Does anyone have a recommendation on trekking poles?
First time buyer.
Locus gear cp3 poles
Cheap and durable are the Outdoor Products poles that you can get at WalMart for 20 bucks.
I ordered a pair of these through amazon. The cork handles are good, but the straps are so-so. The locking mechanisms are solid. And, the anti-shock feature is useful for......not anti-shock.....
This feature is useful for the hiker to determine incorrect usage of the poles. If the anti-shock feature engages to its "bump stop" limit, then the poles are not being used correctly...or you are falling...which is merely improper hiking techinique...poles wont save you from a non-recoverable fall and you run the risk of impaling the broken pole into your body. This happens to downhill skiers in a crash more often than you think. Which is why, unless I am skiing backcountry or powder, I do not use the wrist straps. Its better in a bad fall to have your poles(and skis) well clear of you. Wrist straps prevent that from happening. And, if you use the straps improperly, you may experience a dislocation of your thumb from the wrist strap in a fall...
Go cheap to see if A. you really want/need them and; B. Judge the trade-off between price/durability/ and weight before you trade up to some carbon/graphite 200 buck poles...
The poles I bought were the PaceMaker Journey poles for 22 bucks on Amazon. I bought my trailpartner a pair of Hikker poles on Amazon for 20 bucks. I also own the OP poles mentioned above. All are sturdy and the locking mechanisms work well.
Your next step up will be in a composite material, for weight savings, most likely...
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
My personal favorite are my LEKI poles with speed locks. Also, LEKI's customer service is absolutely outstanding!
My first pair was from Walmart, did a good job, never had any problems, eventually bought a pair of Black Diamond, I like the soft edges on the handles.Originally Posted by ScareBear
+1 on the Pacer Poles.
+2 on Pacer Poles.
Been using the same pair for about 8 or 9 years now, will never go back to traditional poles.
+1 on both Leki poles and their customer service.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
I'm a fan of Gossamer Gear trekking poles. If you want really light poles, take a look. If you want to save $$, get the Walmart ones mentioned previously.
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I've been using Black Diamond poles for a number of years now, and love them. At least as sturdy as my old Leki's were, and a good deal less expensive.
Don't take anything I say seriously... I certainly don't.
I personally prefer a hiking stick that is about as tall as I am (useful on step downhill, large steps down, or rock hopping a creek). I also like to keep one hand free (for among other reasons, in cold weather it allows me to keep one hand in my pocket and alternate hands to keep them warm without having to hike with gloves).
So my personal favorite is a single long bamboo pole. Strong, light weight, and free if you can find a stand of bamboo in your area. (One good source is along public right-of-ways where there are public utilities. The utilities have to keep cutting down the bamboo to keep the equipment cleared for servicing, but they never cut so much that they haul it off. So you can frequently find some already cut bamboo in those areas).
All you have to do is cut the side shoots off, sand them down a little, put a chair leg cup/pad on the bottom of the pole and use a tennis racket wrap for where your hand will go. After that, you can get a little fancy. The thing I like to do is get a long piece of bamboo, and use the really small pieces to fill in the top of the stick like a Russian Doll (fit a piece of bamboo inside a piece of bamboo inside a piece of bamboo). I epoxy the pieces in place, and then simply sand the top of the pole to create a rounded top. Finish it off with a few coats of varnish.
Of course the down side is that you can't collapse a 6' bamboo pole to fit inside a back pack when hitching or going into town.
Last edited by HooKooDooKu; 05-23-2014 at 12:55.
Get the flick locks as opposed to the twists. Especially if you use them for your shelter.
Yes, this. So much better than twists... easier, and last a lot longer.
Don't take anything I say seriously... I certainly don't.
+1 again on this.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
+ another 1 on all of the above.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
I've had my Gossamer Gear LT4 poles for 5 years now and they are my favorite piece of gear. They're a sweet 4.1 oz. per pole.
perrito
684.4 down, 1507.6 to go.
"If a man speaks in the woods, and there is no woman there to hear, is he still wrong?"
Go to REI.com and look over their selection. Any of them will work fine. The guarantee rei has makes good place to buy online. I personally like Leki when I use hiking/trekking poles.
"Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges. Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!" (Rudyard Kipling)
From SunnyWalker, SOBO CDT hiker starting June 2014.
Please visit: SunnyWalker.Net
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