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Any buddy use the XOP Hydros

B

Buck13pointer

New Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2022
Messages
6
Location
Georgia
Just wanted to see if anyone had any input on the XOP Hydro sticks after this past season. Been looking at them, the Hyperlite and the new Lattitude Synergy sticks.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
No experience with them but the Latitude sticks may be available before the Hydros come back in stock. They’ve been out of stock most of the season.
 
I had the hydros. The button is to low so you get a lot of flex in the top of the stick. They are also very noisy. They ring but the ting resonates like nothing I ever heard before. Straight up tuning fork so they will need lots of silencing.
 
Buck13pointer said:
Just wanted to see if anyone had any input on the XOP Hydro sticks after this past season. Been looking at them, the Hyperlite and the new Lattitude Synergy sticks.

Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...
I thought they were good. Not great.
I didn't have an issue with flex at 180#.

My biggest gripe was the attachment system. It's designed for the rope to be tied off with your right hand, which is opposite of what I've been doing for 15 years. Plus I could never seem to get them as tight as I'd like. I should've tried them with my daisy chains, but I didn't.

I sold the hydros and kept my 14" shikars. They weigh like 2 oz more, but they bite much better, and feel more durable.
Shikar go on sale often so they can be had at the same price, and are made in America.
 
For what it's worth, I really liked these sticks. I am a case study of 1 and haven't used every high end brand out there so take this for what it's worth.

To me, they are likely the best value to weight/height ratio out there with the included aiders. I'm about 160lbs and noticed minimal flex when stepping on them. They also bite to the tree really well and will stick to the tree on their own when loosening the rope after they are seated. They do have a distinct ting sound when they hit another metal object, but just being careful and moving slow when packing/unpacking has been enough to mitigate that for me. The aider isn't good or bad compared to others i've used, as long as you're careful to get your foot centered then climbing is quite easy.

Overall, these sticks had me almost completely give up 1 sticking this past season. I would pair two of them with my 1 stick w/ 3 step aider (so 3 sticks total, each with 3 step aiders) and can get about 20 ft.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Still trying to decide which ones I want to go with. Luckily i have a few months before I have to make a decision.
 
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