Topic
BD has an adjustable Vapor Carbon ski pole now
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › BD has an adjustable Vapor Carbon ski pole now
- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 7 months ago by Mike M.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Jul 31, 2020 at 1:16 pm #3667743
My favorite trekking poles have been the Black Diamond Vapor Carbon 1 poles for many years now. I use fixed-length poles when possible as I’ve broken so many adjustable poles over the years, but BD just announced 2-piece Vapor Carbons that adjust from 100-135 cm and collapse down to 95 cm. I might trim 10 cm off the top of the lower section to allow them to shrink down a bit smaller when collapsed and use them for packrafting trips.
The one downside for me is they use the metal ‘pro’ flicklock system where the locking lever faces forward and gets flipped open by brush with some regularity when bushwhacking. On a recent elk hunt I handed the lower section of another guys BD pro flicklock poles to him after he got mugged by salmonberries and alders a few times. We eventually duct taped the mechanism closed. A short section of road bike inner tube slipped over the flicklock mechanism obviates this downside, but I still prefer the older plastic flicklock that wraps securely around the pole shaft. I always use small, round summer baskets and jam about a 2″ chunk of radiator hose over the flex tip (slid up against the bottom of the baskets) to reduce ground penetration.
Anyway, I’m excited to have a [somewhat] collapsible version of the best light-but-burly pole on the market.
Jul 31, 2020 at 2:36 pm #3667761I really like the “baskets” (spurs, really) on a pair of Outdoor Adventures Mountaintop trekking poles. When I search for them now, I can’t find any current offerings, but the spurs they promote for “sand and deep grass” do work really well on Adak (a cold, foggy, grassy volcano) to prevent the pole from going in too far but snag less than any other poles I’ve tried. Not especially light at 262 grams each, but they’ve held up for years of me and others schlepping caribou meat out with them. Two-section, one flip-lock.
Mine:
Stock image:
Jul 31, 2020 at 3:05 pm #3667768I’ve replaced the larger alpine Flex Tech tips with more minimal Z-Pole-series tips/baskets on BD Expedition poles. The Z tips are pretty stretchy after sitting in boiling water for a few minutes, but they don’t go on every size pole tip. But it’s hard to beat the full size Flex tips for endless rock-stabbing durability.
Aug 8, 2020 at 6:28 pm #3670033I got a pair and immediately swapped the alpine Flex tips for some Z tips. I slid a piece of road bike innertube in place, ready to secure the Flicklock lever closed for future brush combat. They are 15.2 oz (430 g) for the pair. Not UL, but very good for such stout BC ski poles.
Aug 8, 2020 at 9:19 pm #3670058nice looking poles and good idea on the flicklocks
they should make those so they’re compatible with their whippet heads
I have the aluminum Traverse WR, but they are a full 6 oz heavier- I’d definitely rock the carbon ones if they took the whipped head
Aug 9, 2020 at 11:16 am #3670103Because of the additional loads and stress on the Whippet interface and upper shaft they really need to beef that part of the WR poles up. I’m not sure a carbon upper would help much. It’s the threaded sleeve inside and the kinda porky Whippet head itself, along with the chunky rubber grip (though I’m not sure how much weight foam grips would save).
Aug 9, 2020 at 12:17 pm #3670117^ ahhhh- maybe that’s why they don’t
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.