Cheap avy probe?

[hikingfish]

I know what you're going to say...you don't want to cheap out on safety gear...but the thing is, my intended use for a probe would just be to see how much snow is under my feet. A good thing to know when constructing snow shelters.

Anyone knows a place that sells cheap (20$ or so) avy probes? I thought of using a tent pole, but it probably wouldn't work too well...

Cheers,

 

[Chip]

spadout shows one for $33. You could probably make one out of old tent pole sections, replacing the interior elastic/bungie cord with something stiffer/non stretching...or spend the $33...

you might be able to snag a "used only once to summit Rainier" one on ebay for under $20.

 

[cbcbd]

I think Chip's right - no way you'd find an new avy probe for that much. Quick search on Ebay shows this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SURVIVAL-ON-SNO...ViewItemQQptZSnowboarding?hash=item58841de94e

...still lots of $$ for shipping.

 

[Chugach001]

Ski pole without basket?