engineering-minded, you might look at the Small Stick and marvel at its cool, sturdy aluminum head, but simultaneously wonder how strong the pole that it’s attached to is. In short: yes, the pole will eventually break.

We’ve thought long and hard about the tradeoff between making the pole more robust and the increase in size and mass that would be required to do so. And we decided that keeping the Small Stick as small and light as possible is our priority – that’s kind of the whole point.

That said, we will be selling replacement poles at a fraction of the price of the complete Small Stick. They’ll come with instructions and a replacement screw, so you can quickly and easily switch out your pole and let your aerospace-grade aluminum head live on.

We like to think of this as a net positive, as the life span of your Small Stick will be long – especially compared to other stick clips with permanently attached heads, which are useless once the pole dies (and all telescoping poles do die).

Plus, the Small Stick comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if you get yours and hate it, well… that would be sad – but you can absolutely get a full refund.

What happens after the presale?

All going well, we’ll go into full production and the Small Stick will be available all the time. Hooray! If you don’t want to buy yours in presale and you want to know when they’re available, drop your email below and we’ll let you know.