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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > MSR OverLand Carbon > Jamie DeBenedetto > Long Term Report Mountain
Safety
Research(MSR) Long Term Report - December 16th, 2004
I've spent much of my life hiking, camping, backpacking, and more recently kayaking, all over my home state of Arizona. In January of 1999 I started a local outdoor club called the Canine Hiking Club of Arizona. I lead one or two single or multi-day hikes per month with the club in various locations around the state. I also day hike in local recreation areas near my home a couple of times a week, usually with a dog in tow. My backpacking style definitely leans more toward lightweight. I use a hammock instead of a tent most of the time and I try to keep my pack's base weight below 15 lbs (7 kg) for two to three day trips. I tend to gravitate toward multifunctional gear. Background Relative to this Test Series About eight years ago I began to experience some minor pain in both my knees (primarily due to my spirited involvement in too many contact sports as a child and young adult). For the most part I just dealt with it until about three years ago when I became pregnant with my first child and I started having some balance issues and increased pain while hiking. I began exploring options so I could stay on the trail without putting the "little bun" and myself in harms way. That is when I discovered the benefits of walking with a pole, or in my case at the time, a stick. I have on many occasions since used a homemade walking stick for trails with creek crossings, long descents or unstable terrain. Manufacturer: Mountain Safety Research The Mountain Safety Research OverLand Carbon Telescoping Poles are primarily black. The shaft is comprised of three sections, which as the name suggests, slide one into the other locking and unlocking with a twisting motion. According to MSR, these shaft sections are made of carbon fiber and use a LockJaw™ expander to keep the pole at the user's desired length. The "Carbide Flextip" makes up the lower 2.5 in (6.5 cm) and is outfitted to accept a removable "quick-change" basket, which was included. The top of the tip, closest to where it connects to the shaft, has two small cylinder shaped knobs that hold the basket in place. Further down, at the very end of the tip, is an asterisk shaped semi-sharp point. The grip, which is also black, is made of foam and according to the MSR website has a seven degree natural angle. There are several little grooves cut into the foam on the palm side of the grip and a separate indent for the index finger on the finger side of the grip. The top of the grip, for lack of a better way to describe it, is egg shaped and slightly convex. The straps are black on the outside and off-white on the inside where they meet the user's hand. The outside layer is made from what I'm assuming is nylon. There is a stretchy Spandex type material in the middle that is about 1.5 in (4 cm) wide. I'm not sure what the inner layer of material is but it's very soft. They measure an inch and 3/8 (3.5 cm) at the widest point. I used the OverLands on about ten 2 to 5 mile (3 to 8 km) day hikes on established trails in the Sonoran Desert near my home. Elevations ranged from 1,400 ft (430 m) up to 2,100 ft (640 m) with temperatures anywhere from highs around 90 F (32 C) to lows around 50 F (10 C). The terrain on these desert paths is a mix of pebbles and larger jagged rocks dispersed on hard packed soil. The OverLands also accompanied me along two upper desert riparian areas. Elevations ranged from 3,800 ft (1,200 m) up to almost 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with temperatures in the low 80's F (27 C). The terrain was very muddy and rocky with a few stream crossings. The rest of my time with the OverLands was spent on several longer day hikes trudging up forested mountain trails. Elevations ranged from 7,000 ft (2,100 m) to 10,400 ft (3,200 m) with temperatures anywhere from 79 F (26 C) to around 40 F (4 C). Terrain mostly consisted of soft, leaf-covered dirt mixed with the odd rock or two. Although rain loomed on several of my summer treks, I did not experience more than a drop or two while hiking with the poles. I did however, have the opportunity to use the poles on a short day hike through about 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 cm) of snow in early December. In the Beginning There was Light and it was Good In my earlier reports I made it clear prior to this test series I had not been a trekking pole user. Although I had personally experienced some benefit in walking with one pole/stave, I really was not sold on the idea of lugging around two clunky pieces of gear. My rationale was simple; anything that would tie up my hands, add weight to my kit and detract from simplicity was not the direction I wanted to go. The good news is, I must not be the only hiker who has these concerns about poles because the very first thing I realized about the MSR OverLand Carbon Trekking Poles is their weight, or in this case the lack of it. They are really wonderfully light and have a nice balanced swing. Aspects I have appreciated many times after having had them in my hands for several hours. So much for my worry of adding unjustified weight to my gear. Since they telescope using three sections they are also wonderfully compact. This is really a nice feature because I did not always want to use the poles while on trail and when "broken down" they were easily stowed in my pack. My one gripe regarding storage is the sharpness of the Carbide Flextip. I always placed my set in my bag with the tips up to protect the pack fabric but that created a whole different set of hazards. (The phrase, "You'll poke your eye out!" always came to mind.) I like the performance of the Carbide tip and would not want it to be less "grippy" so something simple like lightweight tip covers would be a nice solution I think. Where was Chubby Checker When I Needed Him? Going into this test I wondered whether or not I would have confidence in the locking mechanism of a telescoping pole, MSR calls this part the LockJaw™ expander. After six months I'm pleased to report that while I do not fully trust the OverLand Carbons I have not had any slippage as a result of the LockJaw™ expander failing. What I have had, and this is the source of my slight distrust, is a few incidents where I was unable to sufficiently tighten the poles, which resulted in a small amount of downward shaft movement. In an ideal situation with dry, warm hands the twisting required to tighten or loosen the poles is no problem. In fact, I found it very simplistic and quick and MSR was even kind enough to print the open and close arrows right on the pole so I didn't even have to commit to memory what direction to twist each section. The problem is Ma Nature doesn't always give me ideal situations. With sweaty, cold, wet or gloved hands, it's darn near impossible for me to twist adequately. At the end of the top and middle pole sections there is plastic grip, which I assume it there to aid in twisting the shaft sections. While it did give me something to grab onto, the plastic is pretty smooth and really didn't provide much help. This could use some improvement in my opinion. Another component of the OverLands that requires a twisting action is the removable "quick-change" baskets. I originally thought MSR was using the term "quick-change" to imply the baskets could be removed or added to the poles rapidly but much to my surprise this is not the case. It is hard to describe the amount of frustration two little tiny baskets can bring to a grown woman. These things are definitely incorrectly labeled. The only thing that changed quickly when I was trying to get the baskets off the poles was my patience level. Attaching the baskets to the poles is extremely easy but so far removal has required tools. I noticed the direction I have to twist the basket in order to free it from the pole is also the same direction that opens or loosens the bottom shaft section of the pole. This means I have to hold on to either the thinnest section of the pole with one hand while trying to turn the basket with the other or hold on to the Flextip while trying to turn the basket. Neither are viable options because the pole is too slippery and turns freely when not locked and the Flextip is too short and sharp due to the Carbide tip. Perhaps changing the direction needed to extricate the basket would solve this problem. Aside from the removal problems I have found a couple of opportunities to use the baskets. The first outing was a short walk with my kids in the snow; they did not show any signs of wear after this excursion, my two-year old son did not fare as well. The second was on a five-mile desert trail. I normally would not have hiked with the baskets on but I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to remove them. The baskets did not hold up well to this harsh terrain. They have scratches on the tops and the undersides and every "tooth" on the undersides is worn down a bit with little strings of material sticking off each one. Given what I saw in just this one experiment I would say leaving them on for everyday use would drastically cut the baskets' lifespan. Never Bite the Hands that Feed MSR claims the OverLand Carbons utilize a seven-degree "Natural Angle" handgrip, which according to their website, "provides the ultimate in comfort". While I cannot vouch for whether or not the grips are truly bent seven degrees, I would certainly agree with the ultimate in comfort statement. I have, on several occasions, held the OverLands for close to eight hours of walking without any discomfort. I have also used them with sweaty, gloved and cold hands and the only noticeable change was when they were wet. To quote myself from my Field Report, "I would say the grip material became even more "sticky" when it was wet." That is to say they became easier to grip, so it was a plus not a drawback in my opinion. Additionally, since a majority of my treks were up and down hills or mountains, I have used the egg shaped top section of the grips on many occasions to steady myself while descending. The top part of the grip is slightly convex and that seamed to fit my palm okay. It is not covered with the same foam material as the handle section, which made it a bit more slippery, especially with gloves on, but still functional for top down support. The handgrips have held up well to this point. Even after nearly twenty hikes they look brand new. I was a little concerned the foam material they are made of would become pocked in places where the poles scraped against something while riding in my pack or vehicle or when placed on the ground or up against rocks at rest stops. It has not. They also do not emit or retain odor as far as I can tell. This is an especially appreciated feature since they have been in my sweaty hands for many miles. I was Anti-Shocked to Hear Grey is Not Considered Off-White Complementing the OverLands comfy handgrips are the "anti-shock" wrist straps. The MSR website says the "Anti-shock wrist straps absorb shock for a soft ride" and at least for the first few months they were right. Located at the mid-point of each strap there is a 1.5 in (4 cm) section of stretchy material, which ends up in the middle of the back of my hand just above my wrist when the straps are set where I like them. Initially I felt the stretchy section give with each plant of the poles but over time I felt this effect slowly lessen. The stretchy piece will still extend if I pull on each side of the strap but while I'm actually walking with the poles I no longer feel it. Beyond the decrease in stretch, I'm still really quite content with the feel of the straps. The off-white terrycloth-like material on the underside has remained soft and although it is now closer to gray than its original off-white color it has not retained any odors. I have washed out the straps a few times with warm water, which makes them less pliable for a few minutes but with wear they quickly return to their normal flexible state. Washing didn't appear to have any affect on the discoloration of the underside fabric unfortunately. It does take a while for the straps to dry once they are saturated but this is more annoying than a problem and it's certainly not a big enough negative for me to dislike the straps on the whole. The little adjustment device MSR uses for the straps adds an element of simplicity to the poles that I really like. Even with gloves or wet hands the system is fast and uncomplicated. I like not having to fiddle with buckles or hook and loop fasteners and the procedure is easy to remember, even for someone whose children have sucked the memory from her head. A slight pull upward releases the mechanism for adjustment and an effortless pull downward tightens it. The cool thing about the set up is the downward force created by my hands in the straps keeps the gadget in the locked position so I have never experienced the need for readjustment due to strap slippage. "Hey! Are You Practicing for the Slopes?" An interesting and unexpected side effect of using the OverLands was the various comments I heard by other hikers/walkers. Most figured I was gearing up for skiing or something. I guess the dual trekking pole craze hasn't quite hit my local city recreation areas yet. I think my favorite was, "If you're looking for snow, you're in the wrong season." This was around July when it was still a suffocating 90 F (32 C) at 5 o'clock in the morning. Ah, summer. Another fun thing I learned about the OverLands was how well they worked to shoosh a rattlesnake from the path. Even the small rattlers have a pretty long strike distance so the telescoping feature was quite handy in this capacity. I would have liked to have a few more centimeters but hey, you have to work with what you have. The color scheme is pleasing to the eye.
Summary of Pole Negatives Tools are required to remove the baskets.
Thank you to MSR and BGT for the opportunity to participate in this test series and to learn more about trekking poles. Jamie DeBenedetto
I have now been using the MSR OverLand Carbon poles for about two years. In the month following the posting of my final report I had an opportunity to use the poles on a snowshoeing weekend outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff had received a very large amount of snow during the 2004-2005 winter leaving a base layer that was quite deep. The baskets on the MSR poles worked okay, but not great. On several occasions the poles would sink about half of their length into the wet snow before catching. I think larger diameter baskets would have been more preferable. I have also noticed that over time the wrist straps have become less and less comfortable. They are a bit stiff and the anti-shock properties that were fading only a few months into the testing are long gone now. The straps do not rub or leave any kind of hot-spot on my hands but they are noticeably less comfortable than they once were. On a positive note the Overland's have logged many miles with me in the last two years and have continued to perform well time after time. I take them on just about every hike I do because of my bad knees or because I have a small child loaded on my back and I like the stability the poles provide. I have yet to have any problems with the LockJaw™ expanders slipping while under downward pressure and my confidence in the strength of the poles has slowly grown as a result. Jamie DeBenedetto
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