Review: Ruta Locura Yana 2 piece adjustable trekking Pole with straps

I bought this adjustable length trekking pole set right after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2015, hoping for a simpler product than the Black Diamond Carbon Distance Z, which had severe problems with the linkage between sections. Mine differs from the currently available model only in the shape of the grip and the tips which are now Black Diamond Flex-Tech Tips which accept small expendable tips in carbide and rubber. The newer grip has a more common shape with a flare at the top and a bump on the back side near the bottom, like this:

Figure 1

For a short time the pole tip was changed to the same one used on the Black Diamond Distance Z Poles, where the little basket was located 1.5" from the end--I disliked that basket for 1,000 miles--it caught roots and rocks like the latest fashion. It looks like the available tip has the basket further up, like that on most other poles. See Figure 1. One should ask why one should have a basket at all if the pole is neither intended nor tough enough for snow travel. I also question using carbide tips on any surface but slick logs or mossy boulders.

Figure 2. Expendable tips at upper right.  Removable basket at upper left.  Lower views show tips on pole ends.

. As for the pole material itself, the upper section has an outside diameter of just under 12 mm and a thickness of 1 mm. The lower section has a diameter of 9.5 mm and slides easily into the upper section. To lock the sections you thread a rod, cemented into the lower section, into a metal cylinder embedded in the far end of a rubber sleeve which expands to lock it in place inside the upper section. This locked the sections very reliably, but has not always released on demand. It likely remains expanded for a bit before relaxing and releasing the sections--pushing the sections together after loosening the lock sometimes works, but more often it requires waiting a few minutes.

Figure 3. Top: upper section. Middle: expansion fitting and bolt for hand strap. Right: lower section with expansion fitting for locking into upper section.

The hand strap is a sturdy 5/8" wide nylon/polyester strap with no contouring or padding. Another expanding plug inserted into the top section accepts a bolt that holds the strap in place. The strap adjustment is two D-rings which function as a ladder buckle. The strap fixation looks secure, but the bolt loosened after a few miles and came out. The strap itself has no padding for comfort and would serve well as a leash for users who more actively grab the grip. Those who pull down on the strap will have a more variable experience--I find almost all trekking pole straps inadequate for pulling because they run from the pole under my palms and around the back of my wrists.  The straps feel like they want to slip away from my palm on the thumb side and the pressure on the palm under the thumb hurts after a spell. Not at all ergonomic.

Figure 4

Figure 5. The strap pulls against the palm next to the thumb. Notice how the strap at the pinky side of the hand has slid away from the wrist.

My custom made straps (figures 6 & 7) wrap around my entire wrists and produce no pressure points on my palm. Nordic ski racing straps wrap completely around the wrist.

Figure 6.  Homemade trekking pole strap for more ergonomic poling, Nordic style.

Figure 7. No pressure! My hand totally relaxes during almost all parts of the stroke.  On occasion, a few muscles may activate to guide the pole tip on recovering the pole to the tip plant.

. The Yana poles adjust from 31 in to 53 in (135 cm) and separate to 27.5 in Long. My pair with straps weigh 9 oz. The newer version pictured in Figure 1 have a published weight of 4.2oz (119 grams) each, not including integrated baskets.  They are plenty stiff enough for my style of walking which at this time is mostly Urban or gentle trails. The diy pole in figures 6 & 7 is 10 mm wide from grip to tip, weighs 3.8 oz with the strap, has a fixed length, breaks down to three 17" sections linked by a shock cord and is just stiff enough. Both would suit a PCT hike from what I recall of the 2,000 miles I hiked (PCT trails are for the most part very civilized). Neither will likely last very long for rough trails or for bushwhacking, unless used very mindfully. The Black Diamond rubber tips sold at REI fit well and will likely last longer than the little tips made for the newer Flex-Tech tips.

If I didn't use the straps to help propel myself, the bolt fixing them to the pole would not have come loose. People who grab the grip and use the strap as a leash would probably enjoy this pole. If you need an adjustable length pole and don't mind waiting sometimes for the locking mechanism to loosen up you will enjoy this pole. Its collapsed weight is on the long side, though it's not a dealbreaker. Again it is really for trails that aren't too demanding. One fall on one of these poles will likely damage or destroy it. The pole is light enough that for a long trip one might consider bringing a spare along especially if on a trip with others using ultralight poles like this.

Cramps in the swimming pool

Yes, cramps in the swimming pool. I used to get those very reliably about 30 to 40 minutes into a swimming workout. Almost always I got them on my arches. Even if I wasn't pointing my toes I got them. My primary care provider said, well you can try NUUN tablets and tonic water or you can drink just orange juice and see whether that works for you. I didn't have much success with that.  Something else was going on.

I knew that muscle contracture involved a lot of things like sodium pumps, potassium calcium, magnesium and chlorine but after scouring the internet I was still confused about how to address my cramps.
About the same time I was keeping a food diary because I wanted to drop a few pounds that I had picked up over the years. An app called MyFitnessPal tallied how much protein, sodium, fat, calories and other things I was taking in. Those other things included potassium and calcium, but not magnesium. I begin to look at how much sodium, potassium and calcium I was taking in and whether I was getting enough or too much.  The app would say zero potassium in some foods that I knew contained potassium. It allowed me to make corrections in the potassium of some foods so I could continue to work with that app. Another handy tool it had--it could scan a barcode on a food product and all I would have to do was specify the amount that I ate.

I noticed that I consumed enough calcium and sodium but consistently undershot the target for potassium intake (4,700 mg) by a very large amount. After ensuring that the foods I logged did have values for the potassium they contained, I was still short. After a quick search, I amped up my potato consumption. After four or five days of meeting my potassium requirement, I had a swim workout without cramps. Since that time I have not had any significant recurrence. I still try to remember to drink diet tonic water before swimming. I also have some days when I noticeably under shoot the amount of sodium 2,300 mg--those days I feel like I'm about to get cramps, a pretty good signal for me to eat something salty.
Sometimes, I'll drop 2-4 NUUN tablets or other electrolyte product like Emergen-C into a liter water bottle to suck from at poolside.

Because of the complexity of muscle contracture and muscle cramping, I can't guarantee this approach will work for you. If you try this without getting relief then it has to be something else, for which you need a better source of information than myself.

For what it's worth, a very high source of potassium (relative to caloric content) is V8 low sodium vegetable juice (45 Cal, 851 mg per cup.  People say, eat a banana to get more potassium. One medium banana (105 cal, 26 gm) only has 422 mg of potassium--good, but not great.

Cheers!