Thanks to mthayr for starting this poll! We've contacted the vendor on your behalf and they've made the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles available.
GG's LT4; great poles, great company, great customer service. I nobo'd the Appalachian Trail with these and broke several tip sections along the way and Jonathan quickly replaced them for me for free. Would love to see the LT4 on here.
I've broken several of the earlier generation LT4 and LT3, off-trail hiking in talus or, once, slipping on a dirt slope and landing on the poles with my upper arms. The current generation is a bit heavier, so probably a bit stronger.
I've also broken a single Komperdell, (gen 1), just above the tip, but only after some serious abuse (the finish was completely scratched up) -- several slips in serious talus which I know would have shattered any of the LT series (and left me pole-less 4 days from the trail head). Komperdell replaced both of the lower sections of my pole set, again with heavier sections that now feel, actually, a bit too heavy -- but I'm sure they're pretty bulletproof. Even if they hadn't done the replacement, I would have felt I'd more than gotten my money's worth.
The Komperdells are wonderfully easy to change length, much more so than the LT4's, which are harder to adjust and can develop a tendency to either lock up or slip. But if offered here, I'd order a pair, as they're unbeatable on trail.
(One consequence of heavier lower sections is that the "swing feel" of the pole degrades, as the moment of inertia about the handle increases disproportionately with any increase in weight near the tip).
That's good to know @ATGardner - I bought the Komperdell Carbon Ultralight Vario 4 compact (gen 2) after starting this poll (as usual, couldn't wait indefinitely), and just got back from a trip to the white mountains of NH. First use of these poles and I really liked them, right up to the point where one of them snapped and I lost the tip in a river crossing. I will withhold judgement on them though as Komperdell has a "no-questions-asked" 3 year from manufacture date warrantee, and so they will be fixing/replacing the broken pole for just the cost of my shipping it to them ($6.51 for those of you who might be curious).
I also have the Black Diamond Z-Pole (Ultra-Distance model) and think they are probably the most sturdy pair of carbon poles out there, but lack adjustability, which for me (a TarpTent user) was a requirement for it to be dual use.
All things being equal perhaps I should have added the adjustable version of the Z-Pole to this "Poll" on "Poles" but hopefully this will give others something to think on as the poll reaches the magical "200" number.
Check out some of my other polls for some great hiking gear. Durable, reinforced trekking pants: dro.ps/v/SHpfle9 and insect repellant hiking shirts: dro.ps/v/MNxfle9
0
