Outdoor Products Twist Lock Trekking Poles

[Mudder]

I'm about to take the plunge on 4 trekking poles for both walking in the woods and for holding up a tarp if need be. I've seen these twist lock Outdoor Products brand poles at Walmart for $19 a pair (Walmart.com: Outdoor Recreation Group - Double Trekking Poles With Twistlocks: Camping). I've read mostly all fantastic reviews on these at Walmart's site and other sites. I read a couple threads on OBC on trekking poles, but didn't see much detailed reviews about these specific ones. I weigh about 160lbs, so a lot of weight isn't an issue.

I have a few Outdoor Products brand things, and am quite pleased with the bang-for-buck. I have a huge duffel bag that is packed tight with all my bedding for car/boat camping and an extra backpack. Both have held up just fine.

Anybody have these or have used these? How long have you used them? How well do the rubber feet and carbide tips hold up? Can I get replacement feet and tips? The grip isn't an issue, as I'll probably end up using some cork bicycle tape anyways. And, what's the maximum height of these when fully extended?

Thanks.

[Grandpa]

The locks will be the first thing to go. SIL had these (6' 4" 240 lbs) and they did slip on him so he passed them down to my grandson (currently at 5' 7" 145 lbs at 16 yrs old) . He has used them for 3 or 4 years with NO problems. Not sure of the max height.

[ponderosa]

We've owned two pairs of those poles, and gave another pair to my dad as a gift. The locks failed within a year on mine and my husband's. They didn't slip while we were hiking fortunately; they pretty much fell apart in our hands at the trailhead as we were adjusting the height. They broke on different trips, but all four poles failed within about a month of each other. In reading a lot of online reviews of various brands, it seems the twist locks tend to fail on every brand sooner or later. We decided to upgrade to Black Diamonds with flick lock mechanisms.
OTOH, my dad's set of twist lock Outdoor Research poles are still doing fine. He's had them 2 or 3 years now, but I'm not sure how often he uses them.

edit to add: We have some daypacks and water bladders from Outdoor Research that we've been very pleased with. I think they generally make good gear for the money. I don't think it's a problem with the brand; I think it's a problem with twist locks in general.

[Mudder]

Originally Posted by ponderosa

In reading a lot of online reviews of various brands, it seems the twist locks tend to fail on every brand sooner or later. We decided to upgrade to Black Diamonds with flick lock mechanisms.

Originally Posted by ponderosa

...I think it's a problem with twist locks in general.

That's odd -- I have seemed to read bad reviews on the cam locks, not the twist locks. I may have read on the wrong sites though.

[oldsarge]

My twist locks (both sets) eventually gave out also. I purchased a set of bamboo hiking staffs from Newanderthal through this site. They don't collapse but I like them much better.

[Theo]

Most of the twist-lock failures I've seen have been due the inside of the poles being dirty. All of the twist-locks I've seen work on an expanding mandrel concept. If the inside of the pole is dirty, the mandrel will grip the dirt instead of the pole and thus will slip. I have a Swiss Gear pole that is over ten years old and has never slipped. Once a year, I take them apart and run a gun cleaning patch soaked in denatured alcohol through the poles and I wipe down the mandrels. This cleans out any dirt and grime and doesn't leave any residue behind.

[Mudder]

Thanks, everyone, for the input. And, Theo, good idea -- I go through denatured alcohol a lot cleaning all sorts of stuff. I have gun patches I use for cleaning my airgun barrels with Goo Gone and weed wacker line. Good stuff, that denatured alcohol is.

Well, I'm heading to Walmart in a bit to pick these up, along with some other little things for camping. We'll see how well 40 bucks holds up for 4 poles.

[ppine]

The case for ski poles can easily be made here. They are cheap and have no locks to fail. Many are aluminum and very light.

[Mudder]

Originally Posted by ppine

The case for ski poles can easily be made here. They are cheap and have no locks to fail. Many are aluminum and very light.

Right on, @ppine. I never even thought about using ski poles. I'm sure they have their place somewhere with hiking. I like something to fit in my Rubbermaid totes though, in case I (and usually do) head for a hike off of the electric campsite. But don't get me wrong -- I do camp in the middle of the woods and by the river too.

I figured, by all the reviews and feedback, I'd plunge the 40 bucks on two pair of these Outdoor Products poles, for me or a buddy or lady friend, or for tarp poles. If they fail soon, I have 90 days to easily return. If they fail after that, I can mod them for tarp poles.

[Newanderthal]

I got a pair two years ago. The twist locks failed on one of the poles a couple weeks after purchase. The other went out about a week later. I stripped off the tips to use in a pair of homemade poles and chucked the walmart poles in the trash where they belonged.