Carbon fiber hiking poles

[maxNcathy]

Has anyone experience with switching from heavier to ultra light hiking poles? Was it worth the money?

My Komperdell aluminum poles weigh 9 oz each.I see Gossamer Gear sell poles for $130. weighing 2.4 oz. per pole.
Do you think it would be a waste of money to get lighter poles than I have now?

Thanks for your opinion,

Sandalwood

[Wolfpaw]

some of the ultra lite poles are much lighter, but for a thru hike you may want to go a little heavier unless you're prepared to replace shafts. peace paw

[EWS]

There are quite a few people who use them, as well as reviews, over at backpackinglight.com

[take-a-knee]

A lot of people had problems with those Gossamer Gear poles, like a lot of their other stuff, "Too light to be of any use". Someone posted a while back about some UL poles made by Titanium Goat that they liked a lot.

[Egads]

The Gossamer Gear CF treking poles are really sweet. Sure they can be broken, if you wedge a tip in rocks and then bend them. But they have taken all the compression that I have given them.

I have not had any problems with any of their gear, including 2 packs, treking poles, dryducks, stakes, & bear bag cord. YMMV,

Egads

[Peaks]

Carbon Fiber is used a lot in upper end road bike frames and components. However, it's not recommended for touring bikes because when it breaks, it breaks. No bending back into shape.

I would expect that the same would be true for trekking poles.

[maxNcathy]

I wonder if pole weight has much to do with fatigue...ie in this case lifting and extra 6+oz with each arm each step of the way all day??

[Christopher Robin]

I just this afternoon was looking at lighter hiking poles, check out: www.trailgeartradingpost.com (http://www.trailgeartradingpost.com)

[Tinker]

Carbon fiber can come in many types of weaves, which can be woven into few or many layers. More layers of tighter weave cloth make things strong (canoes being something I know about). The thing about carbon fiber, as well as other resin-impregnated cloth lay-ups is that deep scratches can be the beginnings of a stress raiser, the point at which fractures begin. Aluminum is more resistant to scratching, which makes it more trustworthy once the miles add up. Carbon fiber is fine if you inspect it carefully for gouges after a fall, and you can order replacements for broken poles (of any type) when you get to town. I'm pretty heavy, so I feel better about using aluminum poles.

[ChinMusic]

I wonder if pole weight has much to do with fatigue...ie in this case lifting and extra 6+oz with each arm each step of the way all day??
I think this may be more important for someone like yourself (basing this on photo). Have you had "tired arms" with the heavier poles?

I have had friends break carbon poles and one got fibers jammed into his hand. For me, and I'm pretty rough on poles, I will stick with the metal ones. I prefer the Black Diamond ones due to their ability to be adjusted easier. I have found the Lekis to be a pain trying to get them to lock.

[Smile]

I agree, the locking mechanisms can be a pain, nothing worse than putting weight on a pole half way up a gnarly climb and having the lock collapse :)

[Rambler]

Gossamer Gear improved their poles. The tip on earlier models were somewhat fragile. They use Leki compatible tips now. Once you start using them, you might not notice much difference until you go back to your old poles. Believe it or not, your other poles will feel a lot heavier. Because of the fixed length, they are not as easy if you use them to hold up tarps, but you just learn to tie knots lower on the shafts, and they work well. Over a long hike you will be swinging a lot less weight.

[ChinMusic]

Because of the fixed length, ....
I never could understand why someone would want a pole with a FIXED length. I like to lengthen my poles on extended downhills and shorten them for extended uphills. I do not find the extended grips to be sufficient for this. YMMV

[jimh]

I've used both aluminum and carbon fiber and the Gossamer Gear CF are BY FAR the best choice. Never have I comer close to breaking one and they are super light. I could never go back.

[Flush2wice]

$130 for a stick?? I'm in the wrong business.