Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop
The locking mechanism is improved, the pole section diameters (I think) are each now about 2 mm larger (stiffer), and the grip/ribbed foam section is better. They don't pack down very small, but, in use, have a wider range of adjustment, 110 -145 cm, break down to 42.5" (Is this correct?) vs 120-145 cm adjustment range, break down to 18", for, for example, the Komperdell Ultralight Vario 4 (also carbon).
I've broken the carbon fiber lowest section twice on earlier Vario 4's (on the current version, that section is now aluminum), once for no obvious reason, once because I was in a small rock avalanche of rain-wet shingle, and both times I was able to keep hiking for several days, with the broken carbon fiber tube end doing surprisingly well as a pole tip. Both times Komperdell was prompt and gracious with their warranty replacement.