Despite being stiff, these are the lightest adjustable poles on the market at just 93 grams (3.3 oz). We accomplish this with premium carbon fiber and larger diameter tubing which is more weight efficient for the strength. The result is an adjustable pole that is similar in weight to any decently stiff non-adjustable poles.

Adjustable length is important for fine tuning the pitch of your tent, yet few folding poles are adjustable and the few that are use twist locks which are harder to use and less reliable, or they use a pin system that is heavier and only adjusts in increments. External ‘flick’ style adjusters are the easiest and most reliable way to continuously adjust a pole, which is why we are pleased to offer the first folding poles with a flick style adjuster.

The Z-Flick poles are the stiffness poles in their class for reliable use in rough weather. We achieve this in three ways: (1) we use carbon tubing that is purpose designed to be highly rigid (as opposed to more flexible tent pole tubing), (2) we use precise tolerances between the sections to avoid slop, and (3) we use a bit larger diameter tubing that gives greater strength for less weight than other poles. Our tubing is 14 mm / 0.55″ (bottom section) or 12 mm / 0.47″ (upper sections) whereas most comparable folding poles use 9.5 – 11.5 mm tubing (0.37 – 0.45″).

A compact pole is important for bikepackers and many users, which is why the Z-Flick pole uses 5 sections to achieve a short (12″) packed length.

Our goal is to build the highest quality outdoor gear, which is why we partnered with the same factory that builds premium carbon trekking poles and carbon avalanche probes for leading brands to build these poles. The quality is immediately noticeable when you pick these up, and a clear contrast to many other folding poles which are built with generic aluminum or carbon tubing.

More than just a great pole, the Z-Flick poles are also the most widely compatible folding poles on the market. All other folding poles only work with a limited range of tents because they are fixed length and/or have one tip style (handles up or tips up). Conversely, the Z-Flick poles are not only adjustable length but work for both tip up and handle up style tents.

We’ve accomplished this with a unique idea enabled by the external adjuster: the four upper folding sections can be flipped to expose either end, so we provide a different tip style on each end. One end has a custom aluminum pointed tip for grommet style tents while the other end has a blunt aluminum cap for handles up tents. The result is a highly versatile pole that works with virtually ever trekking pole tent on the market. They’ll work for your current tent and your next tent, making them more useful and easier to sell if the time comes.