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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Mons Peak IX Tiger Paw 7075 > Test Report by Brian HartmanMONS PEAK IX TIGER PAW 7075 TREKKING
POLES CLICK
HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT TESTER INFORMATION
I have been backpacking for over 25 years throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and most recently in Western USA. In addition to backpacking I enjoy family camping with my wife and kids and being outdoors in general. I would describe myself as a mid weight backpacker. I use fairly light weight equipment and gear but still like to bring more than the bare essentials with me while on the trail. INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Mons Peak IX
Other Details: INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
READING THE INSTRUCTIONS A small hang tag was attached to the Tiger Paw trekking poles. It listed their length and weight as well as the manufacture's website. Online Mons Peak noted that the poles were designed and built for 4 season use with emphasis on ruggedness, ease-of-use, strength, and value. Pole maintenance is as simple as wiping them down after use and allowing them to dry completely before putting them away. TRYING THEM OUT I took the Tiger Paws to a local park for a quick test and found them to be comfortable and easy to use. I had no problem fine tuning them to the proper height and after a few quick adjustments of the compression locks, they stayed exactly where I set them. While hiking I switched between the carbide tips and rubber caps and found that both were effective, the carbide tip more so on gravel and dirt, while the rubber tips came in handy on the sections of trail that were paved. At the end of my hike I simply collapsed the poles to their folded position and set them in the backseat of my car. One thing I noticed upon initial inspection of the poles, is that one of the cork grips has an obvious crack in it that extends up from the bottom of the grip. The crack is deep and approximately 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in length. I will continue to monitor this situation as I'm concerned it may open up further and ruin the grip or allow water and dirt to get in which could create other problems.
SUMMARY The Tiger Paw trekking poles are light weight and compact but even more important, they appear to be well-crafted and durable. I look forward to putting them through rigorous testing on my trip out West. This concludes my Initial Report for the Tiger Paw trekking poles. I will post a Field Report in approximately two months so please check back then to see how well they fared. In the meantime, thanks to Mons Peak IX and BackpackGeartest.org for the opportunity to test these poles. This concludes my Initial Report for the
ColdPruf Merino wool base layers. July 29, 2018
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Location: Hoosier National Forest Location: SE Indiana Location: Various parks in Central Indiana PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD The Tiger Paws performed
well during the past two months of Field Testing. They were easy
to setup, comfortable to use, and proved to be strong and
durable. I adjusted them per the manufacturer’s recommendations
so that my elbows were bent at 90 degrees while standing up straight
and gripping the poles. When not using the trekking poles, which
wasn’t very often, I collapsed them and strapped them to the outside of
my pack. Most of the time, however, they were in my hands, as the
places I hiked were hilly and occasionally muddy and slippery. SUMMARY The Mons Peak Tiger Paw
7075 trekking poles have lived up to their manufacturer’s claim of
being rugged, easy to use, strong and a good value. They are
built tough and yet they are comfortable to use on extended mileage
backpacking trips. I started using trekking poles eight years
ago, and immediately saw the benefits. Since then I take them
with me whenever I go backpacking. LONG TERM REPORT September 29, 2018 LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS 
My second overnight trip was to the Hoosier National Forest where I spent two days hiking on mostly established trails. Temperatures during that trip ranged from 72 to 76 F (22 to 24 C) with partly cloudy skies. I hiked 10 miles (16 km) through mature forests, over terrain that was quite hilly, with elevations ranging from 550 ft (168 m) to 790 ft (241 m).
My third trip was to Southeastern Ohio and Northern Kentucky, along the Ohio River. While there, I visited the birthplace of Ulysses S Grant and saw remnants of the Underground Railroad, as well as some neat old towns including Maysville, KY that was settled in 1787.
In addition to my overnight backpacking trips above, I went on several soggy evening and weekend hikes in Central Indiana where I further used the poles.
Location: SE Indiana
Location: Hoosier National Forest 
Location: Southeastern Ohio and Northern Kentucky PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD The Tiger Paws held up well during the last two months of testing with only minimal wear showing on the tips, baskets and grips. The poles have a few scratches but nothing noticeable from more than a few feet away. During testing, I used the poles on rock, sand, dirt, mud, gravel, and in water. I even used them on asphalt, when a section of trail stretched for a mile or two (1.6 to 3.2 km) down a paved walkway. Most of the time I switched to the rubber tips when walking on pavement but sometimes I just used the carbide tips, especially when I knew I would be back on dirt within a few minutes. While hiking with the poles I never had problems with the baskets or the rubber tip protectors coming off. The Tiger Paws always had good grip. The carbide tips worked well in hard dirt and when hiking off-trail while the rubber tips never slipped on pavement. I typically used the rubber tips on rock although certain times I used the carbide tips, and they seemed to work equally well. The poles were sturdy enough to support my full weight more than a few times when my feet slipped out from under me on steep off-trail descents. They also supported my weight when hiking across streams on slippery rocks. I never felt leery of putting significant weight on the poles and often used them to brace myself when going downhill on steep trails and switchbacks, so my knees didn’t take the impact. At all times the compression locks were rock-solid to the point where the thought of them slipping didn’t even cross my mind. I applaud Mons Peak on an excellent lock design that works great in the field. The cork grips were comfortable, and I had no problems with my hands slipping on them even when it rained hard. The crack that’s in the cork handle of one of my poles seems to have stabilized and is no longer opening up. I think the glue I put on it a few months ago helped solidify it. In addition to using the poles for traction, stability, and balance, they worked well to push aside prickly vegetation in the forest and they did a good job of holding up my rainfly, when I didn’t want it coming all the way to the ground. As a tribute to their versatility in being able to accomplish multiple tasks, I have plans to install a bracket and phone holder on one of the poles, so I can use it as a selfie stick to take backpacking photos when I’m camping solo.
SUMMARY The Tiger Paws were a joy to test throughout the past four months.
They were strong, lightweight, and easy to open and close whenever needed. In addition, they were comfortable to use for
hours on the trail and I never missed the fact that they didn’t have shock
absorbers. When I’m not using them on
the trail, I strap them to the back of my pack so they’re ready at a moment’s
notice and certain to be included on all my hiking trips. Read more reviews of Mons Peak IX gear Read more gear reviews by Brian Hartman Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Mons Peak IX Tiger Paw 7075 > Test Report by Brian Hartman | ||||||||||||||||||
The Mons Peak IX Tiger Paw 7075 trekking poles (hereafter called
trekking poles or Tiger Paws) arrived in a plain rectangular box.
The box was about what I expected in terms of size and weight as
I had researched the poles ahead of time and knew their specifications.
After removing the poles from their shipping box, I found them to
be in new condition and well designed. They are made of 7075 aircraft
grade aluminum that has been anodized to make it harder, more durable,
and less likely to corrode. The poles are jet black in color and
have the manufacturer's logo and the words 'Tiger Paw 7075' laser
marked in silver on the side of them. The top of the poles,
baskets, and tips are also black while the compression locks are red,
and the cork grips are "whatever color cork is". Overall, the
poles make a great first impression. I really like the color
combination and would say they look sharp and well-refined or
high-class as far as trekking poles go. The cork grips are
contoured, and they just happen to be the perfect length and diameter
for my hands. The poles were collapsed into three sections when
they are arrived, with each section measuring approximately 18 inches
(46 cm). The height of the poles is adjusted via two snap-click
compression locks that allow them to telescope inside of each other.
Silver markings on the sides of the telescoping sections list the
total height of the poles in inches as well as centimeters. The
locks are comprised of lightweight anodized aluminum levers, threaded
steel rods and nuts, and polymer rings that compress around the pole
sections to keep them from collapsing once tightened. The nuts
have knurled sides which should make it easier to tighten and loosen
them.
During
the past two months I hiked approximately 27 mi (44 km) with the Tiger
Paw trekking poles. I logged these miles via a combination of
overnight backpacking trips and day hikes. My first overnight
trip was to the Hoosier National Forest where I spent two days hiking
on mostly established trails. Temperatures ranged from 66 to 76 F
(19 to 24 C) with light winds and mostly sunny skies. The terrain
was hilly, and the hard-packed dirt trails were soggy from rain that
was falling intermittently throughout the day. While there I
hiked 12 miles (19 km) through dense forests that occasionally opened
up to views of Lake Monroe, the largest lake in Indiana at over
10,000 acres. Elevations ranged from 550 ft (168 m) to 790 ft
(241 m). My second overnight trip was to Southeastern Indiana
(IN) near Oldenburg where temperatures were ideal with daytime highs of
72 F (22 C) and overnight lows in the mid 60s F (18 C). I hiked
approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) on this trip. In addition to these
trips I went on several day hikes in Central Indiana to complete my
testing.
Comfort
/ Fit: The cork hand grips were easy to grasp and comfortable to hold
onto for hours at a time. My hands never slipped off the grips
and there was plenty of cushion to prevent hot spots and blisters
despite the fact that I worked the poles hard while hiking both uphill
and downhill. One thing that wasn’t comfortable though, was the
wrist straps. Although the nylon webbing was sturdy and I doubt
it would ever break, it just wasn’t comfortable, as it rubbed against
my skin throughout the day. I would like to see a piece of soft
fabric sewn over their straps to ease the friction from the constant
rubbing that occurs when using trekking pole straps. Of
course, it didn’t help that the backs of my hands were sunburned from
the previous day. As for fit, the poles had plenty of length and
fit my height just fine. Adjusting the height of the poles was
easy to do with the snap-click compression locks, and once locked, the
poles never slipped. Regarding weight, the Tiger Paws 7075
weren’t ultra-lightweight but they also weren’t overly heavy. I
never felt like they were slowing me down or I was burning a lot of
energy by using them.
