Australian Hiker

Rating

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles - Women’s Review

I have been using trekking poles for many years now and while I’m not an ‘every day of every hike user’ I rely on them for those steep downhill and rock slopes and occasionally the steep upward hard slogs! I usually opt for Black Diamond so when my now discontinued Black Diamond poles decided to seize up as a sign that they had been with me way too long, I grabbed the women’s version of the Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles.

With the exception of the colour and length, the women’s version is identical to the men’s version – at least to my eye. The men’s come with ‘Ultra Blue’ trim while the women’s have an aqua blue trim – for some weird reason the women’s colour doesn’t have a fancy name! In terms of length there are two for ‘women’ – 110cm which adjusts 95-110cm and 125cm with an adjustment of 110-125cm. There are three sizes in the men’s version; 110cm, 125cm and 140cm. So feel free to pick the colour and size that suits you!

These poles are very easy to use – the locking/unlocking mechanism works well. Even when my fingers are cold or sweaty I don’t have any trouble setting them up or packing them down.

Setting the length for upward or downward slopes or when walking on flat ground is also easy given these poles have markings that help guide you to the length you’re after. That’s the benefit of adjustable poles – the same poles can be used across a range of terrain and activities.

Another benefit is that these poles are constructed from carbon fibre which makes them extremely lightweight at 284 grams for the 95-110cm model I use. Unlike other poles the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles fold down into three smalls sections which make them extremely small for travelling. The down side is that when the poles are folded down, you need to put them into the side or back pockets of the pack as opposed to using the pole storage system available on some brands of packs.

Despite these being very lightweight they are robust and will take everything you throw at them. While I tend not to be tough on my gear, Tim is and there have been times when I thought his carbon poles would buckle under the strain of his weight when he’s leaned heavily on them to steady himself.

These poles they come with fixed small ‘baskets’ which work well for standard hiking. They also come with a larger set of baskets that screw in over the top of the smaller baskets for soft surfaces such as snow or sand.

There is also a range of tips to choose from including the carbide tips fixed as standard. These tips can be replaced if they eventually wear down but even after using my previous version of Black Diamond poles for over 12 years, the tips were still going strong. These poles also come with a pair of rubberised tips that can be swapped out if you’re doing urban hiking on concrete or bitumen.

The handle grips on these poles are a EVA foam which is pretty standard on many trekking poles these days and while there is no left and right grips they do still feel comfortable. While we are on the handles, the other difference with this model is that there is no velcro adjustment to shorten the length of the strap but rather it relies on shortening the wrist strap.

These trekking poles aren’t cheap at AUD$369.99 RRP but you can usually find this pole available at a much cheaper price. Given they are very lightweight, easy to source and a great all around pole for any conditions these poles have found a home in my gear list.

We Like

• Carbon fibre construction making for a very lightweight set of poles (284 gram for the 110cm length). You’ll definitely notice the difference if you are changing from a heavier set of poles
• Comfortable EVA foam hand grips
• Interchangeable tips – choose either rubber tips or carbide
• Adjustable to a range of lengths
• Fold down to just 34cm which makes packing them away really easy
• Deploys very easily
• Snow basket compatible making them a year round pole

We Don't Like

• The Cost! Not the dearest poles on the market but certainly not the cheapest
• Poles that fold into three small sections often don’t fit the trekking pole holders on many packs. If I’m not using my poles they live in the side ‘water bottle’ pockets

Best Uses

• Excellent all round pole. Great in all circumstances except perhaps for heavy snow conditions as alpine poles often have very wide snow baskets

Buy One

You can purchase the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s online from  Snowys,  Wild Earth or from Wildfire Sports

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD $369.99 RRP. These poles are often on sale so keep an eye out

Gill using her trekking poles

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s in closed position

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s showing three sections

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s open and ready to use

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s close up of lock button and sizing lock

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s showing section joint

Image showing the small fixed basket and rubberised tip on the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s showing carbide tip

Image showing the small fixed basket, snow basket and carbide tip on the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s

Other Versions

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles – Women’s come in two sizes

• 95-110cm (at 165cm in height, this is Gill’s size)
• 110-125cm

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

Last updated

27 November 2024

Shares

Related articles