I've taken the plunge and purchased the REI Carbon Bamboo Staff, and, because there are no reports anywhere on the web concerning this product, I wanted to give a preliminary report and description. I will definitely give a full review once I have used it a bit.
This thing is really light considering it's a telescoping staff (3 sections). REI advertises 6.75 ounces, but I am happy to report that they are incorrect; my scale registers 6.55 ounces with the basket, and 6.9 with the rubber foot for street walking.
I was afraid that it would be a glorified trekking pole, as opposed to a fully fledged staff, but it is much more substantial. Although not as burly as some hiking staves (the Luxury Lite Big Survival Stik comes to mind), it does well when holding my weight, flexing just a bit. Once I am confident of the BPL procedure to test pole bend, I will definitely test it out.
It advertises a compass at the top of the grip. It's marketing hype. I might trust it when wondering what direction I'm facing, but it would be of no help if one is trying to navigate by it.
Although the grip, which is all foam, is really comfy, the strap could be a couple of inches longer. Perhaps I'm just not used to it, but it seems a bit tight. The line lock is also overkill. What materials might be suitable if I were to replace it?
The telescoping uses Komperdell's DuoLock system, and has worked well thus far, only slipping the very first time I opened it when I clearly didn't tighten it up well enough. Since it has worked without failure.
The graphics all over the upper portion of the staff is a bit annoying, but at least they aren't full of bright colors and annoying slogans.
The basket goes on easily enough, but I haven't figured how to get it off. I can see how it is done, but just can't do it yet.
I'll be using it some this week on my local trail to see how it works a field test before entrusting it in the backcountry.
