Black Diamond gear reviews

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ trekking and running poles.

Review: Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles

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Trekking and Running Poles
Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Poles
$220, 12.7 oz./360g (per pair 105-125cm, with trekking baskets)
Five adjustable sizes: men’s and women’s 95-110cm/37-43.3 ins. and 110-125cm/43.3-49 ins., men’s 125-140cm/49-55.1 ins.
blackdiamondequipment.com

Trekking poles vary widely in weight, packability, adjustability, and durability—and the balance between those competing attributes determines their recommended uses and versatility across activities. Then there’s Black Diamond’s Distance Carbon FLZ poles, which I’ve used for everything from dayhikes and trail runs of up to 15 miles in Idaho’s Boulder and Pioneer Mountains and Boise Foothills; dayhiking the Cory Pass-Edith Pass loop in Banff National Park, about nine miles with a steep 3,400 feet of up and down; and a 10-mile, 3,600-vertical-foot October dayhike on a trail strewn with wet, slippery rocks and mud in New Hampshire’s White Mountains; to five-day backpacking trips of 77 miles on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier and 47 miles in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, and in the Wind River Range. Their unique design hits a sweet spot for dayhikers, lightweight backpackers, and distance trail runners. Here’s why.

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Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z trekking and running poles.

Review: Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles

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Trekking PolesBlack Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles$200, 10 oz./264g (per pair 110cm, with trekking baskets)Five sizes, non-adjustable: 110cm/43.3 ins., 115cm/45.3 ins., 120cm/47.2 ins., 125cm/49 ins., and 130cm/51 ins.blackdiamondequipment.com With gear, exceptionally low weight often means compromising functionality, durability, or both. With Black Diamond’s Distance Carbon Z Poles, though, there’s little compromise. On a mostly off-trail, two-day backpacking trip to Quiet …

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Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork trekking poles.

Review: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles

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All-Season Trekking Poles Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Poles $230, 1 lb. 1.5 oz./496.1g (per pair, with trekking baskets) Two sizes, adjustable: men’s 100-130cm/39-51 ins., women’s 95-125cm/37-49 ins. blackdiamondequipment.com For backcountry users who need poles that can handle hard use and any and all activities around the calendar, from backpacking on good trails to scrambling off-trail up mountains and backcountry …

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The Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell in Spain's Picos de Europa Mountains.

Review: Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell

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Ultralight Shell Jacket Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell $149, 3.5 oz./99.2g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL blackdiamondequipment.com Obvious first impression: The Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell passes the test of being so light that there’s no reason to not carry it. But a shell this packable becomes truly invaluable when you can use it in a variety of …

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Review: Black Diamond Helio Active Shell

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All-Season Shell Jacket
Black Diamond Helio Active Shell
$400, 12 oz./340g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
moosejaw.com

The rain began before we hit the trail on the second morning of a five-day June trek in northern Spain’s Picos de Europa Mountains; by late morning, we reached the snow line, and the light rain turned to wet snow, accumulating several inches on the ground. The wind came from various directions, blowing 40 to 50 mph as we got higher and crossed a pass. It felt more like Scotland’s Northern Highlands than mountains in the north of Spain. For that entire day, most of it spent hiking through falling rain or snow, I wore the Black Diamond Helio Active Shell—and it basically saved my butt on a day when cold wind and wet precipitation could have tipped me into hypothermia.

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