Owner Review:  Komperdell High Mountain Sports Trekking Poles

 

Owner information:

 

Name:  Pam Wyant

Age:  47

Gender:  Female

Height:  5’5” (1.65 m)

Weight:  170 lb (77 kg)

E-mail address:  pamwyant@yahoo.com

Location:  Western West Virginia, U.S.A.

Date:  September 21, 2004

 

Backpacking Background:  This year a renewed interest in outdoor activities has led me to day-hiking several times a week, researching backpacking products and techniques, and purchasing gear for hiking and backpacking.  I have enjoyed a few overnight trips, including one solo trip.  I plan to continue day hiking year round, to do short backpacking trips spring to fall, and ultimately to do a weeklong trip and a winter overnight.  I mainly hike and backpack in the hills and valleys of West Virginia.

 

Product Information:

 

Manufacturer:  Komperdell

Year of manufacture:  unknown (purchased 2004)

Manufacturer Website: http://www.komperdell.com/

Listed weight:  1 lb 4 oz (.57 kg)

Delivered weight:  1 lb 2 oz (.51 kg)

Listed collapsed size: 25” (64 cm)

Measured collapsed size:  25 3/8” (64 cm)

Listed extended size:  56” (142 cm)

Measured fully extended size:  56” (142 cm)

 

I received the poles in June and have used them through October, in temperatures ranging from approximately 45 F (7 C) to 95 F (35 C), on surfaces including gravel roads, blacktopped roads, dirt trails, rocky areas, on rocks in streams, and grassy areas.  Most of the use has been during fair weather, with occasional light rain and one instance of heavy rain.  Mainly I have used the poles on 2-4 mile (3-6 kilometer) day hikes, and on two overnight trips of 15-20 miles (24-32 kilometers).

 

Pole features include:  Polyethylene grips, steep tips, twist-lock mechanism, removable summer trekking baskets, and webbing wrist straps.  The poles are mostly black with silvery-gold trim.  They can be adjusted to any height between fully collapsed and fully extended, with length measurements in centimeters on the bottom and middle sections so that the poles can be evenly set at the same measurements. 

 

The twist-lock mechanism holds well.  I have occasionally had the sections slip, but this appears to have been caused by inadequate tightening of the twist-locks on my part, since when I re-tighten them they have always held for the duration of my hike.  The twist-locks can be tightened when the poles are collapsed, preventing the sections from accidentally sliding apart when they are stored.  The tops of the sections are marked stop to prevent accidentally pulling the sections apart, although when I first experimented with the poles, I did not notice this quickly enough and accidentally pulled a section loose.  I had some trouble getting the poles back together so the twist-locks would properly function, having to adjust the plastic anchor a couple of times and carefully pull the other section out to see how it was supposed to be inserted before I could get it to work properly.

 

The wrist strap extends from the side of the grip near the top, and appears to be held in place by a Phillips head screw.  The straps are easily tightened to fit around the wrist by tugging on the end of the strap and sliding it along a plastic buckle.  Lifting the end of the buckle and pulling one hand back against the webbing will loosen the strap.  This makes it easy to adjust the strap as needed while walking, without the necessity of stopping and fiddling with adjustments.  The polyethylene grips are smooth, easy to grip, and easy to wipe clean.  Wearing leather-palmed gloves did not affect my grip on the poles or my ability to adjust the wrist straps and twist-lock mechanisms.

 

This particular model is not currently listed on the manufacturer’s website, but is still available from at least one retailer as a closeout item at the time of writing.

 

I have found the poles easy to use.  The mechanisms open and close smoothly each time I use them.  The numbered lines on the middle sections make it easy to consistently adjust the poles to fit each time I use them.  I took off the removable baskets, and haven’t missed them.  I have found walking with the poles makes my pace a bit more rapid and even than walking without poles.  If I need a free hand for some reason, I have found it easy to switch to carrying the poles in one hand for a short time.  If I want a free hand for a longer period of time, I just collapse one pole and either slide it under the compression strap of my backpack with the handle in the mesh side pocket, or alternatively, I can tuck it under the hip belt of the pack.  Or I can stow both poles – one on each side of my backpack.  One thing I would like is if the poles collapsed a bit shorter so they could more easily be stowed inside daypacks.

 

So far, the steel tips of the poles don’t seem to show any wear, but the paint has chipped almost completely off of the tip area of the poles.  Some areas on the middle section of the poles have small areas of chipped paint.  This doesn’t affect the performance of the poles, just makes them look well used.  The straps, handles, and upper sections of the poles look pretty much like they did when they were new.

 

Things I like:

Easy to adjust straps & twist-lock mechanisms

Smooth, easy-to-clean handles

Inexpensive compared to other trekking poles

 

Things I don’t like:

Paint on bottom of poles chipped away after a few uses

Pulling the sections too far out can result in the plastic anchors inside the poles shifting, causing the twist-lock mechanisms to malfunction.

The collapsed poles won’t fit inside my daypacks.