New Durston Iceline Trekking Poles — but no straps :/

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Regarding R&D, I shared some lab results here but that is not the only thing we do. We have done lab tests all along, but also quite a bit of field testing.  I’ve personally used the poles for over a year and we have quite a few other people testing them as well.

In the case of the quick connect, in the original version the pole will most often break here because it is the bottleneck for strength on the pole. Somewhere has to be the strength bottleneck and wherever that is will tend to see the most breaks, even though if it were made stronger then oftentimes somewhere else would just break in the same incident. So of course it is possible to break the poles and certainly stronger is better (and we are making further progress towards that) but the original version did meet our strength goals and has a fairly low real world break rate (1-2% reported breaks, of which many are traumatic incidents).

While I think the original version is a good pole, I very much recognize that great products come through continual refinement and feedback, which is why with all of my gear I value feedback and am constantly updating it. Our X-Mid tents were pretty dialed in back in 2019 and yet we are still updating them several times per year. Same for these poles – they will see updates for the next run and probably all of the runs for the next several years at least. There is always more we can do to save weight, add strength, improve reliability, and ease of use. So it is not unusual there are updates for the next batch.

I do passionately stand behind these poles, so we are providing free replacement sections for all breaks (even if the user is adamant it was their fault). If someone does break the quick connect on a v1 pole, we will soon be able to provide a v2 tip section at no cost, so their pole is not only stronger than new but also improved in a variety of other ways (TBA).

[Bill in Roswell]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>I used to ham fist hiking poles like Richard P mentions. I thought it inefficient at best and tiring all the time. Then I ran into a couple of retired Brits hiking the AT who showed me how to use poles efficiently by putting most pressure on the strap (weight on heel of the hand) and letting my fingers control pole placement. I never looked back. They also use a Nordic style motion on level ground like JScott mentions. Now that’s it’s second nature, weight on the strap, grip between thumb and index finger-one finger behind the grip to control placement, my pole tips dance across the terrain – rooty, rocky, dirt or a mix. I rarely need to grasp the entire grip in my hand, which I found tiring on all-day hikes. The technique worked great on the rocky boulder fields of the Presidential Range in NH  So Dan, I’m elated that you will have a strap option!</p>

[Todd T]

What Bill said.

Also, for all that to work right, the poles can’t be too long.  If you’re hiking with your hands up by your armpits, the poles will do you no good beyond being feelers and you’ll get tired using them.  Get them well under you and, pow!  The standard advice of “arm at 90 degrees with pole vertical” is at least seven inches too long for me.  I don’t know who made up that advice, but it wasn’t anyone who’s used poles correctly.  :-)

[jscott]

“I don’t know who made up that advice, but it wasn’t anyone who’s used poles correctly.  :-)”

Interesting. I often see folks using their poles set really low and have to bite my tongue. I personally find the roughly 90 degree angle–a right angle– to be most efficient on level ground. Especially for those who want to use their wrists for leverage/propulsion. Or just for better balance and comfort and ease. I see no real advantage to holding one’s poles down below one’s waist on flat ground. but that’s just me! we all have different anatomies, “from the tip of (our) toes to the top of (our) head” as Paul Simon sings.

Of course I don’t hike with my poles up near my armpits. Maybe my math is off. That’s not a 90% angle, is it?

And I adjust my pole lengths going up hill or downhill as needed. On steep,rocky downhill terrain, yes, my poles may well be well extended. Or–andhere’s why I find minimal or no pole straps to be most advantageous–I simply palm the tops of my poles, and then adjust my hands on the grips step by step as the terrain requires. It’s all very intuitive and easy. A goat does this as well. etc.

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