jdaddy
Active member
I recently had the opportunity to compare three commonly available wading staffs side by side. The 3/4" Folstaf, the Spring Brook and the Zephr.
The Folstaf is $99.99 at Cabelas, item IK-311576. It has a cork handle that floats the staff should it become detached from your possession. The model tested has a regular cork end on the handle. There is an option for a compass or camera mount. These options do not appear to be able to be retro installed. It has a long nylon lanyard which attaches to your wading belt so you can let it drag behind you in the river when not in use and when not collapsed. The Folstaf has a leather carrying pouch the is open on the sides to drain water. I would be concerned about long term exposure of leather to water. Folds up to 9" long and opens and closes easily. This staff is made in the USA. It has a life time warranty for defective materials and workmanship subject to a mandatory $20 charge for return shipping. The interconnecting double bungee cord inside the staff is heavy and durable. It quickly assembles the staff. The staff itself is composed of aluminum sections and is very sturdy. When filled with water the cork handle in fact floats the staff.
The Zephr is $39.99 at Cabelas, item IK-317967. The maker/model is not identified on the website, however it is identified on the actual product. It has a cork handle that floats the staff should it become detached from your possession. It has a retractable coiled plastic bungee which attaches to your wading belt so you can let it drag behind you in the river when not in use and when not collapsed. The Zephr has a heavy duty nylon pouch that has metal grommets on the bottom for drainage. The staff folds up to 11" long and opens and closes easily. The staff is made in Pakistan. Warranty is not expressed on the packaging and online searches reveal nothing about the manufacturer. I would imagine you are left to your own skills in any needed repair. The interconnecting double bungee cord inside the staff is heavy and durable (though the Folstaf may be slightly thicker). It quickly assembles the staff. The staff itself is composed of aluminum sections and is very sturdy. When filled with water the cork handle in fact floats the staff.
The Spring Brook is $90 at Cabelas, item IK-317374 (note Bass Pro sells a similar unit for $60) . It has a foam grip that is supposed to float the staff. This will be addressed later. The lanyard attaches to the end of the staff. The carrying case is a lighter grade nylon and seems small and tight. The staff breaks down into fewer pieces, thus is 15" when collapsed and much bulkier to carry. The staff is made of graphite versus aluminum in the Zephr and Folstaf. The staff is generally lighter than the other two units, but it use the weight differences are hardly noticeable. What is noticeable is a major deflection along the length of the staff when applying pressure. It does not collapse and I don't think it was in jeopardy of breaking, but why deal with this deflection when the other units do not have this? Additionally the staffs foam handle appears to be cheaper, more open cell foam and likely to fail over time. The foam handle has a problem supporting the staff once the staff has been submerged in water for a period of time and begins to fill up. This could result in the staff dangling at your feet versus flowing behind you, plus it causes undue pull on your wading belt. It appears that the Springbrook is made in Canada though not indicated on the staff. The Springbrook website indicates that they are a manufacturer, importer, exporter and distributor. They do limited production of products and are exclusive distributors of Fishpond, etc in Canada. They also appear to be heavily involved in TFO. Given the lack of focus of the company, the marginal quality of the product and the superior products on the market, I cannot see a reason to purchase this staff.
Given this side by side comparison, the Zephr is the clear winner. It is very comparable to the Folstaf, yet costs 60% less. When factoring in the $20 service charge from Folstaf, one could buy three Zephr's thus the warranty issue is moot in my opinion. Frankly, I don't see where either of these staffs are going to fail, other than the possibility of the bungee cord coming loose inside the staff walls.
There are three other real contenders in the market. First is a tree limb found on the side of the river. This is of course free. It would be handy to carry some rope for lashing the stick to you. Wood floats so that is a win. Durability is not an issue as it is easily replaced. Deflection will depend greatly upon the diameter of the stick. Sticks in comparable diameter of the above wading staffs would likely have too much deflection for major stream crossings. The second is the JayL paint roller extension stick. This can be had for around $5 at your local hardware store. It obviously is not collapsible. It does offer the benefit of being kiln dried, standard diameter throughout and has a handy dandy metal end. It is a bit more of a pain to carry through heavy cover than the collapsible staffs. Another potentially viable option is the Simms wading staff. It is around $130. There has been a recent recall on the product due to its not engaging properly and causing fall potential. I am not a big fan of that. Based upon reviews it does not appear to assemble as quickly and easily as the other staffs. If I get to try one out in a store or in the field I will further review the Simms.
The Folstaf is $99.99 at Cabelas, item IK-311576. It has a cork handle that floats the staff should it become detached from your possession. The model tested has a regular cork end on the handle. There is an option for a compass or camera mount. These options do not appear to be able to be retro installed. It has a long nylon lanyard which attaches to your wading belt so you can let it drag behind you in the river when not in use and when not collapsed. The Folstaf has a leather carrying pouch the is open on the sides to drain water. I would be concerned about long term exposure of leather to water. Folds up to 9" long and opens and closes easily. This staff is made in the USA. It has a life time warranty for defective materials and workmanship subject to a mandatory $20 charge for return shipping. The interconnecting double bungee cord inside the staff is heavy and durable. It quickly assembles the staff. The staff itself is composed of aluminum sections and is very sturdy. When filled with water the cork handle in fact floats the staff.
The Zephr is $39.99 at Cabelas, item IK-317967. The maker/model is not identified on the website, however it is identified on the actual product. It has a cork handle that floats the staff should it become detached from your possession. It has a retractable coiled plastic bungee which attaches to your wading belt so you can let it drag behind you in the river when not in use and when not collapsed. The Zephr has a heavy duty nylon pouch that has metal grommets on the bottom for drainage. The staff folds up to 11" long and opens and closes easily. The staff is made in Pakistan. Warranty is not expressed on the packaging and online searches reveal nothing about the manufacturer. I would imagine you are left to your own skills in any needed repair. The interconnecting double bungee cord inside the staff is heavy and durable (though the Folstaf may be slightly thicker). It quickly assembles the staff. The staff itself is composed of aluminum sections and is very sturdy. When filled with water the cork handle in fact floats the staff.
The Spring Brook is $90 at Cabelas, item IK-317374 (note Bass Pro sells a similar unit for $60) . It has a foam grip that is supposed to float the staff. This will be addressed later. The lanyard attaches to the end of the staff. The carrying case is a lighter grade nylon and seems small and tight. The staff breaks down into fewer pieces, thus is 15" when collapsed and much bulkier to carry. The staff is made of graphite versus aluminum in the Zephr and Folstaf. The staff is generally lighter than the other two units, but it use the weight differences are hardly noticeable. What is noticeable is a major deflection along the length of the staff when applying pressure. It does not collapse and I don't think it was in jeopardy of breaking, but why deal with this deflection when the other units do not have this? Additionally the staffs foam handle appears to be cheaper, more open cell foam and likely to fail over time. The foam handle has a problem supporting the staff once the staff has been submerged in water for a period of time and begins to fill up. This could result in the staff dangling at your feet versus flowing behind you, plus it causes undue pull on your wading belt. It appears that the Springbrook is made in Canada though not indicated on the staff. The Springbrook website indicates that they are a manufacturer, importer, exporter and distributor. They do limited production of products and are exclusive distributors of Fishpond, etc in Canada. They also appear to be heavily involved in TFO. Given the lack of focus of the company, the marginal quality of the product and the superior products on the market, I cannot see a reason to purchase this staff.
Given this side by side comparison, the Zephr is the clear winner. It is very comparable to the Folstaf, yet costs 60% less. When factoring in the $20 service charge from Folstaf, one could buy three Zephr's thus the warranty issue is moot in my opinion. Frankly, I don't see where either of these staffs are going to fail, other than the possibility of the bungee cord coming loose inside the staff walls.
There are three other real contenders in the market. First is a tree limb found on the side of the river. This is of course free. It would be handy to carry some rope for lashing the stick to you. Wood floats so that is a win. Durability is not an issue as it is easily replaced. Deflection will depend greatly upon the diameter of the stick. Sticks in comparable diameter of the above wading staffs would likely have too much deflection for major stream crossings. The second is the JayL paint roller extension stick. This can be had for around $5 at your local hardware store. It obviously is not collapsible. It does offer the benefit of being kiln dried, standard diameter throughout and has a handy dandy metal end. It is a bit more of a pain to carry through heavy cover than the collapsible staffs. Another potentially viable option is the Simms wading staff. It is around $130. There has been a recent recall on the product due to its not engaging properly and causing fall potential. I am not a big fan of that. Based upon reviews it does not appear to assemble as quickly and easily as the other staffs. If I get to try one out in a store or in the field I will further review the Simms.
