thinking about setting up a small practice course in my backyard but dont want to spend crazy money on proper gates. seen some videos of people using pvc pipe and pool noodles but wondering how well they actually hold up to crashes. my flying isnt great yet so im definitely gonna be hitting them lol. also what size pipe works best? 3/4 inch seems too thin but 1 inch might be overkill

i made a whole course with 3/4 pvc and its been solid for like 2 years now. key is to use the right fittings and maybe some pvc cement on the joints that take the most abuse. pool noodles work great as padding, just split them and slide over the pipe. way cheaper than buying real gates and honestly just as functional for practice

1 inch is actually perfect imo, gives you more surface area for the padding and the extra weight helps them stay put in wind. made mine with 1 inch schedule 40 and they've survived probably 100+ crashes at this point. pro tip - fill the base sections with sand or concrete if you can, makes them way more stable