View Full Version : Cheap Treking Poles
Bags4266
06-02-2011, 18:04
I know there are a lot of cheap err umm, excuse me, frugal people here. I saw at Costco a set of treking poles for $25.00. They have cork handles and foam grips underneath for choking down on them. Also, they have the anti shock absorption thingy in them. There twist locks and made by a company called Synergy. Never heard of them and can't vouch for them but they looked nice and Costco has a good return policey.
Freedom Walker
06-02-2011, 18:12
Cheap poles are great to find out if they right for you. I am still using my $20 pair from Sports Authority.
Bags4266
06-02-2011, 18:50
Yea I have a pair from wally world that I use too.
Cheap poles can be dangerous. Do they say (like Walmarts) For Balance Only, will NOT support body weight?
There are reasons for the best poles (Leki's)
Strength, ease of use, durability and design are all factors.
Go to www.leki.com (http://www.leki.com) and click trekking.
And yes, I am the Leki Guy.
Sierra Echo
06-02-2011, 19:25
I use to use wally world poles and now I have leki poles. The difference is astronimical or however its spelled. Im too lazy to check the spelling. And hot. Its hotter then the bowels of Hell out there! :sun
Day Glow
06-02-2011, 19:46
Last year was my first hike... ever... 40 miles... we forgot and left our poles in the Jeep... I bought a set from REI for my 240 miles this year... I'll know in 6 weeks the difference between having no poles and having poles...
Blissful
06-02-2011, 23:33
After bending cheap poles on the first rocky downhill I go Leki all the way.
And animals like to chew on cork grips.
poles are good no matter the money spent my freind pickd herself up a pair of old school ski poles from a goodwill and they did her fine people also use sticks.. id say snag those poles up if you like them they wont hurt to give a go at.
I used a pair of the Outdoor Products Flick Lock poles for a while. Picked them up for $13 each and got 250+ miles of pretty hard use on them. For that amount I am not complaining and feel confident in suggesting them. Especially to those that are unsure if poles are for them or not.
However, they did start slipping and since I use a shelter that requires trekking poles to hold them up, I had to get some more poles that would hold up. This time I went with the Lekis (but will be picking up some of the GG LT4's down the road). This is the way I see it: In comparison, and in order for the Lekis to be the equivalent of the cheapo OP poles, I will need to get at least 1,250 miles out of them. For the amount that I spent on these poles, I could have bought 5 sets of the other poles, so I expect to get 5 times the miles out of the Lekis. Only time will tell...
As far as the poles themselves, the Lekis have a CorkLite grip which is ok, and the handles are tilted back 15 degrees to make for a more ergonomically fit. I honestly cannot tell a huge difference in the grips between the two sets. I do however like the straps on the Lekis better. They have more padding.
I will need to get at least 1,250 miles out of them. For the amount that I spent on these poles, I could have bought 5 sets of the other poles, so I expect to get 5 times the miles out of the Lekis. Only time will tell...
Lekis last much longer than that with a little care.
Take them apart and keep them dry whenever they get wet.
No lubrication of any kind.
Tips last 500-1000 miles YMMV and are easily replaced
Several Triple Crowners used the same sets..
You too can get a sticker collection from Trail Days!
The Leki Guy
10966
Lekis last much longer than that with a little care.
Take them apart and keep them dry whenever they get wet.
No lubrication of any kind.
Tips last 500-1000 miles YMMV and are easily replaced
Several Triple Crowners used the same sets..
You too can get a sticker collection from Trail Days!
The Leki Guy
10966
Good to know, thanks.
Also, that may be one reason why my OP poles lasted. Every time after I returned from a hike, I pulled the poles apart, cleaned them and let them dry out. I of course plan to do the same with the Leki's.
And a sticker collection sounds cool...who doesn't like stickers. :)
Bought a pair of Tubbs snowshoes, got free shipping ,and guess what else? Got Free poles! They are adjustable snowshoeing poles, I just take off the baskets, replace those with the plastic tips, and voila! Have hiked with them for over 500 miles, and I can even still put the baskets back on, and snowshoe with them.
pgustaf249
06-04-2011, 21:43
I was just about to ask for some trekking pole advice for a NuB when I saw this post, so I thought I'd just put my question here. I tried some poles at Sports Authority there in the aisle and found that, even new, they would not maintain the length I set; these had the twist lick. So I thought I should go with the flick lock poles, and now I've read above that they may even begin to lose their ability to maintain the length initially set. Is thee such a thing as a pole with a push button lock, like those aluminum walking canes? It seems something like that might be more likely to hold the set length and to support body weight rather than be just a balance tool.
This NuB would surely appreciate an opinion here.