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Drop + Fizan Compact Trekking Poles

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Backpackingmonkey

Sep 7, 2017

I just returned from a 4 day, 36 miles backpacking trip in the Emigrant Wilderness, which is North of Yosemite using both my old Leki poles and the Fizan Compact Trekking poles. (My girl friend was using just one of my old Leki poles, as she has a shoulder problem that prevents her from using two poles, while I used the Fizan poles)
I would describe these poles as light weight, minimalist hiking poles in the best sense of the word.
Early on in the trip, I noticed that my girl friend was, from time to time, simply carrying the Leki pole in her one hand rather than using it as a hiking pole.
Knowing that the Fizan was super light, I gave her one of the Fizan poles and took my old Leki pole back.
So oddly, I was using one of each pole for the majority of my trip.
Upon making the switch, I immediately felt the weight difference between the two poles....my trust Leki pole felt like LEAD!
The weight difference was noticeable in another way that I did not expect. It was a little harder to "swing" the Fizan pole forward using the "two finger method", where I really never grip the handles of the poles, but merely swing them between my thumb and fore finger. This was because the pole was so light!
The weight of the heavier Leki pole made it easier to swing my poles forward.
This was not a huge deal, but simply required me to adjust my swing with a little more force to get my pole to swing forward.
The wrist straps are critically important to me to help me use the poles to take the stress off my knees/joints:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtV_KpYTw00
I found the straps on the Fizan poles to be thin and silky smooth, but a little bit finicky.
Being so light and thin, there were times where they might get twisted around my wrist where I had to readjust my grip from time to time so I would have a comfortable and proper grip on my poles.
More importantly, I found that the strap would constantly wiggle loose, which required me to frequently pull down on the strap to shorten the strap loop, so I could maintain a good grip on the strap and poles at the same time. (See the video link and you will understand how I hold my hands through the strap).
I do wish there was a way to lock the wrist strap so that it would not come lose or for them to have been built in such a way that they did not so easily slip from their position.
The Leki poles had a much heavier and thicker strap that held their shape and place in my hand better due to being stiffer straps with a screw to lock the strap in place.
The handles of the Fizan were comfortable, but I found them a little small in my hand....notably the top or head of the pole was smaller in diameter, as was the overall diameter of the handles.
That said, they were comfortable to use and easy to hold, however a slightly larger diameter in these two areas might make for a more solid grip to be had.
Where the poles shine are in their twist locking mechanism.
They really held well and I had few issues with slipping/telescoping/collapsing of the poles while hiking.
My Leki poles have had problems in cold weather where the metal contracts/shrinks due to being cold and having a hell of a time re-tightening to lock back in place. (I frequently shorten and lengthen my poles depending if I am going up or down hill).
The Fizan poles did not have this problem at all and were very easy to adjust on the go.
One of the things that I appreciated is how long the poles would extend overall. I used a Tarptent Double Rainbow, which is not a free standing tent, and requires poles of a certain length to properly support the tent.
The Fizan poles had plenty of length for setting up our shelter.
The tips of the poles were sold and the baskets never deformed or came loose over the 36 mile trip.
It should be noted that these are not shock absorbing poles, which I have become used to over the past 6-7 years of using my Leki poles.
That is probably the one feature that I would want to have on the Fizan poles, but given the design and purpose of these poles, I would never expect them to incorporate that into the design.
Overall, I would say that they are great poles for what they are......ultralight, minimalist hiking poles that keeps the weight down, but makes sure that all the important basics are provided. They are light weight, but not cheaply made. The twist locking mechanism does a great job of holding the poles solidly in place. They are a great value given the assortment of baskets that come with the pole.
They are not without their minor faults, but if you value saving weight and having a very functional set of poles then these minor faults can be overlooked, especially at such a great price.
Hope this helps and please note that these poles were provided to me for free by Massdrop for me to test and to provide feedback.
Tony

Sep 7, 2017

greginsa

Sep 26, 2017

BackpackingmonkeyI agree with Tony's assessment of the pole's wrist strap. I just completed a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail using these new poles and 99% of the time the wrist straps never stayed at the length I set them so I was constantly having to shorten them. Pain in the butt! The original poles seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum - their wrist straps were too hard to adjust. Maybe a third version will get it just right? Other than the wrist straps, the poles were great! Almost as light as my two-piece carbon fiber poles but more comfortable and much easier to travel with.

Sep 26, 2017

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