Fundamentals
The Metolius Roll Up Stick Clip is exactly what it looks as if. Using a experience not in distinction to the snap bracelets you carried out with as a toddler, the Roll Up Stick Clip unfurls proper right into a ~10-foot pole nonetheless rolls down proper right into a 4.5-inch cylinder (regarding the dimension and type of an enormous latte mug) for easy transport. Together with coming with a Superclip head, the Roll Up Stick Clip comes with attachments for mounting bouldering brushes and GoPro cameras. The complete ensemble is mild, easy to assemble and disassemble, and is definitely one of many very important spectacular climbing gear enhancements in present memory. It acquired our Editor’s Various Award in {{Hardware}} this yr.
Professionals
Assembly and disassembly takes decrease than one minute // Packs down extraordinarily small // The unfurled “stick” is astonishingly sturdy, stiffer than some extended telescopic stick clips // Comes with numerous attachments for brushes or GoPro cameras // Acceptable with totally different stick clip heads
Cons
Terribly pricey for a stick clip // Accompanying Superclip attachments are stiffer than older variations of the Superclip, making it exhausting to utilize with bigger carabiners and unattainable to retrieve quickdraws from the wall // Superclip threads are exhibiting worrisome indicators of wear and tear and tear after 10-12 days of use
Weight
28 oz (full tools); 21 oz (pole solely)
Worth
$225
Mannequin
Metolius
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Our concepts
The first stick clip I ever used (an astonishing 19 years up to now this earlier April) was an exact stick. My pal confirmed me learn to loosely tape a carabiner to the highest of a protracted, curved oak division and learn to use a small twig to hold the carabiner’s gate open. Then I stick-clipped the first draw of my first 5.11, Three Simple Objectsin Rumney, NH.
Since then, I’ve used (and discarded) quite a few sticks and painter’s poles. Flying to the Crimson River Gorge for my first climbing journey, I packed a humble rubber clamp in my bag and bought a painter’s pole at a ironmongery store in Stanton. Per week later, I left the pole—nonetheless not the clamp—at Miguel’s Pizza with a “free!” sign on it. Flying to Rifle the following summer season season, I did the equivalent issue, this time packing my shiny new Squid (one in all many OG stick clip attachments and nonetheless thought of one in all my favorites) and, each week later, donating my mannequin new Walmart painter’s pole for group use on the Arsenal.
Numerous years up to now, I lastly invested in a climbing-specific telescoping pole, which was small enough to fly with if I packed a extremely massive bag. Nonetheless although the pole was solely solely nine-feet-long at full extension, it was very flimsy when extended, and when strapped to the aspect of my backpack, it nonetheless caught up extreme enough to grab annoyingly at branches all through approaches.
Only a few weeks up to now, I donated this last pole to a pal, having modified it with Metolius’s distinctive new Roll Up Stick Clip. It’s merely most likely probably the most transportable stick clip within the market. It’s moreover one of many very important spectacular climbing enhancements since Pure teamed up with Thriller Ranch to put backpacking help straps onto crash pads. (A very powerful innovation of the ultimate ten years, though, nonetheless goes to Ben Moon for inventing the app-driven, LED-lit teaching board.)
The best way it really works
The Roll Up Stick Clip is fabricated from some type of stiff composite supplies whose selective flexibility offers it merely two safe positions: It could be rolled into a good cylinder for storage, and it may snap proper right into a stiff pole when unrolled. It rings a bell in my memory—and principally everyone—of those snap bracelets we used as kids.
The Roll Up Stick Clip comes with the standard and ever-popular Metolius Superclip, but it surely certainly has regular painter’s pole threads, so it’s appropriate with totally different stick clip heads. It’s normally appropriate with different types of brushes (the pole could be useful for boulderers, though the pole isn’t stiff enough to withstand intense scrubbing) and with an bizarre GoPro mount.
Extreme kudos are due to Metolius’s R&D crew for getting the mix of stiffness and suppleness correct. The pole is astonishingly easy to assemble and break down (a number of of our testers complained that putting it away required a bit little bit of elbow grease, nonetheless I’m not very sturdy, and I’ve in no way found it even remotely as tiring as coiling a rope). Nevertheless it’s moreover astonishingly sturdy. Actually, it’s far stronger at full extension than the telescoping pole that I’ve been using for the last few years. And the composite supplies seems very sturdy, which may help justify the extreme worth.
Lengthwise, the pole unfolds to 9 ft 8 inches prolonged, which is larger than prolonged enough for a lot of crags. First attracts in places identical to the Crimson River Gorge and Smith Rock may usually be exhausting to reach. And other people of you preferring pre-clipping the second quickdraw may at cases need you’d hauled that cumbersome 15-foot painter’s pole to the cliff. Nonetheless I’ve used the Roll Up Stick Clip at seven completely totally different crags in New Mexico, and I’ve however to come back throughout a situation the place I needed to pre-clip a draw (whether or not or not first or second) nonetheless couldn’t attain it.
When rolled up, the stick clip and head weigh decrease than two kilos and retailer merely in a small nylon bag. For me, this has been a bit little bit of a sport changer. I ceaselessly used to miss my earlier stick clip at residence as a result of it didn’t reside inside my pack; now, the Roll Up Stick Clip in no way leaves my pack apart from on the crag, residing between climbing days correct subsequent to my quickdraws, Grigri, and kneepad. I’ve in no way as quickly as forgotten to ship it climbing.
The Roll Up Stick Clip’s Cons
The superclip
Every I and my fellow tester, Anthony Walsh, uncover that the prongs on our accompanying Superclips have been far too stiff—noticibly stiffer than the Superclips we’ve beforehand used. This makes it unnecessarily troublesome to nestle regular sport climbing carabiners between the attracts (smaller attracts have been less complicated than bigger ones), and we every ceaselessly pinched our fingers or palms between the draw and prongs. Further lamentably, this stiffness moreover makes it virtually unattainable to retrieve a quickdraw from the wall using the standard method. I had moderately hoped that the prongs would loosen up with use, nonetheless after 10-12 days I’ve seen little change. The Superclip moreover lacks any type of hook that makes it less complicated to tug the rope down whereas leaving the first draw clipped. Lastly, my Superclip is already exhibiting worrisome indicators of wear and tear and tear.
Happily, it’s the roll-up pole, not the head, that’s the nice innovation proper right here, and the pole is appropriate with totally different heads. Now that I’m carried out with this analysis, I imagine I’ll throw my Squid on it for earlier cases sake—though it seems ridiculous to consider altering a part on such an pricey piece of medication.
The pole’s torsional flexibility does not allow for positive draw-retrieval methods
The Roll Up Stick Clip’s design permits the Metolius Superclip attachment to carry out exactly as designed if you’ve got gotten a Superclip that isn’t ridiculously stiff. Nonetheless when retrieving quickdraws from the wall with my earlier stick clips, I’ve sometimes most popular to utilize a trick that does not require having a rope clipped to the quickdraw. Principally, using my method, you slip the Superclip prongs throughout the carabiner’s gate, twist the stick clip until the gate opens, after which proceed twisting until the carabiner’s now-open mouth comes out of the hanger.
This isn’t attainable with a Roll Up Stick Clip because of, though it’s hundreds stiff on its vertical and horizontal planes, the pole turns proper right into a moist noodle beneath any type of torsional stress. This is not an infinite deal within the occasion you’ve obtained a unfastened enough Superclip; you’ll merely should do points the conventional technique and clip a rope proper right into a quickdraw sooner than eradicating that quickdraw from the wall (the strategy outlined in minute three of this video).
Nonetheless with my super-stiff Superclip on my Roll Up Stick Clip pole, I’m at current unable to retrieve quickdraws the least bit, which is annoying.
Worth
Finally, all gear reviewers must ask themselves one simple question: Would you buy this product?
Inside the case of the Roll Up Stick Clip—which costs a whopping $225—I’m actually uncertain.
On the one hand, the Roll Up Stick Clip is a legitimately trendy and very sensible piece of medication that has made my climbing safer and earned a eternal place in my tools. Nonetheless, $225 is a few enormous money, notably considering that you could be get a wonderfully good telescoping stick clip for decrease than half that.
Basically probably the most I can say is that this: If I had not been despatched a Roll Up Stick Clip for the wants of a analysis, I undoubtedly would not have bought one; nonetheless now that the Roll Up Stick Clip is part of my quiver, I’m uncertain I can return. In truth, if some grungy dirtbag have been to steal mine, I’m pretty constructive I’d agonize for only a few weeks after which buy a substitute.
I imagine that’s pretty extreme reward.