Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Black Diamond Terra CF Trekking Poles > Shandra Hunt > Long Term Report

Long Term Report - Black Diamond Terra CF Trekking Poles

Name: Shandra Hunt

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Height: 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m)

Weight: 145 lbs (66 kg)

Location: Ben Lomond,California

Email: jns170@yahoo.com

Date: 1/16/06

Biography:

Growing up in the Santa Cruz mountains, I have always been an avid hiker and camper. Only recently however, I have evolved into a backpacker. I started backpacking about three years ago. Since then I have done many trips throughout California and the Southwest. I spent five days packing in Grand Canyon, which fueled my love for the sport even more. I try to backpack as often as possible, I think I may be addicted and I am constantly looking for more efficient and lightweight alternatives for the gear that I own.

Product Information:

Black Diamond Terra CF Trekking Poles

Manufacturer: Black Diamond Equipment Ltd.

Year of Manufacture: 2005

URL: www.blackdiamondequipment.com

Listed Weight: 1 lb 3 oz (540 g)

Measured weight: 1 lb 3 oz (540 g)

Listed collapsed Size: 28 in (71 cm)

Measured collapsed size: 27.5 in (70 cm)

Usable Range: 41 in (105 cm) - 55 in (140 cm)

Test Results:

For the test period of the Black Diamond Terra CF poles, I have used these poles over a wide variety of terrain and conditions. My first trials of the poles can be reviewed in my field report. Since my field report was written, I have used the Terra CF poles on an overnight backpacking trip to Castle Rock State Park, where I hiked about 6 mi (9.7 km). This park is located on the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the hiking that I did in this area was cliff side, through a chaparral habitat which consists of thick, tough brush and sandstone rock. The trail has a lot of ups and downs, so this was a good place to test out the versatility of the poles. I carried about a 30 lb (13.6 kg) pack and the poles helped most when hiking downhill. I felt really stable with my pack on and I felt like using the poles reduced the stress on my knees. The poles really helped on the steep uphill hiking because I was able to use my arms to pull myself up. One of the best things about using trekking poles is that they do incorporate arm movement, which helps take some of the workload off the legs and also exercises the arms. I wasn't sure if using the Terra CF poles while wearing a full pack would hinder my movement, but I had no problem.

I have used the poles on a lot of day hikes in areas around where I live. I have done several hikes at Wilder Ranch State Park. This area overlooks the Pacific Coastline and the hiking is over open rolling hills. The terrain is a mix of hard packed dirt and sand. The poles work really well in the sand. I thought they might just sink in the sand, especially because the baskets seem sort of small, but they didn't. My most recent day hike using the Black Diamond poles was to Fall Creek State Park after a big storm. There were a lot of downed trees, small mudslides and the trail was very slippery and muddy. The poles really helped on the muddy, slick areas of the trail. Navigating the downed trees and wrecked parts of the trail were a little different. I had to climb over and through a couple of trees and the poles just got in the way because they kept catching on branches and foliage. I didn't bother to shorten the poles because I still have trouble using the binary adjustments. It is very hard for me to depress the correct spot on the binary adjustments to disengage the lock. I was hoping the binary adjustments would become easier to use over time. This has not been the case and I find it very frustrating because I have to stop and fiddle with the poles for a few minutes before I can get the binary adjustments to work. This is my largest complaint about the Terra CF poles. I have not had to use the FlickLock adjustments very much because I use the poles on the lowest height setting. The FlickLock adjustments lock into place tightly and I have to really work at getting them open, but this is good because it assures the poles won't shorten when hiking. I did have a problem with the FlickLock coming apart after the poles got rattled in the back of my truck for five hours. The FlickLock was harder to fix than I had expected and requires the correct tool to do so. I have not had any problems with the Flicklock adjustments since.

Overall, I really like hiking with the Black Diamond Terra CF poles. The poles provide extra stability on descents. The poles help incorporate the arms which reduces the workload of the legs on the ascents. This is one of my favorite advantages of using the trekking poles because I feel like I get a full body workout and I hike faster than when I don't use the trekking poles. The ergonomic top knob is very useful when hiking downhill and the handles are fairly comfortable. I have had a few experiences where I had some chafing from the handles after hiking for a long time, but overall, the handles are comfortable to use. The wrist strap is a little annoying because the end of it falls onto the handle where the center of my hand rests. I still find the poles to be a little noisy when hiking. They tend to rattle when they strike the ground.

One of the best features about the Black Diamond Terra CF poles is that they are very durable. I can safely say that I have brutalized these poles. Upon examination, the only real damage I have done to these poles is a few scratches. The tips look like they did the day I got the poles, the plastic baskets are intact and there are no dents in the poles. The foam handles, ergonomic top knob, and the wrist straps do not show any signs of wear or fraying, even though I consistently rest the poles up against things on these parts.

I would recommend the Black Diamond Terra CF poles because I think they are lightweight and durable trekking poles. These poles provided extra stability and support for me when I was hiking. These poles are great for day hiking and backpacking because they reduce the stress on my knees and reduce overall fatigue by incorporating my arms, which in turn, reduces the workload of the legs. I will continue to use the Black Diamond poles when I hike and backpack, even though the binary and FlickLock adjustments are difficult for me to use. I think the positive characteristics of these poles out weighs the few negative ones.

Good Things:

> Provides extra stability on ascents and descents

> Incorporate arm movement

> Very durable

> Ergonomic top knob

Bad Things:

> Noisy

> FlickLock is hard to fix

>Binary and FlickLock adjustments are hard to use

Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Black Diamond Terra CF Trekking Poles > Shandra Hunt > Long Term Report