New Hiking Pole(s)
Sep. 16th, 2024 07:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerOn a hiking trip two weeks ago I broke my hiking pole. (I fell over a waterfall and snapped it in two on the way down!) I started looking for a replacement the next day. Local outdoors stores didn't have the sort of pole I enjoy using, and the nearest REI with one in stock was almost 2 hours away. I decided to order online.
Online I found two poles that seemed like what I want. One's a REI brand pole that's the most direct replacement to, but not an exact replacement, for the one I broke. The other is an ALPS brand pole I found selling on Amazon.
Which is better? I decided after poring over the tech specs that I couldn't be sure until I held them in my hands, so I ordered both. They arrived in the mail last week. I finally had time to unbox them Sunday.
You can see in the picture (right/above) that the two poles are similar in a number of ways. They're both collapsible/telescoping, and they both have rounded handles at the top— instead of the "pistol grip" or ski pole style grip that's more common with hiking poles. This was a key feature to me, as I when I'm using the pole for balance on tricky terrain I like to push straight down with the palm of my hand on the smooth pommel rather push my weight down through a bent wrist grasping a trigger-like handle.
Also, both poles have exterior clamps for locking the telescoping mechanism in place. This is different from the internal locking mechanism my old pole had. I liked the internal mechanism. It was an elegant design, giving the pole a clean profile without knobby bits that catch on a pants leg or tree branch. Alas it seems like no poles use that design anymore. I can only surmise it was more expensive to manufacture, wasn't as durable, or both.
The poles are not exactly the same, of course. The REI hiking pole I selected has an olive green shaft, while the ALPS pole is a neutral gray. I really liked the blue of the pole I lost, but that color isn't offered anywhere. Gray is dull, but I'm really not a fan of the green.
The REI pole is shorter by a few inches when collapsed, as you can see in the photo. That could be a big benefit when packing it in a suitcase for air travel. Among the tests I did Sunday was to lay both poles in our checked airline bag. Even the larger ALPS pole fits fine.
The pommels of the two poles are different. ALPS has rounded wood top, REI has a slightly shaped cork handle. I thought I'd prefer the cork by a lot— my busted pole had a cork handle, and I loved it— but upon trying them out the wood handle seemed. Plus, I salvaged the cork pommel from my old hiking pole... I can unscrew the ALPS pole's wood cap and screw on my old cork pommel!
One little difference that kind of pissed me off is that the REI pole doesn't come with a rubberized foot cap for use on hard surfaces. It's got a chisel point. REI sells foot caps for several dollars extra. The ALPS pole costs half the price of the REI and comes with a foot cap included.
At this point you probably won't be surprised that I chose to keep the ALPS pole and return the REI pole. The main reason was the cost— REI was 2x the price. And the ALPS pole included the foot cap and seemed to have a slightly heavier duty construction. Fortunately, returns are easy with REI. There's a store less than 2 miles from our house. We walked it in there and had a cash-in-hand refund minutes later.
Online I found two poles that seemed like what I want. One's a REI brand pole that's the most direct replacement to, but not an exact replacement, for the one I broke. The other is an ALPS brand pole I found selling on Amazon.Which is better? I decided after poring over the tech specs that I couldn't be sure until I held them in my hands, so I ordered both. They arrived in the mail last week. I finally had time to unbox them Sunday.
You can see in the picture (right/above) that the two poles are similar in a number of ways. They're both collapsible/telescoping, and they both have rounded handles at the top— instead of the "pistol grip" or ski pole style grip that's more common with hiking poles. This was a key feature to me, as I when I'm using the pole for balance on tricky terrain I like to push straight down with the palm of my hand on the smooth pommel rather push my weight down through a bent wrist grasping a trigger-like handle.
Also, both poles have exterior clamps for locking the telescoping mechanism in place. This is different from the internal locking mechanism my old pole had. I liked the internal mechanism. It was an elegant design, giving the pole a clean profile without knobby bits that catch on a pants leg or tree branch. Alas it seems like no poles use that design anymore. I can only surmise it was more expensive to manufacture, wasn't as durable, or both.
The poles are not exactly the same, of course. The REI hiking pole I selected has an olive green shaft, while the ALPS pole is a neutral gray. I really liked the blue of the pole I lost, but that color isn't offered anywhere. Gray is dull, but I'm really not a fan of the green.
The REI pole is shorter by a few inches when collapsed, as you can see in the photo. That could be a big benefit when packing it in a suitcase for air travel. Among the tests I did Sunday was to lay both poles in our checked airline bag. Even the larger ALPS pole fits fine.
The pommels of the two poles are different. ALPS has rounded wood top, REI has a slightly shaped cork handle. I thought I'd prefer the cork by a lot— my busted pole had a cork handle, and I loved it— but upon trying them out the wood handle seemed. Plus, I salvaged the cork pommel from my old hiking pole... I can unscrew the ALPS pole's wood cap and screw on my old cork pommel!
One little difference that kind of pissed me off is that the REI pole doesn't come with a rubberized foot cap for use on hard surfaces. It's got a chisel point. REI sells foot caps for several dollars extra. The ALPS pole costs half the price of the REI and comes with a foot cap included.
At this point you probably won't be surprised that I chose to keep the ALPS pole and return the REI pole. The main reason was the cost— REI was 2x the price. And the ALPS pole included the foot cap and seemed to have a slightly heavier duty construction. Fortunately, returns are easy with REI. There's a store less than 2 miles from our house. We walked it in there and had a cash-in-hand refund minutes later.
