How to choose trekking poles?

[mainebob]

I have used several brands and styles of poles, for the price you can not beat the Cascade mountain tech-c quick lock poles. Andrew Skurka has a great review http://andrewskurka.com/2015/cascade...-poles-review/ and long term review that addresses the tip replacement issue http://andrewskurka.com/2015/long-te...ck-lock-poles/ I always liked cork grips but I have found I like the foam grips on these poles better. I also think the carbon are stronger, I have had them tolerate stress that I know would have bent or broken an aluminium pole.

[saltysack]

I like my $100 pair of Black Diamonds, but the differences between a $20 pair and a $100 pair is relatively minimal.

Flick-locks are definitely the better design in my experience.

I think the consensus is that the antishock features are a gimmick. I have two pairs of poles, one has them one doesn't, if For some reason I needed to buy a new set, I would buy one without the feature.

Rubber tips seem to also be another gimmick, the carbide tips are much more trustworthy in my experience.

Most expensive poles have 3 main handle options, rubber, cork, or dense foam. I like the dense foam the best, most people seem to prefer the cork, nobody seems to love the rubber ones.

I use aluminum and don't trust carbon fiber. I simply abuse my poles too much banging or rubbing them into things to trust anything short of metal. Someone will likely chime in to disagree with me on this and their opinions will probably be just as valid.

There are only minor differences between Leki and Black Diamond and both are top notch. Personally I prefer Black Diamon poles, so lkng as they are the standard or light strength models (stay away from their "ultralight" models). Leki supposedly has better customer service. I like to joke that Leki owners say "Lekis are great, when my poles broke the company fixed them for free." and Black Diamond owners say "Black Diamond poles are great, I have no idea how their customer service is because the poles never break."

Well I'll know first hand BD customer service is GREAT! My first set as u warned against were the UL carbon zpoles...snapped after 2-3 uses....called BD they asked what my main use was when I said what the hell else you use these for they laughed....z poles are for trail running with out a pack or any arse.....I'm 210lbs.....too heavy for those....they recommended the carbon cork w straight handle...a few days later new carbon cork with curved handle arrived so I called them they said merry xmas keep them and sent me another set free with straight handle.........I've beat the he'll out of the alpine carbon corks without ever an issue...I beat them on trees etc when night hiking to make sure I don't surprise any bears...I've never even adjusted the flick locks...I've had them several years....without an issue...


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[cmoulder]

This is an example of how there's no accounting for individual preferences, styles and usage habits. Which is to say, the spectrum runs from folks who are hard on equipment to folks who could get 10,000 miles of satisfactory usage from a pair of spaghetti noodles.

[Pax]

Love my Black Diamonds. Aluminum, flick locks, and the angled grips are a slice of heaven on my wrists!

[jjozgrunt]

I'm a Helinox user, good strong, aluminium with flick locks. Heaps of models including set lengths.

[Sandy of PA]

I had Black Diamond Aluminum Z-poles that self destructed after 100 miles in the rain. They would not fold and if you got them unfolded they would not lock into place. I used duck tape to make them work for another 300 miles and dropped them in the garbage on the way to the train home. I am quit happy with the flick locks that replaced them. Also their rubber tips are only good for about a hundred miles, so I use the carbide and poke holes in the trail and scratch the rocks.

[colorado_rob]

I had Black Diamond Aluminum Z-poles that self destructed after 100 miles in the rain. They would not fold and if you got them unfolded they would not lock into place. I used duck tape to make them work for another 300 miles and dropped them in the garbage on the way to the train home.

Very weird. I've owned a pair of BD aluminum zpoles for 3-4 years now, used them in rain, snow, wind-blown sand, whatever, never had any problems whatsoever. What could rain possibly do to make them fail??? There simply is no mechanism for rain to make these fail. They must have been simply flawed in manufacture. My wife's carbon version are going strong after 5 years or so (but I broke my original carbon ones, REI of course gave me a refund which I used to buy the aluminum ones).

[Sandy of PA]

I started with a week of rain, when I went to fold them they would not come apart. The aluminum had oxidized inside. With help I got them apart, dried them but then they wouldn't stay open. This would not be a problem with CARBON ones.

[colorado_rob]

I started with a week of rain, when I went to fold them they would not come apart. The aluminum had oxidized inside. With help I got them apart, dried them but then they wouldn't stay open. This would not be a problem with CARBON ones.

Aluminum does not oxidize in rain. There had to be another flaw to the poles, generally a rare thing with Black diamond. Wherever you bought them would have surely replaced them, but like you, if I had this problem, I would have pitched them in a trash can myself. Sorry you had this problem in any case.

[Kookork]

Aluminum does not oxidize in rain. There had to be another flaw to the poles, generally a rare thing with Black diamond. Wherever you bought them would have surely replaced them, but like you, if I had this problem, I would have pitched them in a trash can myself. Sorry you had this problem in any case.

Aluminum oxide, Al2O3, forms a stable passive layer that protects aluminum from corrosion or further oxidation. This layer is about 4 nm thick and will provide corrosion protection as long as this oxide layer is stable.

[MuddyWaters]

I would expect the unanodized internal tube surface simply corroded a bit with prolonged moisture contact. Most definitely can happen. I had to clean mine up a bit once after put away for a few weeks with water trapped inside after used upside down for shelter support. Plus side, a rougher surface helps not to slip, whether flick or twistlok

[colorado_rob]

You guys are quite simply wrong; I've never, ever had any aluminum gear oxidize in the rain; sure, over a long time some very thin oxidation can occur on Aluminum, but certainly not immediately on a pair of aluminum trekking poles. Just doesn't happen like that. 7075-T6 aluminum is an alloy used everywhere in wet conditions.

Tent poles, backpack frames, pots, tons of aluminum stuff out there, never ever seen it corroded.

Show me a piece of aluminum gear, relatively new with oxidation on it and I'll eat a big plate of crow.

[MuddyWaters]

You guys are quite simply wrong; I've never, ever had any aluminum gear oxidize in the rain; sure, over a long time some very thin oxidation can occur on Aluminum, but certainly not immediately on a pair of aluminum trekking poles. Just doesn't happen like that. 7075-T6 aluminum is an alloy used everywhere in wet conditions.

Tent poles, backpack frames, pots, tons of aluminum stuff out there, never ever seen it corroded.

Show me a piece of aluminum gear, relatively new with oxidation on it and I'll eat a big plate of crow.

Google aluminum crevice corrosion.

Water stain its frequently called, but its surface corrosion due to water trapped between layers of aluminum, exposed to air. Its superficial modtly, but were talking about parts that slide together with tight clearance and surface finish counts for being able to do that easily.

If you were to wipe it off a smudge of wet dark grey oxide would wipe off

[Kookork]

You guys are quite simply wrong; I've never, ever had any aluminum gear oxidize in the rain; sure, over a long time some very thin oxidation can occur on Aluminum, but certainly not immediately on a pair of aluminum trekking poles. Just doesn't happen like that. 7075-T6 aluminum is an alloy used everywhere in wet conditions.

Tent poles, backpack frames, pots, tons of aluminum stuff out there, never ever seen it corroded.


Show me a piece of aluminum gear, relatively new with oxidation on it and I'll eat a big plate of crow.

Aluminum oxidize but does not corrode. Because the first layer of oxidized aluminum prevents the progression of oxidization. ( so called 4 Nano meter thick that is invisible to naked eye). So you don't need to eat a big plate of crow, but if you persist then I am not gonna object if you eat a big plate of home made Apple pie!!.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I have definitely experienced minor oxidation issues with my older set of poles bought in 2009. I will emphasize the word minor, I just rubbed them down with rubbing alcohol when I got home and there was no further issue

A quick search of the WB archives comes up with a couple of theads reporting similar issues:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...trekking-poles

My newer ones don't have so much as a speck of oxidation on them, so I wonder if this is something that has been resolved in recent years.

[theinfamousj]

Sorry to distract from the discussion of oxidation, but I wanted to chime in with a other pole option that isn't frequently considered: children's poles.

I have a set of REI Kids Poles that work really well for someone smol (as the kids say) like me. The tips are broad like rubber ones, but aren't rubber. They aren't terribly tall because they are made for kiddos, and when I pitch my The One tent (my only tarp tent) with them, I have to extend them somehow.

But they are light. So light. Because children.

And the grips are small which matters for my little hands. Because children.

So do not despair, petite people of the world! For there are options for is in robust yet lighter poles than the "Average Sized" people get to use! And like everything else, we just have to look in the kids section.

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[soumodeler]

I put up my Leki Corklites after using them for 3 weeks and forgot to dry them. 8 months later they were stuck together and had to be forced apart. They had corroded so bad it took 3 people to open each pair. I cleaned them as best I could but they still will get stuck after a few weeks closed. Not as bad as the first time but still annoying.

[colorado_rob]

Sorry to distract the thread with this bickering about "oxidation", I'll shut up right after I say I think people confuse "oxidation" with dirt. Poles are magnets for dirt/dust, add in moisture and let the dust/water dry out, voila, dried glue. 4 nanometers of Al2O3... invisible, yet apparently not to everyone.

[Sandy of PA]

Whatever you want to call the grey gunky stuff, it rendered the poles worthless!

[soumodeler]

Never seen white dirt before that magically grows...