Nordic Poles Revisited

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Now that it's no longer summer, the weather is cooling off in Florida -- by which I mean nighttime temperatures are in the low 70s, maybe even high 60s. This is perfect weather for nighttime walks, and therefore this is the best time for me to get back into the night walking habit I let slip during the summer. 

The last time I talked about Nordic walking poles, I mentioned that while I liked the Attrac poles which I had, I really wished that I had a rapid lock-unlock system for the wrist straps that I could toggle with the thumb of that same hand. As it turns out, Attrac makes a pole with that feature, so I went ahead and bought it. 

Now, I'm going to ask you to follow that link to look at the title. Please note that it says "with Anti-Shock Cushioning" and "Telescopic Adjustment". 

https://amzn.to/47kWuGI

It has nothing of the kind. It is a fixed-position one-piece pole, meaning that there is no possible way to adjust its height and there is nowhere to put an anti-shock system without making it a two-piece pole. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed. 

On the other hand, it did have the "Click and Go" system that I really wanted, and I had some spare rubber tips lying around, so I decided to give it a try before I returned it... and I'm so glad that I did. 

Despite being non-adjustable, I got lucky; these poles are almost perfectly sized for me (the ideal size for my height would be 42.25 inches, but I'm not going to complain about a 2.75 inch difference), and despite not having any kind of detectable anti-shock system I couldn't notice a difference between them and my other set of Attrac poles which has one. 

I also dearly love the Click & Go system. Not only does it make it easier to do things like manipulate a phone while walking, but I can also use my pistol with the hand strap still attached. Yes, the plastic anchor does get in the way more than a little bit, but despite that I am still able to quickly detach the wrap from the pole, grip my pistol, draw it and dry-fire it. I haven't taken the wraps to the actual shooting range, and I suspect that the Range Safety Officers might have a problem with me shooting a gun while wearing them, so recoil and the plastic anchors might not mix well. But the fact remains that I can comfortably grip, aim, and dry fire my regular carry pistol (a Colt Mustang Pocketlite) while wearing these and that's the important thing, because in a self-defense scenario it's better to be able to operate a gun than have comfortable recoil.

The wraps on the new poles. 

After using these poles for a few days, I went back to my older Attrac poles to see if I could feel a difference. In terms of shock absorption, I could not; but I definitely felt a difference in comfort between the "Click & Go" system and whatever system the older poles had. The older poles also had a tendency to pinch me in the skin between thumb and forefinger, which is something that they didn't used to do. I'm not sure why this happened, unless it's because my grip angle changed. As you can see from the pictures above and below, the two pole styles have subtly different grip positions. 

https://amzn.to/4486bX7

So if you're between 5'4" and 5'6" in height and are interested in Nordic walking, then these are the poles for you. If you're taller or shorter than that, I'm sorry; there don't appear to be any other Attrac poles in this style for you, and you'll either have to get an adjustable type of pole (which I have already reviewed) or take a chance on a different brand. 

Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see you out walking!