Trekking Poles

[bdorsett]

Need some advice on trekking poles.
I do not know how important it is to have anti-shocks.
What about ones that you are unable to disengage for uphill climbs.
Cork handles verses Rubber.
Would like to stay under 100.00


Thanks!!

[Buffalo Skipper]

You will find that many of us have a great variety of feelings regarding trekking poles.

I have used both the anti-shock (Sojourn brand, $35.00 each) and the fixed (Black Diamond, $100/pair). I have found little difference between having anti-shock and not. So I can't be of much help there. I started with the Sojourns (still like them, bu they are heavier than the BDs), which have the angled cork grips. I tried my sister's Likis, which were very light and nice, but had straight, plastic handles, which I simply did not like. So when I was ready to upgrade, I chose the BD because they were the lightest ones I could find with angled cork grips.

I hammock camp, and I use a large tarp; I use the poles to make a "porch" in fair weather. I cannot imagine hiking without my Black Diamond trekking poles. They are among my favorite pieces of gear. The locks are easy to use, and it is very simple to strip down and clean, which must be done periodically. The Sojourns can also be field stripped, but are more complicated and contains additional parts which could be easily misplaced in the outdoors.

+1 on flip locks (non-anti-shock)
+1 on cork grips
+1 on angled grips (much more comfortable and natural to use)

[atmilkman]

PM Elder when you see him on here. He's the man. He's the Leki man. Depending on what you get and where under $100 is very possible.

[wwbriggs]

I really like my Titanium Goats. Very light and get the job done. Had a problem with a rubber stop in one of the handles and they told me to tell them what I needed or ship it back and they would send me a new one at no charge. Great customer service.--3.5oz(99 Grams) Each Without Baskets. Baskets Add .2oz(6
Grams) Each. http://www.rutalocura.com/trekking_poles.html
--Adjusts from 30 To 51 Inches(76 To 130cm)
--$145

[Doc Mike]

I got my current leki's on steap and cheap for 59$

[jeramie75]

I hold my Leki trekking poles as one of my most important pieces of gear. My preference is a non anti shock pole due to energy transfer when going uphill. I feel like the downward force i am applying in being absorbed in the spring rather than the ground and thus less efficient. That being said, on the downhills, an anti shock might be slightly more comfortable and forgiving. I just prefer a more "positive" feel with the pole. Locks; I know many folks have said the twist locks fail, but I have never had a problem with them. An occasional check is all that is ever needed. I really love the ergonomics of the lekis. I have found the slightly angled and curled top to be a functional when held like a cane. This offers some variety in hand position after several miles. Grip materials; I always wear a lightweight, fingerless cycling glove(read as delicate china doll hands). These come in handy for protecting the hands and add comfort at the end of the day. A lot poles are using an EVA foam type of grip which is softer to touch than rubber or cork but probably wont last as many yrs as the others. Still durable however.
What ever you go with will make an enormous difference in your hiking!

[Spokes]

I like the anti-shock feature on mine and believe it's prevented them from breaking on several occasions by providing just enough time to recover before snapping.

I prefer Leki's with compression locks and have two sets- Trail Antishock (love the soft rubber handles on these) (http://www.leki.com/trekking/trekkingPole.php?pID=57) and Teton (Super Makalu) AEROGON (http://www.leki.com/trekking/trekkingPole.php?pID=67)

Don't believe all the hype about adjusting your poles on the ups and downs- total non-sense. If you did that all day long you'd never get any hiking done!

Cheers!

[Doc Mike]

Don't believe all the hype about adjusting your poles on the ups and downs- total non-sense. If you did that all day long you'd never get any hiking done!

Cheers!
I compensate by using handle going up and palming the top of handle going down

[Spokes]

I compensate by using handle going up and palming the top of handle going down

Exactly Doc Mike. Adjusting the angle of the pole as you plant it with each step works too.

[bigcranky]

Really hated the anti-shock -- when I need to really plant a pole (like when I'm falling down), the anti-shock lets the tip bounce instead of dig in. And then my butt hits the ground. Again. And I carry the friggin poles to prevent that....

I swiped, er, borrowed my daughter's UL Lekis. They are only 135cm tall, but that's just enough for me, and they are about half the weight of my old Makalus.

[RevLee]

I avoid the anti-shock - it's extra weight, extra complexity, and an extra point of failure. My Leki's have looked like a pair of parentheses when saving me from a fall, but I've only broken one when it got pinned against a rock. I prefer the rubber handles over the cork. When using cork handles, they seemed a little slimy when sweating.

[Spokes]

Leki's have three different anti-shock systems. Some are static, some are adjustable, and some can be turned on/off.

Most people are unaware of that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnTqTFQ-wgU




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnTqTFQ-wgU&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Buying hiking poles is sorta like buying ice cream. Thank goodness there's an array of flavors for people with different tastes......

[Fredt4]

I hiked with both anti-shock and non anti-shock, it's hard to tell the different. The clip lock was well worth it because I used my poles for my poncho tarp and avoided the constant problem of the spinning locks. Cork handles are best. I never adjusted the poles for uphill, just adjusted my grip as noted in a previous post.

[Papa D]

I just got these new Black Diamond Poles - they are super light - they are called a Z-Pole - man, they are perfect for me - I like trekking poles but sometimes I don't - they fold up and strap slickly on my light pack - I did 40 miles with them this past weekend - I think that they retail for about $100 (I paid less 'cause I sort of get a hook-up on gear) - but they are really great. I thought that I was sort of "graduating" from poles but these sticks are going to go along with Papa D for a while.

[bflorac]

OK, I'll toss in my two cents. First, I have only owned one pair of anti-shock Leki poles and would not hike without them. I have played with a number of different poles and would be willing to part with the cash if I found a better pair. Now with me, I think I could give up on the ant-shock and going to carbon fiber would be nice and lighter but what I really like is the way my hand fits around the wrist strap. Going up, I can either grab the a handles or more often I let my hand slide down a bit till it is rested in the wrist strap. I find this very comfortable. On the way down. I then can flip the pole over and put the palm of my hand on the top of the pole for braking going down (saving my knees). I can make this flip from up to down with a quick twist of my wrist all while my hand is in the wrist strap. I have found no other set of poles that does this as well. Often the wrist straps are not strong enough for the support or are too short to allow me to "flip" over in them.

Just something to keep in mind...

[bdorsett]

Thanks for taking your time to help me out, learned alot.:)

[Buffalo Skipper]

I found this site some time back. It has a tremendous amount of excellent info, including videos.

http://www.adventurebuddies.net/

[Strategic]

I use Lekis as well, Super Makalu Ultralight Titanium with the Cor-tek grips (which is a cork composite material.) I tried anti-shock poles before these but just found them over complicated and heavy for no real gain that I could feel. The Cor-tek grips are a definite plus, since they actually do give you a bit of flex-padding for your hands but still have the stiffness to give a good grip. I'd also say go ahead and shoot for the upper end of your price range and get titanium poles to save the weight. After a full day of swinging those poles you'll be glad for every gram you shave off.

[max patch]

My advice is that you don't need the silly things.

[Grampie]

Buy Lekis. I have been using the same pair for 11 years. Parts are available at most outfitters along the AT. I have been to Trail Days several times since my thru. Leki has a repair service there and will clean and repair your poles free. I found that the rubber grips are effected by Deet. Deet turns the rubber soft. I have replaced the grips with the cork ones. Leki replaced them for me at Trail Days last year.

[Hosaphone]

Don't believe all the hype about adjusting your poles on the ups and downs- total non-sense. If you did that all day long you'd never get any hiking done!

I find adjusting on the ups/downs to be extremely useful, and it takes all of 30 seconds to do. But then I'm usually hiking in the Whites where you might have 3000+ feet to ascend/descend in one chunk. For the many little ups and downs I wouldn't bother though.

+1 to palming the top of the handle on the way down.

[garlic08]

If you're buying these for a thru hike, I'd recommend getting the lightest, simplest pole you can find. Consider the millions of times you're going to be lifting them up, just an inch or two, and placing them down, sometimes hard. Also consider the ramifications of a failure. Knowing that fantastic customer service is available is great, but when you need it and it's a four-day hike and another week of shipping away, it's a little aggravating.

If you're using them for shorter hikes, those concerns may be invalid for you.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

I don't hike without my poles. They are great knee, back and hip savers for me. Have kept me from busting my ass a few times too. As far as anti shock goes, not so sure either way about that. Adjusting for uphill versus downhill and or traversing.....like Spoke said..if you do that you'll spend all day adjusting the things.