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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > MSR SureLock TR-3 Poles > Owner Review by Ray Estrella
MSR SureLock TR-3 Trekking Poles
February 23, 2013
TESTER INFORMATION
I've been backpacking for over 30 years, all over California, Minnesota, and many western states. I hike year-round in all weather, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. I make a point of using lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. Doubting I can ever be truly ultralight, I try to be as light as I can yet still be comfortable. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring/chilling. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot evening meals. If not hiking solo I am usually with my brother-in-law Dave or my twin children. The Product
Manufacturer: Mountain Safety Research, Inc. (MSR) Quick & Dirty, Nitty Gritty MSR's first foray into the trekking pole market looks to be a winner with the SureLock TR-3's Trigger Release adjustment system. It is the fastest, easiest adjustment system I have ever used. The pole is very strong and I feel that it shines for winter use. Just don't lick one when the temps are well below freezing. ;-) Please read on for the details. Product Description
The MSR SureLock TR-3 trekking poles (hereafter referred to as the TR-3s or the poles) are the crown jewels in the company's new line of trekking poles. Field Data
I first used the TR-3s on a 2-day backpacking trip in the southern Sierra Nevada (seen in the picture above), and a day hike in the Angeles National Forest, both in California. I covered 65 mi (105 km), with about 6,000 ft (1830 m) of elevation gain and loss on these trips, in temps that ran from 40 F to a ridiculously warm for that time of year 90 F (4 to 32 C). The terrain was mostly rock, sand, and decomposed granite. I put them away until the beginning of December, and then used them all winter. Over the course of three months I took them on six backpacking trips. Four were on the Red River either on private property north of Halstad, Minnesota or just north of my town, one was on the North Country Trail by the Anoway River in Chippewa National Forest and the last on the North Country Trail in Paul Bunyan State Forest. These trips were cold with lows averaging around 0 F (18 C). The trip on the Anoway River saw -22 F (-30 C) at night but was actually colder as I left the trailhead. Terrain was hard frozen ground with little or no snow cover for the first four trips and deep snow for the last two. I used them on three or four day-hikes, most at MB Johnson Nature Park outside Moorhead, Minnesota. Average temps while day-hiking was around 10 F (-12 C). Here is a shot of the poles in use backpacking as I stop to admire the work of some very optimistic beavers. I guess they plan to dam the Red River. Good luck with that my fat furry friends. Observations
Since tearing my meniscus in 2004 I have been a regular user of trekking poles, taking them on 95% of my backpacking trips and day-hikes. Over the past decade I have used a lot of them but have never used as unique a locking and adjustment system as that employed by the MSR TR-3s. And they are pretty strong too. The trip in the Sierra Nevada (seen above) was my first "hard" hike after coming back from major leg and ankle surgeries so I was really relying on the poles, putting more weight on them then I might have in the past. I am happy to report that they never let me down. On over-grown sections of the trail I used them to help clear the way as I pushed through yucca, Manzanita, and buckthorn. Based on the scratches I see on the yellow uppers I guess I banged them into a few rocks too. The grips are a very nice size and shape. I have big hands and many grips are too small which can make my hands cramp. These are big enough to be comfortable for normal use, yet don't feel bulky when I am wearing gloves, as I have done with the majority of use with the TR-3. Like in this picture taken on the North Country Trail. The carbide tips are quite sharp and grab rock very well. I don't recall any time it slipped on all the rocky terrain in California. They still look like new, but I do have to admit that in this part of Minnesota it is mostly just frozen clay I am on. Speaking of freezing, the aluminum gets cold! I grabbed them with my glove off when I needed more dexterity to set up a shelter. My body heat melted some ice crystals and then instantly refroze to the pole. It made me think of Ralphie's friend Flick, in the movie A Christmas Story, freezing his tongue to a pole. I have got to use the TR-3s as shelter supports too. On the Sierra trips my brother-in-law Dave brought the wrong poles for his shelter, a Tarptent Sublite Sil. His were too short but I saved the day by letting him use the TR-3s at the end of the day, as seen above. He was very impressed by the poles and loved the adjustment system too. I also used them as support for 5 nights with the Brooks-Range Propel tent seen below. (See review.) One night was during a full-on winter storm with heavy winds and lots of snow but the tent stayed upright with the assistance of the TR-3s. I rarely use the straps on trekking poles unless there is a danger of a dropped pole disappearing down a steep slope or in a river. We don't have much in the way of steep slopes in this flat part of Minnesota so I may have used them a couple times total. They are comfortable enough but a little short for my large hands if I wanted to do a traditional strap-through-the-thumb-web style of grip. I may even cut them off to save weight as I did with my last pair of winter trekking poles. For the first few months of winter we barely had enough snow to cover the ground. I did not even change to the snow baskets until January but as seen above did not even need them then. In February Mother Nature played catch-up by clobbering us with a huge blizzard followed by days of sporadic snow. Suddenly I was able to use snowshoes, my gear sled, and yes, the TR-3s snow baskets. In the picture below I am on an unknown amount of base, sinking about a foot (30 cm) into two to three feet (1 m) of fresh snow. The snow baskets worked well. That is about all I can think to share about the MSR TR-3 trekking poles. I have no complaints nor any suggestions for improvement. Now I am going to go play with the Trigger Release some more… This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Read more reviews of MSR gear Read more gear reviews by Ray Estrella Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > MSR SureLock TR-3 Poles > Owner Review by Ray Estrella |