Australian Hiker

Rating

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles Review

For me the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles are the current pick of the Black Diamond range. While each and every pole in this range has something going for it, this pole hits the sweet spot and here’s why.

To start with this pole is available in three range lengths and as someone who is 185cm in height, my length of choice is the 125-140cm version. When walking on flat ground I set them at 126cm. To achieve this I align with one of the letters that are on this part of the pole. The bonus with adjustable poles is they come with more versatility and work well with ultra lightweight tents that use trekking poles for stability. The adjustability also works well going up and down hills as you can adjust them to suit the terrain. I must admit that it’s rare that I do this unless it’s really steep.

This model of pole is constructed using carbon fibre which makes them extremely lightweight at 386 grams for the 125-140cm model. 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.

When I first changed over to carbon fibre poles I was a bit worried about the robustness. There have been situations in the past where I have slipped in muddy conditions while using my older, metal versions of these poles and they bent at what I thought was an impossible angle but still survived. I wasn’t sure if the carbon versions would hold up with my 105kg frame bearing down on them but they perform well even when I do slip. While I’ve only been using these poles for a few months, they’ve taken everything I’ve thrown at them so I have no concerns they will last the years.

When you purchase these poles they come with fixed small ‘baskets’ which will work well with standard hiking. They also come with a larger set of baskets (that screw in over the top of the smaller baskets) for those times when you are dealing with a soft surface such as snow or sand.

You also have the choice of what tip you use on these poles. When I purchased them they came with the carbide poles fixed as standard and this is the standard metal tip that nearly all hikers will be familiar with. These tips can be replaced if they eventually wear down but even after using my previous version of Black Diamond poles for over eight years and many thousands of kilometres, the tips were still going strong. When you make your purchase 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 relays on shortening the wrist strap. I found it easier to twist the wrist strap once or twice which worked really well.

Now for the negatives and there was only one that I could find and that was a temporary one. I found that the locking button would ‘shift’ and the poles would collapse every kilometre or so on average over the first day of use which meant the poles would shorten and I would have to lock them again. This was only a problem on day one and once the button had loosened up they were fine from then on. Gill who was using the ‘female’ version of this pole had no such issue and I haven’t had any problems since.

One thing to note is that these poles come in men’s and women’s versions but apart from the colour (blue for ‘men’ and teal for ‘women’) and the different sizes, Gill and I can’t tell the difference. So in all honesty pick the colour you like in the size that best suits you.

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, relatively easy to find and a great all around pole for any conditions these poles have become my pole of choice and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

We Like

• Carbon fibre construction making for a very lightweight set of poles (296 gram for the 130cm 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 really easy
• Deploys very easily
• Snow basket compatible making them a year round pole

We Don't Like

• Carbon fibre poles aren’t as robust as metal poles. Having said that I’ve never had an issue with these poles breaking
• 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 online from Snowys 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

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles in closed position

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles showing three sections

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles open and ready to use

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles close up of lock button and sizing lock

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles showing section joint

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

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles showing carbide tip

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

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles showing wrist strap on Tim. You can adjust the strap length or just twist the strap, either worked for me

Other Versions

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking Poles come in three sizes

• 95-110cm (at 165cm in height, this is Gill’s size)
• 110-125cm
• 125-140 cm (at 185cm in height, this is Tim’s size)

Disclaimer

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

Last updated

2 June 2024

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