Usually get them from Amazon but they always come a little undersized. What’s a good place to buy noodles?
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Try some stores selling pool supplies, like Leslies. The one near me said they would sell a whole case at a significant discount from the per piece price. YMMV.
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Same
Consider moving to SoCal
Wait, no, that just makes the rent problem worse
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If you have any first choice credits left, there’s a good chance they’ll still be available during open ordering.
If not, AndyMark has them.
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I have bee buying " Oodles of Noodles" 6 packs from Amazon the last 4-5 years, but the price has gone from $2.00 ish to over $3.50 a noodle, so I’m not recommending that anymore.
I was able to buy a 40 pack for $85 & free shipping from Home Depot a couple of months ago, but they are OOS now.
Here is a 35 pack from a Walmart Seller for under $2 /noodle & free shipping:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/SwimWays-Standard-Foam-Pool-Swim-Noodles-Multicolor-35-Pack/787605136?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1195
But I also agree that AndyMark always has them in stock for a good price, but the shipping can add up - so buy a bunch while you are ordering other things too!
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If you’re up for a little road trip, my daughter’s team found them at Pools & Spas A Go-Go in Berkley years ago - she’s in her thirties now. That was the first year we needed them for bumpers.
I order the case of Swimways noodles on Amazon every few years. They’re slightly smaller (2 3/8), so I undersize my plywood height slightly to match.
Consider a pool noodle acquisition vacation to SoCal?
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We should have plenty. I can send them with one of the students that go to career center. Let me know how many you need.
Here’s the link of the ones I purchased. I forgot until early november and they were $63 then, now $78. Amazon pool noodles
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I remembered to buy pool noodles over the summer…but I never saw them for sale, at Walmart, where I usually get them.
Fortunately we plan to build a robot the same size as 2020, and those bumpers don’t have much use on them, and we can reuse them, right?
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Does the height of the plywood still meet the requirements set out in the rules? If it is noticed that it does not meet those requirements, your robot will not pass inspection and will not be allowed on the field.
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USA Today reports that the #4 reason for people moving to CA is year-round pool noodle availability.
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R408 says backed by 3/4" thick by 5in ± 1/2" tall plywood. 4.75" tall plywood fits that dimension, and keeps our bumpers looking nice. By the wording 4.5" tall plywood would still satisfy the rules.
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R302 B says 
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Check pool supply stores. The one I go to for pool noodles has even been willing to measure the diameter for me before I drive over to make sure they’re big enough.
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I stopped at the Ace Hardware on Robert on the way home from church for some threaded rod, and they have pool noodles on display near the checkout, enough for about four sets of bumpers! (This morning was our first real “wrap your pipes” freeze of the season.) Only a 14 hour 15 minute drive from Concord to Slidell!
I have even seen them at supermarkets and dollar stores.
Whatever source you use, make sure they are an appropriate size. Many of them do not indicate the size on the labels attached to the pool noodle or on the boxes holding them. It may be better to have a team member or mentor go buy them rather than just sending a parent who has time on their hands to avoid getting ones that are too big, too small, are too thin-walled or have some weird texture on the outside.
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