New Durston Iceline Trekking Poles — but no straps :/

[bradmacmt]

I, for one, don’t like straps or cork grips. I think the Durston poles are brilliant as is. I may get a air just for those special occasions I use poles. The fact Komerdell makes them is a huge plus. They’re a great company that often seems overlooked here in the US.

Regardless, it’s nice to see how responsive Dan is to input. Kudos to him.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Thanks Brad :)

“Do you have a ‘cutaway’ diagram of the current handle/shaft interface? Is the upper tube section capped inside the handle?”
No I don’t have such a diagram. The tubing feels capped inside the handle but I can’t not confirm this yet. I’m going to be deconstructing some grips here in the next few weeks as part of working on the strap attachment, so I’ll be able to confirm soon.

[Philip Tschersich]

Awesome. Thanks.

[Philip Tschersich]

My set arrived too late to take on my recent trip (plus I need to do a few mods), but when I got home and played with them I thought they were so very nicely designed and constructed that I ordered two more pair to send to some close friends in Juneau as a wedding present for them (they are in the strapless camp). This is not meant as a review, just saying…

[jscott]

Again, for those who merely want to have their poles attached to their wrists in unusual circumstances, such as cliffs or extreme drop offs where dropping a pole would mean it tumbled down a great distance and was lost–for those folks, merely having a tiny ‘tongue’ attached to the grip where lightweight cordage (like the MSR reflective  utility cord etc.) could be attached into a small loop that wraps around the wrists–this would be fine. This is what I use on my GG lightrek poles.

By the way, I very much like the cork grips on the GG poles! which are twenty years old at least so  the design may have changed.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Glad the first impressions are good Philip :)

[Philip Tschersich]

I scavenged some old BD Distance pole parts and carefully dremeled a passage through the Iceline pole at the top of the shaft (which does seem to have some sort of a plastic plug glued in). To line the hole I used a short piece of old tent pole (trimmed and chamfered), the inner diameter of which fit the plastic BD cord link perfectly, and the outer diameter offered a pleasant resistance fit to the pole shaft itself. Nice.

For those who eschew straps, the stock poles seem great. For the strap-dependent among us, waiting for v.2 will be a good option. I’m just an inveterate gear tinkerer, and have a lot of tools and extra parts to play with.

Have fun out there!

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

That’s awesome. Nicely done. Do you think the friction will be enough to hold that section of tent pole in there? Or perhaps a dab of glue would be helpful?

That’s a nice removable solution. We move pretty quickly here, so I’m already on our second generation of prototypes with straps. Should have the design finalized in a few weeks, and done production in a few months.

[Philip Tschersich]

It took a bit of force to push the piece of tent pole through, so I don’t see It moving soon. Perhaps after lots of load cycles it could loosen and benefit from a spot of glue. I thought about gluing it now, but I think I will wait to see how it does.

One thing that I thought might happen is that the lower pole section would no longer insert fully into the upper pole section now that I obstructed the top of the upper pole, but I still get full insertion.

Speaking of glue, the blue Loctite on the screw for the cam lock really isn’t doing much. I was able to thread and unthread it with light finger pressure. As long as the cam is closed and there is tension on the screw, it won’t go anywhere. But folks may want to add a bit more Loctite (blue, not red) if they plan on working the locking lever a lot or transporting the poles with the lever open. I will say that the cam is a nice low profile design, and the shaped stainless plate acting like a bushing between the locking collar and the cam is a well-executed touch.

[Todd T]

That’s a nice retrofit, Philip.  But the BD Distance straps are notorious for wearing out quickly, so I hope Dan will find a more durable approach if/when he adds straps to his design.  I used BD Distance poles for a long time, but had to replace the straps annually, occasionally more often when one would break.  I finally ditched the poles when I realized I’d paid as much for replacement straps as I had for the original poles.  The design simply won’t hold up to aggressive use.

[Nicholas P]

I got my poles in the mail today.

I haven’t used them yet but my first impression is that they are quite sexy. Am I weird for calling a trekking pole sexy?  Probably. But they are a very sleek and elegant in design ,super light yet seem quite sturdy.
I went ahead and  got some  bicycle grip tape to extend the grips as was suggested by some of you good folks . I went  with  cinelli’s gel cork tape , I haven’t wrapped them yet but  I think it will work out quite nicely!

[Philip Tschersich]

I hear you, Todd. I’ve gone through some Distance straps as well. When they wear out, I usually replace them with other BD straps and just sew them as needed. Or before they blow, I will add some reinforcing material/webbing.

[SIMULACRA]

Like the Macgyvering there Philip. Lemons, make lemonade.

Mine came in last week and already used them on a 4 day trek. The upper extension slides with absolute precision, and flip locks solid. No rattle. All other poles I’ve used, Leki, Flash Carbons have an unsatisfactory resistance and or rattle. Never liked that.  Bottom section slides/clips in firmly with no shudder or rattle in use. You can immediately feel the sturdier/beefier bottom, yet light as all heck. Took through very rocky and snowy sections. Top of grip is a tad smaller in circumference than I’d prefer. Presume this is to make it slip nicely into the Pro Xmid peaks. By the end of the trip it didn’t bother me.

Going into these, I didn’t like that the bottom section has to be removed completely to get to its shortest length. While doing steep class ascents I prefer to reduce a 3 section pole to its shortest and use like claws. REI Flash Carbons do this very well. Simply choking down on the pole doesn’t have the same effect. Extending a grip helps, but the level of control, balance and grip are night and day difference when you can simply slide a pole to its shortest, verses choking down.

That being said, even if the Icelines bottom section slid in, I believe it would compromise the strength gained by designing it to not. So technically a flaw in my mind, but at the same time promotes a stronger benefit.

Lemons, make lemonade. I’ll perhaps put some pole wrap under the grips for the small % of time I actually need to scratch and crawl my way up an ascent.

As for straps, all my previous poles have had them. I started to remove the stock straps and replace with custom lighter versions. Over time I started to wane away from even using the custom straps, but neglected to do away with them all together. My last iteration was basically a shoe string. All the time just hanging there catching on things down the trail while carrying the poles. The Icelines gave me reason to not have any at all. I have no better word, than liberating. Didn’t even notice or think about straps by the first hour into it.

All in all, very well built and designed. You can tell a lot of thought went into these in minute and major ways. Nice addition to my kit. Nothing can be perfect. Except me of course.. :)

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Glad you’re liking the poles. It sounds like you do some steep hiking :)

[Link .]

.Pair of Adv Feltac Grips for Carbon Staff .

[SIMULACRA]

It sounds like you do some steep hiking :)

I do at times. Depending on the off trail route I’ve chosen, or mis-chosen, it can lead to some.

Link . I’ve tried the ADV Feltac grips and I’m not a fan. The adhesive is only at one end and a sticker is given to “lock down” the other. Which makes the grip tend to want to “unravel” or shift in use. I’m looking for a grip that has adhesive all along the grip. Do any exist?

[jscott]

Simulacra, I’m guessing most people don’t need poles to shorten down to the lengths you like on steep terrain. I mean,  it sounds as if you need an ice ax in those conditions. And in those conditions, I’d like to have straps! As it is I don’t like straps, or can take them or leave them. I do palm the tops of my poles on descents, and may also extend the poles. I like having my hands on the grips, so extended grip poles, where I have to wrap hands around the pole  itself,  is not my ideal.

[Nicholas P]

They’re all wrapped up and waiting for somewhere to go! Tape added about 6 grams to each pole .The Cinelli tape worked out well . Best part is now they are initialized, first initial anyway (sorry Dan) .I guess these ones are  N poles now. IDK maybe  the N will also stand for “Niceline” trekking poles!

[Philip Tschersich]

I’m looking for a grip that has adhesive all along the grip. Do any exist?

Road bike bar tape usually has a continuous strip of adhesive on the back. Like what Nicholas used.

[Nicholas P]

Yes , the tape that I used ( cinelli gel cork) has a strip of silicone that runs down the length of the tape, however it is not super sticky (which  actually makes it more forgiving to work with).You can pull it off and rewrap if needed.It is not really sticky enough to keep it in place while wrapping but I think it will do a good job of keeping it from sliding down once wrapped and taped with electrical tape over each end.

I used a short piece of electrical tape to keep the end secure while I worked ensuring a tight wrap.

Be careful when selecting a grip tape some have a stickier adhesive and some have none at all. The cinelli gel cork tape is quite plush  with the added gel layer, it has a similar texture  to EVA but a little cushier . I think it’s mostly EVA with a little cork mixed in and a thin gel layer in back.

[SIMULACRA]

Correct, most true. Most people don’t need to shorten their poles as low as I do for rapid terrain change. Either because they’ve never thought of utilizing their pole in this fashion. Or they merely don’t get into such terrain that requires such an action. Or their poles don’t enable this type of action, due to design. Like the Icelines. Either way, it’s a tested method and functional. Not a fault of any design that lacks it. The conditions I’m speaking of where I need to claw my way up are dry conditions. Lack of snow. I do have an  axe I bring for snow conditions. My statement was not a requirement, but rather my thought process on a unique way I’ve been able to utilize a poles feature. Something I have to deal with and find other ways in this particular pole design, or go back to my previous poles. None of which has anything to do with anybody else, or how they utilize their own poles design, or whether they like straps or not. Merely a statement of what I’ve found to work well, as apposed to other methods in the same scenario.

The bike tape sounds promising. Thank you Philip, Nicholas.

[jscott]

Well shut my mouth! that’s  impressive work with the tape on the handles.

[Philip Tschersich]

Out using the Icelines [well, me anyway, not my coworker pictured] on the east side of Kodiak on evening hikes during our hydroacoustic rockfish surveys. We are following deer/bear trails and headed up the peak in the background.

The next evening’s hike- you can see our research vessel anchored in the bight.

We travel on a lot of soft surfaces: marsh, meadow, moss, tundra, hummocks, tussocks, beach, etc. The ground penetration of the thin stock tips was a nonstarter so I pushed a length of 3/8” radiator hose up the tip, leaving about a half inch of the tip protruding for bite. Pretty good, but I will might put BD Distance pole tips on at some point. I get a small amount of vibration out of one pole on hard plants. Otherwise and overall: excellent.

[Jason McGrath]

My poles are in the mail! Flip-lock and one adjustment is a winner, while being close enough in weight to my strapless LT5’s. 2-piece storage is a compromise that I think I can tolerate. The passion over the straps reveals such a high interest in anything Dan releases. Otherwise, people would just yawn and buy different poles. Instead you have people spending big cash to buy Dan’s poles and then modify them, sometimes adding significant weight. Now that is brand loyalty! Shows what building trust can do.

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Thanks for the kind words and trying these poles Jason :)

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