New Durston Iceline Trekking Poles — but no straps :/

[Gene C]

I got an email announcing Dan’s new Iceline Trekking Poles.  They look really nice, but — sadly for me — have no straps.   The FAQ addresses this:

 

> Many lightweight hikers do not use straps and we think more will prefer this when they try it.

 

I hold strongly that most serious hikers who do not find straps useful are doing it wrong.  Learning the “right” poling technique which uses the strap as a mechanical hinge rather than a simple tether transformed my hike and moved straps from an annoyance to a must-have.   So, Dan, maybe on version 2.0?

 

 

[Philip Tschersich]

Yeah, not offering a strap option is silly.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Pair  270 g (9.5 oz) per pair.

That is pretty impressive!  I made a set of fixed length poles for my wife using a carbon fiber golf shafts and cork grips; they came in at 4.0 oz. each.

[baja bob]

Without a strap the poles are .2 oz lighter than Gossamer Gear poles so he can claim world’s lightest and reduce costs.

[Brad W]

No straps is a major deal breaker for me.

[SIMULACRA]

Just finished reading the entire insanely UL community on Reddit bashing Dan on this simple feature exclusion. Serious, it’s not a deal breaker folks. Hopefully that doesn’t carry over here. His reasoning is sound. Purchased. I wish the bottom section didn’t fully disconnect. But, meh..I’ll give it a try.

[Terran Terran]

More power to him.

[Gene C]

Glad I don’t go to Reddit anymore!

I started this thread, so I’ll dip back in to say I have the utmost respect for Dan — I bought (and still use) his original tent via Drop.  So I just hope the non-insane discussion here communicates that there is a real and valid need for straps on poles.

[Brad W]

His reasoning may be sound for himself, it’s not sound for me. I can’t tell you how many times straps have saved my poles from being lost forever on cliffside trails, extremely steep trails, etc. where a drop of a pole would mean it’s gone. Hike fast and long enough and they will come out of your hands at some point.

Have them removeable for those who don’t like them, but excluding them alienates many users.

[Todd T]

I hold strongly that most serious hikers who do not find straps useful are doing it wrong.

^^^Exactly.  First really bonehead move by Durston.

[Matthew / BPL]

I prefer straps too, but only when using two poles.

Sometimes on day hikes I like to bring just one pole which I use on steep downhills. I set my length a bit longer and use it more like a staff and pass it back and forth between hands.

Maybe I’ll buy a pair and sell one? I definitely don’t want two strapless poles…

I will be curious to hear about the lower joint. I don’t like any wiggle in my trekking poles.

[Monte Masterson]

I never use straps, always cut them off as soon as I buy a new pair of poles.

Komperdell durability is supreme. These new poles look great and price is in line with BD Distance Carbon Z and Gossamergear LT5.

[SIMULACRA]

*chuckles*…popcorn in hand.. suspenseful look on face..ready for the show =)

[Sam E]

Definitely straps for me, not even having them as an optional extra is a deal breaker for me.  I use them as Gene C describes, and “strap comfort” is one of my criteria for chosing poles.  Because I rely on the straps more than the grips, I go for lighter (and normally cheaper) foam grips over cork; but I know cork grips are popular for those who rely more on the grips.  I’m surprised cork grips aren’t an option yet.
I do like the original and thoughtful design (which I’ve come to expect from Dan), but I’ll wait a while…

[jscott]

For my GG poles I ordered strapless and then added a length of tent stake rope to use in those infrequent circumstances when dropping a pole would result in my losing it off  a cliff, etc.

I Nordic skied for years and you bet I used straps on those poles, both striding and especially skate style. There, they’re essential for weighting the wrists and arms  for propulsion.  Some folks bring this technique to backpacking. Not me. And in fact I don’t like the idea of having poles  strapped to my wrist if I’m falling–that’s never happened–or certainly when crossing a river. using my wrists for propulsion in  backpacking seems…wrong. Yeah, occasionally I might use my poles to help  ascend a steep step up rocks. In general I like to keep a loose grip with my hands and use poles for balance, especially on steep descents.

all that said I recently picked up a burly set of poles for day hike use find myself using the straps…or not!

[bradmacmt]

Y’all need to get liberated from poles and straps – a cane is where it’s at. Poetry don’t ya know… :)

[Todd T]

I never use straps, always cut them off as soon as I buy a new pair of poles.

And that’s easy to do.  Not so easy to add them on, though.  I don’t understand Dan’s thinking unless he’s just chasing the gram weenie crown.

[Terran Terran]

I believe Dan has stated before that he doesn’t use straps. There’s many brands with straps for us who want them. Why wouldn’t he offer a strapless product? Why shouldn’t he?

[JCH]

I like ‘em.  Straps need to be an available option.  I bet they are before long. Would be silly to alienate so many potential buyers.

I’ve been impressed with pretty much everything Dan has come out with…some of it’s not for me, but when it is it’s damn near perfect.

[bradmacmt]

I looked them over – while I have essentially zero interest in trekking poles for backpacking (abandoned them in the 1970’s), it’s pretty obvious to me it wouldn’t be very difficult to adapt  straps to these – one just has to think a bit out of the box a bit.

I only use poles for snowshoeing or packing out heavy loads of dead elk, and Dan’s would be great for either for me.  The foam grips are far more preferable than the cork on my BD poles.

[Bill in Roswell]

Straps make using poles so much easier and in time, intuitive. Also much less fatigue than gripping them. When you get to where you have arthritis in your fingers, straps are the only way to go. A couple of retired British guys starting the AT  showed me how to properly use straps years ago. I started running my poles shorter so my arm and pole were more online and more bio mechanically efficient, and let the poles swing forward freely on there own when I was cruising and not point planting, which lack lack of straps forces you to do every step. It makes the old “arm at 90 degree angle” barb look inefficient as well as putting more stress on wrist and elbow joints. IMHO, of course.

I use trekking pole tents, and the straps are handy for hanging wet gloves or other small items.

[jscott]

“In particular, the non-telescoping nature of the lower connection enables thicker 16 mm tubing for the tip section. Other poles with telescoping lower connections have to use narrower tubing for the tip section (typically 12 mm) but this makes those poles weaker right where they are most exposed to potential damage. The 16 mm tubing here substantially reduces the risk of breakage.”

this makes sense to me. I love my Gossamer Gear lightrek  poles. But I have broken the a pole between the tip and the first adjustment point, twice. And then I learned to pay attention in rocky,  pole busting circumstances. They’ve served me well for another 15 years.

But, not having an adjustment point that requires a more narrow–skinny–pole  section at the lower end in order to allow  it to collapse  inside the larger upper portion, makes sense. To say it another way, having only one adjustable  mechanism  allows for a stronger  bottom pole section. And breakage tends to occur at these bottom pole sections.

And in that  regard, having single sized, non adjustable poles designed for your height and weight makes even more sense! But of course I use my poles  to support my tent, so they need to be adjustable. Durston’s look pretty good.

e

[Philip Tschersich]

I will be interested to see how long the pole tips last. I’m sure he has done plenty of testing. Most manufacturers will add a replaceable plastic pole tip when using a carbon lower section. These poles appear to be conspicuously naked carbon all the way down to the carbide point. Dan says these are designed for a “multi-week traverse of Alaska’s Brooks Range” and that’s some rocky country.

[Ross Bleakney]

I seem to remember Gossamer Gear poles not having straps initially. It seemed silly then and it seems silly now. I consider them essential in the same way that they are essential for Nordic ski poles. I’m not suggesting the movement is similar. I tend to use poles mostly when descending, which means that I am using the poles to slow myself down (as opposed to pushing me along when I’m skiing). But at my wrist and hand the movement is quite similar.The weight is spread throughout the hand while the fingers do very little work (and simply keep the pole in line). The only alternative is to put the hand over the top of the pole, and you could certainly do the same thing with skiing. But this gives you a lot less control and is a lot harder on your hand (especially if you are descending thousands of feet).

For what it is worth I find the Gossamer Gear straps to be very comfortable and light. They are also simple and easy to manage. It also wouldn’t be much work to replace them with another type of strap. I just wish GG made a two-section pole like they used to. I think Dan has the right idea with these poles — everything but the lack of straps.

[Thom]

They look very nice ,light . Would work for me.
thom.

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