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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Mons Peak IX Tiger Paw 7075 > Test Report by Coy Ray StarnesMons Peak Tiger Paw 7075 Trekking Pole Review by Coy Starnes Initial Report: May 22, 2018 Field Report: July 29, 2018 Long Term Report: October 4 2018  single pole weight as used in the woods, as in minus rubber tip protectors and performance basket installed
Tester Biography I live in Northeast Alabama. I enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, and kayaking. I enjoy hiking with family and friends but also hike solo occasionally. Most of my hiking has been in the Southeastern US. I hike throughout the year but actually enjoy late fall or early spring the most with some winter hiking mixed in. I don't like the hot and humid weather of summer unless I can escape to the mountains where it is cooler. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability to a degree. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food and water. Initial Report: May 22, 2018 Product Information
Product Description The Mons Peak Tiger Paw 7075 poles are made of Aircraft Grade 7075 hard anodized jet black aluminum telescoping tubes. The handle portion is made of cork and a polymer. The handle has a webbing strap to aid in gripping each pole. The poles are made of three sections of tubing, each progressively smaller from the top down. The length is adjusted by how far the lower section slides inside the middle section and how far the middle section slides inside the top section. There are marking in inches and centimeters one both lower sections that when set at the same mark will give the overall length of the pole. The poles are adjusted using a mechanism very similar to the quick release hub (often called a QR) on a bicycle. The adjustment is made by flicking up on the red handle like lever that wraps halfway around the pole. This allows the lower two pole sections to slide in either direction. Once the desired length is selected lock it in by flipping the QR handle back down. Repeat for the middle section QR. Double check to assure enough tension is applied during the locking process so that the pole sections no longer slide under pressure.  Quick Release for pole length adjustment These poles are what would be considered basic trekking poles without any anti-shock built in and aluminum tubing instead of carbon fiber. Cork handles are considerd old-school, but honestly, I prefer this grip material. Mons Peak does offer lighter carbon poles but they come at a premium price. Some might say this is an entry level pole (it is the cheapest Mons Peak offering) but I consider it more of a Chevy truck vs a Corvette. The truck isn’t as fast or light but I don’t worry about babying these poles. The poles came with the performance baskets installed but can be swapped for snow baskets which were included. The performance baskets are much smaller and are mainly used to keep leaves from building up on the poles, at least no higher than the baskets. The rubber feet were also installed on the poles but can be pulled off fairly easily but not so easily that they would just fall off while using them. Trying them out The online guide says the poles should be set where the arm bends at a 90 degree angle just standing holding the poles. Using this as a starting point I adjusted the poles to the 43 in (110 cm) setting. I then checked them against my old poles and they were almost identical in length. I remove the rubber feet and readjusted the grip webbing a smidgen shorter to move my hand position slightly up on the poles. The webbing should not be tight and is really more to keep the hands from sliding down on the poles without having to grip them tightly. This adjust-ability would also be handy for lengthening the straps for winter hiking when thick gloves might be worn.  ready for a hike, cork grip with grip-aid webbing shown I went for a short 2 mile (3 km) hike to see how I liked the poles. Since I was specifically trying to analyze the performance of the poles the first thing I noticed was that they made a slight vibrating noise every time a pole contacted the ground. If I stopped thinking about it and let my mind wander (happens more than I care to admit...) I would completely forget the noise. The vibration noise did not manifest into anything I could feel with my hands. The second thing I noticed was that I love the cork grip. My first ever trekking poles featured cork grips but I did not like the twist-lock system used. My dog solved the problem by chewing the handles to the point that they were beyond use. My next set had a rubber like plastic grip but the QR length adjustment. I definitely like the cork grip better. Anyways, after walking about a mile I pretty much forgot about the poles and enjoyed my walk. I went up and down a few short but steep sections but none were long enough that I felt the need to adjust the length of the poles. The 43 in (110 cm) setting should work for me most of the time. When I set my hammock tarp up I may extend them to the max setting of 53 in (135 cm) to hold one side of my tarp up (called porch mode) to allow a breeze to flow into my hammock. I can also use them for the pole mod built into my hammock tarp. I’ll explain all this in my Field Report. Unfortunately, I would need two sets of poles to do both at the same time. This concludes my Initial Report. My Field Report should follow in approximately two months. Field Report: July 29, 2018  Mons Peak trekking poles resting at camp Testing Locations and Conditions I’ve used the Mons Peak Tiger Paw 7075 trekking poles on four overnight hikes and numerous day hikes. The first overnighter was on May 29th. The remnants of Hurricane Alberto were moving through north Alabama and I only hiked about a mile (1.6 km) before stopping to set up camp. I got in my hammock and watched the storm dump a lot of rain and blow my tarp. It continued to rain off and on during the night. The high was 77 F (25 C) and the low was 71 F (22 C). The second overnighter was high was 77 F (25 C) and the low was 71 F (22 C). My third overnighter was June 7 on a trail near my home. I hiked approximately 6 miles (10 km). The high was 84 F (29 C) and the low was 64 F (18 C) with no rain. My last overnighter was July 9 at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Northwestern Georgia. The high was 90 F (32 C) and the low was 67 F (19 C). It did not rain but was extremely humid. I hiked approximately 5 miles (8 km). My day hikes were from 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km) and it was usually hot and humid and without the benefit of cooling down overnight. Field Test Results  The
Mons Peak Tiger Paws have proven to be very dependable trekking
poles. I used them on every backpacking trip and day hike and
was glad to have them because it has been such rainy summer so far
which in turn meant the trails were often muddy and slick. I
often crossed a creek which has very slick rocks and they made it
much easier, and perhaps more importantly, safer. Another use
that’s often overlooked was the ability to knock down spider webs
but this only worked if I saw them in time. On the overnighter
at Cloudland Canyon I was with a buddy and he wasn’t using trekking
poles. After hiking a little way he decided I should lead so I
could knock them down. The cork handles on the Tiger Paws work great in hot weather. Several times I was dripping wet with sweat and could feel the moisture in my hand but was able to keep a firm grip on the Tiger Paws. The retainer strap probably helped and I know they allowed me to grip them lightly but the cork actually does not get very slick. The slight noise I mentioned in my Initial Report is still there but it seems to have quietened down somewhat. Either that or I’m just getting used to the sound, regardless I really seldom think about it and probably wouldn’t notice it if I were not looking for it. I used a single pole to raise one corner of my hammock fly most of the time. I call it semi-porch mode, mainly to make it easier to walk under the tarp. On the night I didn’t do this I 
was on a very steep slope and had plenty of room to walk under my
tarp on the lower side. Since the poles are identical I’m not
sure if I used the same pole each time but the one I used each time
was easy to adjust to the longest length the poles allow. I
wouldn’t mind them being a little longer for this use but they still
raised the corner to around 5 ft (1.5 m), or about a foot (30 cm)
higher than the other corners. I’m very forgetful so it was a
good thing I only did it with one pole. I could look at the
setting on the other pole and quickly set it back to my preferred
hiking length.wet creek crossing Summary so far These are nice trekking poles. I’m loving the cork grip and the ease of length adjustment using the flip lock. The flip lock system speeds up the adjustment process compared to the twist lock I started with. They have not slipped even though I have leaned on them pretty hard at times. I particularly appreciate that they lower the stress on my knees, especially when hiking down steep areas. When the trail is slick they help me stay upright. Long Term Report: October 4 2018  a rare dry creek crossing Long Term Test Conditions and Locations Since my Field Report the weather turned hot and somewhat dryer, but it has still been a wetter than normal summer. As a results my hiking was limited to early morning or late afternoon exercise hikes with a couple of overnight hikes thrown in. The first was September 1, 2018. This would be the hike to The Walls of Jericho in northeastern Alabama. On this trip the high was around 85 F (29 C) and it was very humid. The hike started at around 10 AM. There was a lot of thunder during the afternoon but the worst stayed away, with only a few light showers and a welcomed cooling breeze as a results. The elevation on the trip was between 700 and 1700 ft (213 and 518 m). I ended up hiking a little over 7 miles (11 km) the first day and about 4 miles (6 km) the second for a total of 11 miles (18 km). The last overnight hike was September 29 for 4 miles (6 km) total on a local trail in woods near my home. The high was 77 F (25 C) and the low was 66 F (19 C). There was a chance of afternoon thunderstorms but they skirted me. I later found out it poured rain about 2 miles (3 km) from my location. Long Term Test Results I have continued to be impressed with the performance of the Mons Peak Tiger Paws. Since my most demanding use was on the hike to the Walls of Jericho I’ll draw most of my observations from that hike. I didn’t weigh my pack before the trip but it was around 30 lb (14 kg). I was wearing minimalist shoes during the hike and while they offered excellent traction most of the time, some brief showers late in the afternoon combined with a long dry spell beforehand led to some very slick rocks and roots on the trail. I surmise it was because it rained just enough to make them wet but not enough to really clean the dust off. Seriously, it was some very light rain. I would start to put on my rain jacket thinking it was really about to start and it would stop raining before I could get the jacket on. Anyways, the Mons Peak Tiger Paws were a life saver as far as keeping me upright. The trails were steep and often sloped sideways as well as headed up or downhill. One spot even had a cable running beside the trail for safety. I especially appreciated the extra support they gave me when going down some of the steepest slopes. I also used them to swat away numerous spider webs even though occasionally I failed to see them in time.  typical rocks on the trail  typical roots (and more rocks) on trail My last overnighter was a late afternoon, early morning hike home outing. Thanks for scheduling a noon time game Bama, I missed the season opener due to an overnight hike. Anyways, the terrain was not as steep or as slick this time but I still appreciated how the trekking poles kept as much pressure off my knees as possible and aided me on a couple of slick creek crossings. I mentioned the slight vibration noise I heard in my Initial Report. It has not diminished over the course of many day hikes and overnight trips but apparently I have gotten so used to it that it seems normal now. I know it has not in any way diminished my enjoyment of nature and makes no more noise than I do unless on very litter free terrain, something that is very rare in the deep southern forest I hike in almost all the time. Final Thoughts The Mons Peak Tiger Paws are an excellent pair of trekking poles. The flip lock system makes length adjustment easy, yet is very secure once a length is selected. Cork grips are my favorite type of several I’ve used on different sets of trekking poles over the years, and the ones on the Tiger Paws are no exception. They are very comfortable and offer excellent grip even if I’m sweating like nobody’s business. But the most important thing they offer is in my opinion the sure-footedness they give me. As I get older I’m not as agile as I once was, and I find I lean heavily (literally) on my trekking poles when out hiking. There is really no way to prove it but I feel they kept me from face planting many times when on some of the more sketchy sections of trail. This concludes my testing of the Mons Peak Tiger Paw trekking poles. I would like to thank Mons Peak and BackpackGearTest.com for this testing opportunity. Read more reviews of Mons Peak IX gear Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Mons Peak IX Tiger Paw 7075 > Test Report by Coy Ray Starnes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||