oldwetherman
02-21-2015, 23:18
I did a search and found a few posts that were several years old about a brand of trekking poles called Pacer Poles. The grip design sounds interesting. Does anyone have any first hand experience with them? I'm specifically wanting to know if the grip angle would allow me to use them to pitch a Tarp Tent Notch.
I've been using them for about 8 or 9, maybe 10 years now. Wouldn't buy anything else. They are fantastically comfortable to use. The grip design is unique and is better than anything else to ease downhill which is what I use poles for the most. That said, they are also very effective when you wish to add arm power to uphills. They also keep the hand in a much more natural position than more conventional poles, and thus are less tiring.
The design makes strap/tether use entirely optional and when the tethers are used, they are solely for convenience, they do not play a roll in transfer of power from arm to pole. Straps are a big complaint of many folks and a source of inefficient use for those who dislike and thus don't use them on a more conventional pole designed for their use.
The company that makes PacerPoles offers excellent service. I'm still using my original poles. I did bend one section several years ago, just enough to keep them from telescoping down when I wanted to shorten them, but still perfectly functional when in use. I just replace that section last summer so that I could collapse the poles for carrying onto an airplane. They charged me $12.50 I believe for the new pole section and included six new sets of rubber tips as a gift, free of charge.
I cannot say enough good things about PacerPoles. The absolute highest recommendation from me. Well worth the somewhat higher price compared to some other brands.
I use them to pitch my Wild Oasis tarp, my Hexamid Solo Plus, my Golite Shangri-La tarp and my Gossamer Gear The One. They work perfectly for any/all of these. The only minor hassle is with The One, due to the somewhat complicated "stirrup" that it uses at the rear of the tent. Not an insurmountable problem, but would be somewhat easier with a conventional pole. For the others, I think the PacerPoles actually work better than conventional poles, they offer a larger surface area to support the tarp material, so place less stress on it.
Rocket Jones
02-22-2015, 14:56
I too have used my Pacer Poles for years and I love them. I've only used them a couple of times as shelter support and they work fine.
They will work just fine, I use them with my Tarptent Notch all the time. Handle goes down, tips go up, and you can tweak how wide the inner is pulled by turning the handle in place.