get collapsible trekking poles?

After modifying the cork grip with a Dremel to give me a better index finger rest, removing the straps, and using the rubber tips, the pair tips the scales at 15.4 oz., not at all bad

That is a superb idea, especially when in ‘no strap mode’, using the thumb to ‘lock’ the index finger around the grip.

It is simply amazing how cheaply decent poles can be had these days. My myog poles weigh 9.4oz/pr (w/flicklocks and straps), but the GG grips alone (with shipping) cost more than these Costco poles!!

Agree that it’s surprising how cheaply good poles can be purchased.  Re: component prices, those GG grips are pretty much the gold standard. I’ve never used the CostCo poles, but have a hard time believing the grips are of equal quality.  I’m sure those poles offer good functionality and are certainly a great deal, but they don’t have the love and affection installed that Bob’s poles have :)

FYI, the Fizan poles just got dropped this morning on Massdrop. Told you it wouldn’t be long. :)

I think you pushed them across the finish line, Hoosier!! ;^)

Well, Im gonna return the REis and get either Cascade or Fizan :0)

Thank you all and thank you Link!

Anyone have had tboth Fizan and Cascade?

Which collapse smallest? I cant fig it out.

Do he handles run small on the Fizans?

Cascade carbons 27 inches

Fizans 22.8 inches

Read the reviews… the answers are there! :^o

thanks!

ordered de the Fiz’s!

After modifying the cork grip with a Dremel to give me a better index finger rest, removing the straps, and using the rubber tips, the pair tips the scales at 15.4 oz., not at all bad

I re-pasted Gary D’s quote from above and am posting here because I wanted to report the results after actually trying this myself with the GG grips on my myog poles. It had been on my mind ever since Gary first mentioned it, and it sounded like something worthy for us strapless blokes!

So yesterday I whipped out the Dremel with drum sander and made quick work of it, although one has to be super careful because it is very easy to overdo it with EVA foam! Cleaned up and smoothed out a bit later with some 200 grit sandpaper.

Photo to show before and after (or in this case, after and before, hmm):

These grips are a bit hacked up due to their role as test bed for various strap modification ideas (although I’m pretty much strapless for 3-season), but they’re totally functional despite the ugly scars.

Immediately after finishing up with the sandpaper I went out and did a hike of 4.6 mi in my local park. The trail has only one hill that is remotely taxing, so after cruising all the other trails for a while I finished by doing that section 3 times more in order to see how my hands felt when a bit more grip is required.

Obviously it’s a preliminary conclusion, but It seems to me the index finger indentation is indeed an improvement that makes the ‘thumb lock’ over the index finger more effective when downward pressure is applied, which reduces the amount of grip pressure needed and (presumably!) also reduces hand fatigue.

I’m looking forward to using this on some actual trips. Already I think it is a benefit for those of us of the strapless persuasion.

Well done, Sir Strapless Bloke! But why is it that your EVA foam looks so much like cork? You are right, though–the Dremel sander will really tear through cork quickly. I think the reason why we can do this is that the cork is pretty thick, allowing us to do effective sculpting. Here’s my final result on the Costco poles:

I wonder why few companies have a pronounced finger rest on their handles these days. Komperdell used to do it, but no longer. Leki has a model or two with them, and I think Black Diamond has one. But essentially, everyone is going with a minimal bump and they expect us to count on their sticky foam for a good grip.

It’s pretty bad when we have to make our own finger rests. Here’s a Black Diamond FL Distance Z-pole with a piece of Eva foam duct taped on it (left), and one of the sweet 2016 Komperdell Carbon C2 Ultralight snowshoe poles with a piece of foam held by thin strip of Velcro (on the right).

Love me some proper index finger rests!

Gary, GG calls the grip material “Kork-A-Lon” and it is actually a CNC’d EVA (or similar) foam. All I saw was “Cork” on the website and didn’t read the fine print, lol. Only after using them for a while did the idiot in me wake up and realize they’re not actually cork, duh. :^) Interesting how we can be blinded by assumptions. A good thing, perhaps, since I’ve heard there’s some sort of cork shortage.

Your Dremeling looks better than mine—those Costco poles look as if they came out of the package that way!

The ugly hacks are sometimes necessary for proof of concept, for sure. I could still recognize instantly both those BD and Komperdell grips, however.

I forgot to mention, last weekend I did an overnighter just to test rain gear, etc, and hiked strapless with the Kork-a-lon grips and they were superb when wet. With the new finger rests they’re going to be even better.

Kork-a-lon? Is that some kind of synthetic cork? Wet cork seems more grippy to me than the older, harder foam pole grips. I haven’t used my newer “EVA” grips in the rain yet to learn if they are grippy. Maybe Kork-a-lon is the winner.

But the point remains for us thumb/index finger guys–we need pronounced finger rests, even if we have to do it ourselves. Has anyone else found that no product is exactly right, and that you have to hack everything to make it perfect for your use? Or is it just us OCD hack-geeks that can’t be satisfied with anything right out of the box…?

I happen to use both the Fizans and the Komperdells (i.e. the “REI” rebranded poles in the OP).   Some additional info:

I love the Fizans, I think they are unbeatable for weight & reliability.    Although are so light, I have beaten the hell out of them scrambling and never had a failure, and I now have no hesitation to trust my weight to them.    The only issue I’ve had is forgetting to open them up and dry them thoroughly – I have one that seized up completely when it got wet, I didn’t dry it out properly, and then it sat for a couple of months assembled (tightened up) but unused.   But, really, that’s user error rather than any flaw in the poles.

The big advantages to the Komperdells is that they go very long, and the length adjustment is all in extending the top section with a quick-release clamp.   It’s instant and totally secure – this is great for difficult and undulating terrain and scrambling.   It also means that you can use them to pitch the MLD and Zpacks shelters that require a longer pole without using an extension.

HOWEVER – I have had two failures with the Komperdell poles, both involving the interior attachment point in the bottom pole section coming loose.    I have not yet abandoned them, because although such a failure is a major problem during a hike, it wasn’t a breakage with my weight on the pole that might have resulted in injury, and it may have been a one-off quality control issue in one pair.  Aside from this they are super poles.  If you buy them Komperdell-branded they have a repair/replacement policy that’s superb – they will repair or replace ANY damage or failure for 3 years, not just defects.  Even if your pet hippopotamus sits on them and breaks them, they will repair or replace for free.
http://www.komperdell.com/en/company/garantie.php

@Gary, the Kork-a-lon is a synthetic that appears to be made with a tan-colored polymer with some black streaks mixed in to make it look like cork when it cures. Kind of like those plastic sinks that look like marble.

@Ralph, I’m impressed with your observations about the Fizans… I’m sure you really put stuff to the test! I have the REI PowerLock (Komperdells) and also find them to be perfect for my winter outings. I’ve given them a fair amount of hard use and employ them with pole jacks for inverted V pitching of my Duomid and they’ve withstood moderately strong wind gusts with no problems.

IIRC you mentioned that you did not use trekking poles on your JMT FKT attempts. Has your trekking pole view changed, or do you just not use them for FKTs because perhaps they get in your way at a faster pace? I find that as I get older my knees and hips appreciate them more and more.

Bob (you are very much welcome back, btw),

I have tried hiking with two poles, in the traditional manner, and I could just never got comfortable with the rhythmic movement of my arms – I just feel like a mechanical toy.   I’ve never had knee problems, so perhaps I have not had the incentive to persist and get used to the motion.    In any event, on well-made trails, especially if I’m moving quickly, I sometimes use no poles at all.    More usually, and certainly anywhere cross country or on difficult trails, I tend to use a single pole, for balance on difficult sections and to reduce knee impact downhill, but just held rather loosely on easier sections.   The exception is snow, where two poles (or pole & ice axe) are essential, of course.

There are certain situations where, whatever your usual habits, I’d certainly advocate single pole – difficult scrambles on loose terrain like the Grand Canyon, for example, where typically you want a pole to dig in to the loose stuff on the ground, and one hand free to grab any holds available.

Seems a lot of posts were deleted by the posters and I have been gone for a few days so not sure what was said or not said.

First thing… how do you know you even need trekking poles? 

The flip locks or whatever they are called are the best for adjusting and staying in place. Twist locks usually eventually fail and need to periodically maintained or replaced. The BD Carbon Alpine Corks seem to be a favorite for durability but are heavier than many. Carbon poles are subject to breaking and there are many threads here on BPL about it. I would rather break a $30/pair pole than a $150/per pair pole. However, I will never break a trekking pole because I no longer use them.

Ralph,

I used to be a double-poler (xc ski gliding style) and the alternating, opposite leg and pole sequence did indeed take some getting used to. Required ‘active thinking’, much like a kid learning a waltz for the first time, although over time it has become natural. However, my use is similar to yours on good trails—on slight ups and downs and flats I find myself not using them very much because I don’t really feel that propulsion effect in those situations. The annoyance of getting into and out of straps is what prompted my experimentation with strapless, and darn if I didn’t prefer it. But on real-deal scrambling and steep scree, yeah, I just put ’em away to free the hands or just use a shortened one ‘dagger style’ for purchase.

Nick, the ‘whether to use poles’ question is IMO a chicken-or-egg thing. I didn’t use trekking poles at all until I really got into winter stuff in the late ’80s and found them mandatory for snowshoeing, although I still didn’t use them for 3-season backpacking or easy winter approaches even while ‘trad-humping’ a very heavily laden McHale. I know you are familiar with McHale and probably recall the handle thingies Dan used to (still does?) put on the waist belts to provide an alternate hand position. Very few people used trekking poles back then and those handles were great because they let the wearer ‘shrug’ the shoulders to give them some relief. But for someone just getting into backpacking now, I’d say learn all you can and give trekking poles a shot using good technique, in all kinds of terrain and weather, with and without, and after several hundred or couple thousand miles you can start to form an opinion. :^)

I do use poles with snowshoes.

Not to beat a tired Costco trekking pole horse, but I want to let the Boulder/Denver crowd know what I learned today. After I showed some friends my carbon fiber Costco poles over the weekend, they did the “Ooo-ahhh, I want a pair!” thing. None of them had a Costco membership, so I told them I would check and see if my local store had any left. It turned out that they did a major re-stock, and they now have ~500 pair available. So if your local Costco is out, go to the one in Superior, just east of Boulder. But remember, once they sell out you’ll have to wait until next April.

Sincerely,

Costco pole fan-boy

Edit-I forgot to tell you. I figured out a way to securely attach REI’s re-branded 4″ Komperdell snow baskets onto the Costco poles. They’re much more efficient than the weenie stock 3.25″ Costco baskets. Just slip them onto the pole and secure them in place (top and bottom) with multiple wraps of strips of silicone tape. They’ll be good for the entire winter season, after which you cut the silicone and return the poles to summer trekking mode.

Nice Gary, They really are great poles and the price is amazing, I have lent them out to neighbors who then went out and bought some they liked them so much. I Gave a pair to my sister after her brain aneurysm a few years ago when we went on a 5 mile day hike and she loved them, happy to say she doesn’t need them for walking anymore but uses them for hikes for reassurance.

Hi Anna Marie, nice of you to chime in. Yep, the Costco poles are a screaming deal, for sure. While they aren’t my favorite poles (they’re a bit heavy), they rank right up there.

I’m glad that your sister is doing well now. That was a rough hit for your whole family. By the way, I’m not mad at the Seattle crowd anymore over that Super Bowl fiasco 2 years ago. We got ours this year, so we’re good.

Thanks Gary, My sister is doing amazing she went back to work 6 months later and the doctors call her the miracle girl. Oh and the Seahawks always seem to choke so I was surprised that they won one, I am happy you got one.