Locus Gear

[rmeurant]

As far as I am aware, the synthetic quilt will not be available until March.

[Benjamin Moryson]

Yes you are right. The quilt will be released in spring. The quality of the quilt is superb. I could test this one on a trip last november

[rmeurant]

Benjamin,

I guess those must be your beautiful photos on

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61712293@N03/sets/72157637907791613/

?

By the way, might I ask – the red Moonlight special LAUFBURSCHE pack you also have photos of, has I think a slot for a pad to be inserted. But when the pack has gear in it, is it difficult to then slide the pad back in, after use for a snack en route? I imagine it would be…

(Thanks in anticipation).

[Marko Botsaris]

I love the trekking poles! I've been using mine for the past eight month. Flip locks without the crazy bulging design of the lekis, and without the crazy overwrought grips. I just wish they would offer replacement tips.

[rmeurant]

I just presumed they were the standard Leki tips – are they not?

[Ito Jakuchu]

I have a black cuben Khufu – very beautifully made, with great attention to detail. Would love to try his eVent bivy sometime..

[spelt with a t]

Are the trekking poles robust enough for skiing? I currently own BD Trails b/c I don't want the clutter of summer and winter poles. The CP3 flicklocks would save quite a bit of weight, but unless they have 4-season strength they're a no-go even to consider.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The Locus Gear poles are somewhere around the minimum stiffness for skiing. You're not going to break one skiing (ie. hard pole plants) but you could break one crashing pretty easily. I would use them for long traverses and mild-moderate descents, but I wouldn't use them for downhill oriented trips.

[Marko Botsaris]

"I just presumed they were the standard Leki tips – are they not?"

LEKI makes a bunch of different ones but no, they don't appear to be any of those. I went so far as to ask the company about this and they say you could buy a whole lower section replacement for over $20 (maybe it was a pair, I forget). I did discover the tips (just the metal part) can be pried out so if you could find just the tip piece you could probably replace them easily. I asked on here in the summer but no one replied about possible places to look for substitutes. Probably you could get them off the normal way with heat and replace them with BD or Leki full replacement tips, but I used a micrometer on the ends of the poles and they are off by about 0.5-1 mm in radius from the standard BD and leki radius, so it could be iffy. If someone works it out and posts is it would be great, but it could be a kind of expensive proposition the first time around just to find out as the dimensions appear to be unique.

For now the company does not act motivated at all on this issue which is the one (a big one) down side to Locus gear. I go through a pair of tips in the summer in about 6 months if I'm doing a lot of sierra backpacking, so it is a big issue for me at $120 a pop. Otherwise I will wait until I feel I have to replace the tip and then try things. Maybe by then Locus will over replacement tips. I would definitely thing twice about replacing the poles with new one, of even being forced to buy expensive whole end sections, before buying from them again in that case.

Anyone with any ideas there?

The one thing I might beef up a bit would be to have some slightly more padded (not leki level though) straps. They are just the thinnest possible webbing (barely merit that term other than they are flat LOL), like the cinches on the lightest of UL backpacks. I use the wraparound style, so barest of pressure on the grip and most of the weight on the strap (and the strap on my hand). Without gloves they might be a little irritating after a long day even though unless I slip I only use them for balamce typically

Anyone with ideas on that one? The attachments are a bit too small to simply sub in some old leki straps – God knows there is a trekking pole graveyard in my closet – guess I'm expecting the 13 dwarves to show up at my door and all need poles for their trip to the lonely mountain. Anyway, probably a simple sewing project at some point before the spring.

[Benjamin Moryson]

@Robert

I don't have the red one which is only made for Japan and is too expensive to buy it and ship it back, but a year ago I could test one of the Special Edition huckePÄCKchen which also have this pocket. When you are on a trip and the pack is fully loaded it is difficult to get the pad back into this pocket. But is more for urban use when you carry the pack in town and you need a frame. It is better than a burrito style.

[spelt with a t]

Thanks, Dan, I was hoping you'd chime in. I don't do anything gnarly, so perhaps I will try some when I have the cash to spare.

[Anonymous]

"For now the company does not act motivated at all on this issue which is the one (a big one) down side to Locus gear. I go through a pair of tips in the summer in about 6 months if I'm doing a lot of sierra backpacking, so it is a big issue for me at $120 a pop. Otherwise I will wait until I feel I have to replace the tip and then try things. Maybe by then Locus will over replacement tips. I would definitely thing twice about replacing the poles with new one, of even being forced to buy expensive whole end sections, before buying from them again in that case.

Anyone with any ideas there?"

I have the same concern, so I emailed Jotaro yesterday and received a very prompt and informative reply, which I am including below:

Hi Tom,

>Can a broken pole tip be replaced with a standard Leki or Patagonia pole
tip?

No, because the shape of the end tip in CP3 is not generic.
We can sell both the replacement end part and the end shaft for CP3.
Here is the price for them.

The replacement end part for CP3…..800yen /PC including standard Ail mail
fee
* You need to fix yourself.

The end shaft (the lower section) for CP3…..2500yen /PC including standard
Ail mail fee

Best regards,

Jotaro Yoshida&Locus Gear Team
Locus Gear/Magic Wand, Inc.

I'd say he's got us covered.

[Billy Ray]

800 + 2500 = 3300 yen = 31.53 dollars x 2 = 63.06 dollars

Basically, half the price of the poles

Billy

[Marko Botsaris]

"I'd say he's got us covered."

If he means you can't replace the tips wit leki/bd replacement tips then yeah, that is fine. Like I said the measurements are off by at least 0.5 mm. But if he is saying (as they told me 6 months ago) you have to replace both the tip AND the lowest shaft portion, and for that ridiculous price, without having actually broken the shaft, then No, that I find an unacceptable price to pay to replace a worn out tip.

On the other hand if they if they indeed now sell the tips separately (they said they did not 6 month ago) then that would be acceptable.

It is possible there is a language thing here, since "tips" may not translate as the "metal part that touches the ground". I like the poles enough that I would buy the replacement tips now if I could get a straight answer from them. They need to have it on their website with at least a picture, I think so there is no confusion.

So still needs clarification. If I can't buy the tips (separately) at a reasonable price for replacement commensurate with the leki/bd replacement tip prices of $10-12 (per pair), or thereabout, then when my tips wear out I will simply not buy anything from locus gear after that.

It would be a shame for them to make such a nice product, and then blow it on such a trivial but required detail, but stranger things happen all the time, unfortunately.

Edit: OK I broke down and wrote locus myself. I was very pedantic (and apologized for this) about what exactly could be purchase separately, and if we could get a picture. The main problem as I see it is there is no part listed on their website, in spite of the fact that they have baskets and rubber "grampa's cane" typo replacement parts there. This is weird, so in addition to all the confusion, it raises the question of why the part that wears out the quickest is not listed. I'll let you know what I find out.

When you are more or less perfectly happy with some piece of gear, which for me is pretty rare, it is worth it to get this straight. I'd probably order 2 extra pair of replacement tips in advance if I could get just what I want since with a smallest company you never know when they might stop making them. Then at least I could go for a few years on them.

[Anonymous]

"If he means you can't replace the tips wit leki/bd replacement tips then yeah, that is fine. Like I said the measurements are off by at least 0.5 mm. But if he is saying (as they told me 6 months ago) you have to replace both the tip AND the lowest shaft portion, and for that ridiculous price, without having actually broken the shaft, then No, that I find an unacceptable price to pay to replace a worn out tip.

On the other hand if they if they indeed now sell the tips separately (they said they did not 6 month ago) then that would be acceptable."

It seems pretty clear to me that he is offering to sell the replaceable tip separately for 800 Yen. Note he says that you have to do the repair yourself, which for me at least provides a context for interpreting what he means by tip. It makes no sense that he would try to force you to buy the lower pole section AND tip together when only the tip is broken. I also suspect that if you order the lower section, it will come with a tip already installed, but that is only a suspicion. My correspondence with Jotaro, several emails to date, have given me the very firm impression that he is a totally honest, straight up man. I simply cannot believe he would try to force anyone to buy both the tip and lower pole section in order to replace a broken tip. It just doesn't compute. Anyhow, I posted his reply in an effort to ease some concerns expressed in this thread. How you all choose to interpret/use it is up to you.

[Marko Botsaris]

Yeah, that is probably the case. If so I will buy a few before they change the policy. :-) They did tell me six months ago that the only option was the full end replacement. FWIW, I'm sure the other option with the whole lower shaft includes the tip as well, as that is what they were offering back then.

Incidentally, because of how the tip ends are made for these poles, if it is only the tip being worn down, you can likely forgo the process of heating and replacing the whole thing as the metal tip ends can simply be pulled out and replaced.

[Marko Botsaris]

Here is the reply:

Hi Mark,

The replacement for CP3 is available.

If you can fix the end part (see attached photo) yourself, the price is
800yen/pc including standard air mail fee.
And the lowest shaft is 2,500yen/pc including standard air mail fee.

The only tip which is made with the tiny metal can not be fixed yourself
without the tool so you need to change whole the part.

Best regards,

Jotaro Yoshida&Locus Gear Team
Locus Gear/Magic Wand, Inc.

And here is the picture of the tip:

So quoting:

"The only tip which is made with the tiny metal can not be fixed yourself
without the tool so you need to change whole the part."

Seem to be referring to the difference here between just the metal tip and the tip + adapter, which is basically how it is for the ones we are familiar with from Leki and BD. So yes, if I can order these then I'm very happy and will do so right away. He still seem to be equivocating a bit, but I now take that as him just trying to be clear on what is needed to make sure I know what I'm in for – customer satisfaction and all that.

At 800 yet per tip this is very reasonable. So now I will be in trekking pole nirvana, and just have to figure out a DIY project to make the straps a bit more comfortable.

[Anonymous]

"At 800 yet per tip this is very reasonable. So now I will be in trekking pole nirvana"

All's well that ends well. ;)

[Miguel Arboleda]

So yes, if I can order these then I'm very happy and will do so right away. He still seem to be equivocating a bit, but I now take that as him just trying to be clear on what is needed to make sure I know what I'm in for – customer satisfaction and all that.

He's not equivocating; he's writing to you in English, not his native language. Just having some confusion on what vocabulary to use. He is just making sure you know exactly what you will be paying for and getting.

Jotaro is great to work with and buy from. Very honest, quick to respond, and meticulous in every detail from the things he makes, to customer service. You can't go wrong with him.

[Marko Botsaris]

By equivocating I mean something that he volunteered in a followup email, and that makes sense – they don't put the tips on their website because it might confuse some customers into thinking that installation of the tips was trivial, or worse, guaranteed. I get this. By making sure they sell them seperatly, he can get this message through. It makes sense that he has to keep adding that the tips are hard to install, and to offer the only "simple"solution – that of buying the per-assembled lower shafts. That is what I meant by "equivocating" – its not a complaint – just an observation. In this case equivocation is justified and a good thing. I admit it is not the best wrod to have used for that, just the only one I had at my disposal at the moment.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Ill also add that I am in trekking pole nirvana as well. I took the poles to big bend ranch state park a few weeks ago for a really, really technically challenging hike. The trail is not maintained, and in many cases we had to simply hike through ridiculously thick sticker bushes with very large and loose rock underfoot. I came down VERY hard on those poles so many times I lost count, I fell badly twice in one day…honestly, I'm not sure I've ever put poles through such a hard few days (I'm usually pretty delicate with my gear). They held up like a champ!! I came away from that trip with the realization that I may have also found trekking pole nirvana…the perfect blend of lightness and durability. Not always an easy balance!

[Marko Botsaris]

Did the super thin wrist straps bother you are all that day? I was thinking of making a mod there, but then I decided I might be overreacting, and that I should wait and see.

[Billy Ray]

Jennifer,

Did the infamous 'rattle' that the poles make bother you?
I have heard that the newer version makes a sound like a 'rattle… one BPL poster sold hers because of that nosie…

Billy

[Marko Botsaris]

The cups on the end can unscrew without falling off. This might have been it, and would have been easy to fix. Trekking poles are pretty simple gear. I sure wish when people complain of something like that they would track it down a bit.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I swapped out the black EVA foam with the gossamer gear handles. I was worried because I am always a strap user…but I found that with this super light poles I never, ever missed them. Even with this gnarly terrain I was on.

As for the rattle…it does bug the crap out of me at home. I've tried so many things to figure out what it is, but no dice. However, I honestly never noticed it during the hike, not once. Back home…awful. My dad – the genius problem solver – is here visiting so I may have have a go at what is rattling……

But hiking, never bothered me a bit. I'm off to Big Bend National Park next weekend for a less challenging hike of the outer mountain loop…I'll give them another good workout there and see. One trip does not make for the best gear review…but wow I beat those suckers up last time.

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