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Gear Freak

menu_book picture_as_pdf bookGeoff Mallinson Gear Australia
Issue_13_October_2015-62

Bungy Poles are a brand of walking poles designed with suspension system especially for training. Not everyone is a pole walker. It seems you either love or hate them. I love walking with trekking poles when I can, but I know they aren’t perfect for every situation.

Gear Freak

62 | BWA October 2015


Why I walk with poles

1 It engages your upper bodyPoles can take pressure off you knees and lower back. Due to a back injury I decided to try them out and it didn’t take me long to love using them. Core muscles help stabilise your body when moving - big muscles between your diaphram and pelvic floor. I could feel the use of my core muscles being used when hiking and they proved to assist with my back pain.

I find I can get into a better rhythm when using poles. It’s easier to make good speed when walking along a fire trail for example. Even on rough tracks the added focus and rhythm of poles proves to help me to get where I want to go.

2 They help with balanceMany people use poles when using snowshoes because it makes those slippery icy slopes that you’re kicking steps into a lot easier. You’ll be able to balance better and help prevent falls, which can be the case during normal walking too. Slippery rocks, mud and rocky terrain can all benefit from the use of trekking poles.

When they don’t work

1 Off track in dense bushOff track in dense bush my poles are found attached snugly to my pack. They simply get in the way when you’re on all fours pushing through dense scrub. You spend more time dealing with the annoying poles that you do walking.

2 If you’re co-ordination challengedSome people just don’t have the rhythm. I’ve lent poles to friends who double stick (think of someone on skis trying to push themselves along). Their timing and rhythm was all wrong and confusing; the extra

concentration for some people just doesn’t work. If they don’t work for you, that’s okay.

Bungy Pump Review

First impressionsWhen I first opened the box I thought wow - these are huge. The Bungy Pump poles are long and thick. I’m used to traditional poles like the Black Diamond Carbon Z pole, a slim and minimalist pole. The Bungy pumps are far larger, but once I picked them up I was surprised at just how lightweight and well finished they are.

Review Bungy Pump Poles

Geoff Mallinson

... I was surprised at just how lightweight and well finished they are.

Slippery rocks, mud and rocky terrain can all benefit from the use of trekking poles.

BWA October 2015 | 63


An adjustable design with a twist lock mechanism you can set the poles at the length you want. You will want to set them to be more downhill skiing length than a normal walking pole. Set the height to just under your armpits or mid-chest. The grips and overall finish of the poles is great.

The big difference in the Bungy Pump to any other pole is the inbuilt resistance system. It’s not like the small springs found in some poles like the Leki antishock. Bungy have far greater movement and are more like a pogo stick. It is from this that the extra working and training benefits of the Bungy Pump come (and their name too).

At first I found them a little odd to use after a fixed pole, but remember these poles are meant to be used differently. There are three resistance levels to choose from: four, six and ten kilograms. The pair I tested were six kilograms.

Use on the walking pathMy first outing with the poles was along the local walking path along the water. This is a flat concrete path, quite tame compared to our normal bush tracks. Using the poles felt strange at first, but once I realised the level of energy I should be putting into them they quickly became fun and gave me a good workout. They aren’t built for a leisurely stroll along the path. They were there wanting to used as a piece of fitness equipment. This is where their strength lies. I could see myself using them as a training tool. Engaging my whole body during a training walk.

In the bushI took the poles on a walk along my local fire trail, a narrow rocky path along the sandstone platform just north of Sydney. There is no easy way to transport the poles while not using them. They can collapse a little, but by any measurement they are long, about 155 centimetre. Attaching them to my day pack wasn’t feasible.

Once I pulled them out to use on the steeper and more technical nature of the track I set them lower than I did on the path, just five

centimetre higher than my normal pole height to allow for the extra compression in the resistance system. I quickly found the same results when I really worked the poles as I did on the path, and they rewarded me with extra effort and gave a good workout. However with so much travel in the pole I found using them for stability when walking fast through rocky passes and over tricky sections a little difficult. My confidence was lower and the speed and control benefit I was used to getting from a traditional pole wasn’t there.

SummaryThe Bungy Pumps are a great fitness pole, perfect for those who want to keep fit by walking along good tracks. They’re good for training for that Kokoda walk you want to do, or the next Oxfam.

However, there are limitations when taking them on more challenging terrain. I don’t recommend them for use on a long-distance remote and rough bush track. I could see myself training for an event with them, but I don’t plan to take them on any remote or overnight walks.

The poles we tested were provided free of charge by Bungy Pump.

Bungy have far greater movement and are more like a pogo stick.

64 | BWA October 2015