Komperdell Schirmstock Umbrella Trekking Pole ~ Just Walking in the Rain
Written: Jun 16 '05 (Updated Jun 16 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You stay drier, combines two great pieces of hiking equipment, well built
Cons: Suggested Retail is over $100, the sleeve, pole grips/straps
The Bottom Line: This is a fine piece of equipment! Komperdell did what only people have been talking about for years. With a couple of changes, this is a must for all hikers.
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| nchoward's Full Review: Komperdell Schirmstock Umbrella Walking Pole |
I just returned from a 270+ mile, 15-day hiking trip where I tested the Komperdell Umbrella Trekking Pole (Staff). If you have hiked the Smokies before, you know that this got some good use!
Backpacker Magazine’s 2004 Gear Guide was the first time I ever got a glance at this item. I was looking at trekking poles to purchase, and I was also looking to purchase a Golite Umbrella weighing in at 8 ounces. Umbrellas are the way to go – any serious hiker knows the benefits: you stay drier, you don’t sweat under your rain jacket, and even your pack stays out of the elements more than with a jacket and pack cover.
WAS IT WORTH THE EXTRA WEIGHT? - True to their word, this pole weighed in at 15.6 ounces. Considering that most telescopic poles weigh 10-12 ounces, I just considered this an umbrella in my pack that only weighed 3-4 ounces. I was never carrying around that extra pole when it started raining as well. Most umbrella hikers still use one pole to walk in the rain, forcing them to break one down and store on their pack.
THE COMPANY - Komperdell is an Austrian company that is a market leader in skiing, hiking, and plain old walking poles. They even make golf clubs. Though not known as well as Leki, Komperdell offers a quality product and warranty. This innovation cannot do anything but help their position as they move more into the trekking pole realm.
THE TREKKING POLE/STAFF - I found this pole to be just as sturdy and just as sticky as the other trekking pole I used (Alpina Sports Masters). Here are the stats you will find important:
- Three piece system that ranges in length from 68cm to 140 cm (fine for a 6’ guy)
- Titanal pole construction (comparable to steel, however only at 1/3 the weight)
- Easy twist “Duolock” loosening and locking system for length adjustment
- Tungsten/Carbide tip with Vario-Basket-System (Summer/Winter options)
- EVA-Foam grip
- Compass in the grip
Right off, the compass in the grip is a 5-cent, worthless piece of fluff. Why even add that thing?
I enjoyed walking with the pole and it gave me absolutely no problems on easy trails, rock descents, and off camber, slippery rock surfaces. The only things that other trekking poles have that are better than the Schirmstock are the contoured handgrips and the walking wrist straps.
*GRIPS* – the grips on other trekking poles are mostly at a “positive angle.” The grip is angled forward as it just feels better on your wrist as you go through the complete motion of placing the tip on ground or rock to following through as your walk by. The Schirmstock does not have this positive angle, nor does it even have contoured grips. You simply are holding on to a hard piece of foam. After awhile (I did not even notice this), your hand slips from the grip down onto the top of the umbrella unless you are using their nylon cord strap. Other trekking poles have contour for your fingers to rest on – you never find your hand sliding anywhere but where those contours are.
*STRAPS* – Other trekking poles have wrist straps that are cushioned and thick. When used properly, you are not really grabbing the pole as much as the wrist strap is holding your wrist to the handgrip. When you go through the motion of using the trekking pole, a properly adjusted strap does not require you to hold onto the grip 100% of the time. The Schirmstock has a nylon rope type cord with a toggle for tightening/loosening. This cord is not a comfortable as the other trekking poles, nor does it offer the support most people are used to.
*ANTI-SHOCK v. STABLE* - The Schirmstock does not have an option for anti-shock whatsoever. I used the anti-shock suspension on my other pole all the time, but I really did not notice myself ever-favoring one side over the other. There where times where I would notice, “Oh, that felt better using the anti-shock,” but this was rare and usually during descents over rocky terrain. If you HAVE to have the anti-shock, you are going to have to wait.
THE UMBRELLA - Plain and simple: this umbrella did 110% of what I expected. The Schirmstock umbrella is made of Teflon coated, dirt resistant polyester. It opens to 42”, which I found was comparable to the Golite Umbrella.
To use, you simply break the pole down to the minimal packing length, remove the nylon sleeve and extend the umbrella. The extension is not your typical slide up the umbrella extension ring until it clicks over that little metal latch. You have to push the umbrella ring up and then twist it to the left to lock into a “groove” manufactured for this purpose. To release, you simple push the extension ring up enough to release it from this locking groove, twist it to the right and close the umbrella. During a downpour, this took one or two tries, but I was still staying dry during the extension.
I used this umbrella from a sprinkle, to a straight downpour, to gusty sideways rain on top of a ridgeline in the Smokies. I found that this umbrella performed as promised and kept me about as dry as anything could in those conditions. The only time my shorts got wet (not enough to soak sensitive areas) was during the sideways gusts. I found that people walking with rain jackets on got drenched from their waists down unless they put on their rain pants. During the gusts, I had to angle the umbrella towards the wind to keep the rain out and to prevent the wind from catching the umbrella from underneath. I never felt like my umbrella was on the verge of tearing or bending during the gusts.
Walking under limbs, up rocks, and walking in lightening storms was another issue. On ridge tops, there are no problems other than the lightening. I told many people I crossed the trail with that I was walking with my portable lightening rod. The way I look at it, there were usually trees around me that were taller or I just would move as fast as possible to lower ground. In the woods, you have to watch yourself with the umbrella as it sticks over what you are used to with just a pack on. Anytime I would really get in a pinch, I would just quickly lower the umbrella to where I could pass and then get through quickly instead of trying to duck walk under something and still get wet. I also got used to letting the umbrella turn in my hand if anything grabbed at the sides. Often, a branch would grab at a piece of the umbrella so I would just let the umbrella slide around in my hand until I passed by the obstacle. It was just like a turnstile: the branch would grip the portion of the umbrella and turn it as I continued by and then release it when there was no longer any pressure.
MY VIEWS ON TREKKING POLES – DO YOU NEED THEM? - This review is not about this topic, so I will briefly argue that YES, any long distance hiker needs them. Anyone going for a day hike that has elevation change needs them. I saw too many people out there making do with sticks they found on the trail AFTER their legs started to hurt or they fell down too many times. I hiked with a guy that started having knee problems 12 miles from the nearest town. He was very thankful for the one Leki pole that was offered to him and said that he doesn’t know how long it would have taken him if he did not have that extra support.
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS
- Make a trekking pole option with the angled, contoured grips and a better wrist strap
- Get rid of that compass
- The nylon sleeve started to fray after only 100 miles or so of hiking from rubbing on the vegetation and the bottom my hand after it would slip down the foam grip. Make the sleeve out of a silicon nylon material.
- The sleeve also would start to slide down just from the pounding. Sure, it was not going to fall off, but it did move over time. Make it so the length of Velcro tightening this sleeve can make it tight enough so it does not slip. Currently, there is not enough Velcro to tighten as much a possible.
- Get rid of your huge advertisement on the sleeve with cotton thread. This just holds water weight (if it does get wet, right) and it looks like a billboard. Print it on the pole in paint just like everyone else does.
CONCLUSION - The avid hikers over the 270+ miles of the Appalachian Trail I did get to hike all raved about this innovation. All long distance hikers agreed to loving to hike with umbrellas or stated they were about to start after they saw my friend and I come in from a storm virtually dry and not sweating from wearing rain gear. For the extra couple of ounces, this pole does the job of two pieces of almost mandatory hiking equipment. The trick to long distance hiking is find items that are multifunctional so you can cut down on weight.
I found this pole for around $80 by shopping around online. Do not pay the suggested $100+ dollars for this item.
I will continue to walk with this pole even though I plan to upgrade my other trekking pole to a Leki model.
Recommended:
Yes
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nchoward
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