Zpacks Carbon Fiber Staff

The Zpacks Carbon Fiber Staff is a single folding (Z-pole) staff built from carbon fiber, meant to be gripped with both hands for balance on rough or uneven ground rather than used as a pair of standard trekking poles. Its folding design packs down small compared with a fixed-length pole, which matters when it's competing for space with everything else in an ultralight pack. Beyond trail support, it's rated for shelter use and can prop up a Zpacks tent, so it does double duty for hikers who'd otherwise carry a pole and a separate tent support. It's sold as a single unit, so anyone wanting two poles for a conventional double-pole hiking rhythm needs to buy a second one; as a solo staff it suits stream crossings, scrambly sections and single-pole shelter pitches rather than sustained two-pole trekking.