Fizan Trektour
trekking poles
Owner review
by
Andrew Preece
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Photo courtesy of Fizan |
Contents
Description
My Details |
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Personal Details
Name: Andrew Preece
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 188 lb (85 kg)
Email: andrew_at_teamgunnparker_dot_com
City: Perth.
Western Australia.
Australia. |
Testing Locations
Bibbulmun Track: Sea level to 1,920 ft (585 m). Within this region I
backpack along old forestry roads, sandy tracks, and purpose built
walking tracks. The south-west of Western Australia allows for hiking
and backpacking from coastal plains to forested ranges. I hike in
varying conditions from forestry tracks, to sandy tracks to single
purpose walking trails, from rock hopping, to beach walking to
completely off-track through open and dense bush country. |
Backpacking Background
I have done a lot of hiking over the years but only now carry a hammock
and all the gear for over night stays of one to two nights. I normally
carry approximately 28 lb (13 kg) which includes food and water. My trips are
usually between one to three days duration mainly over weekends. I hike
all seasons with winter temperatures ranging from 39 F (4 C) to 64 F (18
C) including periods of heavy rain at times to summer conditions with
the temperature ranging from 68 F (20 C) to 95 F (35 C) and very dry. |
Testing Activities
I have used these poles every time I hike any
where, whether it is multi day hiking trips of up 43 mi (70 km) to
shorter days hikes of 9.3 mi (15 km) and in any geocaching days that take
me out into the bush.
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Testing Conditions
I have used these poles in all sorts of weather, from bucketing down
rain to very hot summers days. I have used them up in the hills of Perth
on mainly gravel and rocky tracks and down on the flatter ground near
the coast which is mainly sandy trails. |
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The poles I have are Fizan Trektour and I have two of them.
I have owned them for about ten months.
Manufacturer: Fizan s.r.l.
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer's Website:
http://www.fizan.it/
MSRP: unavailable |
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The rubberised handle. |
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Measurements. |
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Length at full
extension |
54
in (137 cm) |
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Length fully closed |
24.5 in (62 cm) |
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Weight
each |
9.21 oz (261 gm) |
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A section of the pole. |
Description
My poles are three piece poles with a
contoured rubberised handle at one end tapering down to a sharp metal
point at the other end.
Built into the top of the handle is an adjustable strap with a buckle
that allows for the adjustments. This strap looks like it could be
replaced as there is a screw in the very top of the handle, I have never
tried to undo this screw.
The poles are made in Italy
from 5083-F45 aluminium in three telescopic sections with two twist
locks to hold the pole at the correct height or length.
The point has a knurled metal end fitted to it to allow the point to
bite into any rocks that the pole comes into contact with. This stops or
helps to prevent any slipping whilst hiking. The poles came with a
rubber cap that fits over the end so that if I am walking on a foot path
around my home area they do not scrape the ground and make a lot of
noise.
At the pointy end of the pole is a hard plastic basket to stop the pole
from sinking into any soft ground. |
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The point. |
Use
I first looked into getting
trekking poles after hiking many times with a friend who swears by them.
I decided I did not want to spend a lot of money on them in case I did
not like them. So I found some that where on special at the time, now I
love them and would not go back to not using them.
I have just completed four
days out hiking and have really come to appreciate my trekking poles. I
started out with 38.58 lbs (17.5 kg) in my pack and found straight away
that the weight from my pack was transferred through my arms to the
poles. Thereby making the weight that I carried on my back feel a lot
less.
I had to walk a lot of uphill and downhill sections on this walk and
liked the fact I could really lean down on the poles and push off the
ground to help get up the hills, so much better I feel.
Also the downhill sections were on slippery small rocks and I felt a
lot more stable being able to lean on the poles while walking down to
keep my balance.
The Poles have never come apart while using them but at one point as I
was stepping up over a log I must have pushed off too hard on the poles
and one of them slid into itself. I made sure that from that moment on I
had the poles set tight.
I like them also because in the past I found that my arms and hands would get
tired and fidgety and I would be poking my thumbs through a couple of
loops on my pack. Now I no longer have to worry about that at all.
I find that my pack load feels lighter and I am
supporting more weight on my arms now, which means I can cover more
distance without needing as many rest stops.
The adjustable strap at the handle end is easy to use and it is a set
and forget type of thing, once done I do not need to do it again. When
using the poles correctly with my hands through the straps and lightly
grasping the handles I find my
hands do not get overly sweaty on the rubber handles.
Setting the height of
the poles is simply a matter of twisting the lower section and setting
that to what looks good, I like to keep this section short as it is
thinner than the longer middle section. Then I just twist this middle
section and set it to the correct height that I need. then I just twist
all of the sections to lock them in place and I am all set to go hiking.
It is recommended that maintenance is undertaken on the poles by cleaning
them, keeping them free from dirt and lubricating the twist locks so as
to stop them from binding. I must admit that in the ten months I have
had them I have done nothing at all to maintain them and they work
perfectly.
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One of the twist locks. |
Conclusion
I am very happy with
my first set of trekking poles and I can think of no reason to upgrade
to a newer pair. These have done me very well up until now I am am
willing to bet they will last a lot longer too. |
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