Trekking poles

[Gwilli]

I can't find a link either, but I was there this weekend and there were two full display boxes in the isle with camping gear, tents etc. I'll dig a little further when I get home and see if I can come up with a link.

[jeffmeh]

I am also in the flick-lock camp, having a Leki twist-lock fail on me on a summit in the Whites. I prefer cork, but I am fine with decent foam, and do not like hard plastic handles. If you overstress a carbon pole it can shatter. If you overstress an aluminum pole, then it MIGHT bend in a way that you can bend it back into shape, but even if you can that bend point is now weakened and is more likely to fail. You probably need to apply more stress to shatter the carbon than to bend the aluminum. Either works, and if price is a factor aluminum is the way to go.

[Don H]

If you change the pole length frequently like I do since I use them for tent poles the flip lock is the way to go.

I've seen carbon poles shatter but I've bent and been able to gently straighten aluminum poles enough to continue using them.

I don't care for anti-shock myself but my Black Diamond poles have them since that was all that was available at REI at the time.

[Starchild]

Some carbon is a gimmick, as heavy as AL. The real stuff is about 1/2 the weight but is more fragile. Its a trade off. I made it from GA to PA before having a non-critical break in a carbon pole. From that point on I had 2 critical breaks - one on a 8 hr + rescue of a injured hiker on Mt Washington over a boulder field (thank you REI for replacing them so willingly).

Snaplock is the way to go, twist lock is frustrating (but usable). Twistlock is troublesome with some tents that require treking poles as supports.

Antishock is nice, very nice, but IMHO not worth the weight. The shock is not 'damaging', but more forgiving.

Cork if you can get it, foam if you can't. Like asking for a sippy lid at Dunkin Donuts.

[TSWisla]

Thank you everyone for the advice, I went with these http://www.sierratradingpost.com/kom...colorFamily=99

[lemon b]

I have usd Komperdell. Not Carbon Fibe because any bow hunter knows that cracks. Also have a walmart job. But the best I've found is just a lucky find piece of wood cut down to fit my needs.

[rusty bumper]

I use Leki Trail poles...foam grips, not anti-shock. I think I paid around $75 in 2010. They've served me well and I'm very pleased with them.

[bfayer]

My two cents for what it is worth.

Antishock defeats the purpose for which I use hiking poles, and that is to transfer some of the load off my legs and feet to my arms to give me more stability and save my knees, especially on the down hills.

By the time the antishock has compressed, my legs have already absorbed the shock, so what is the point?

As for flick vs. twist, I am a big guys 6'3" 220 lbs, and I have yet to use a pair of twists that do not eventually slip on me under load. My son used twist locks for several years when he was younger, and never had a problem. He is 15 now and almost as tall as me, and now he finds his twist locks slip.

I guess if you don't put a lot of weight on your poles and just use them kind of like outriggers for a little stability, both antishock and twist lock are usable features. If you use them like I do, and you are my size, the advantages of flicklocks and no antishock are much more attractive.

As for carbon fiber, since I use my poles as weight bearing tools, I don't think CF is a good option, but that does not mean it's not a good option for others that weigh less or use the poles differently.

Have said all that, on all quality poles you can turn the antishock off, and the twist locks work acceptably well for most people. Just buy quality poles and they will be fine.

Oh, and I like cork, it doesn't seem to get as slippery in hot weather with sweaty hands. In colder weather it doesn't matter.

[Starchild]

As for carbon fiber, since I use my poles as weight bearing tools, I don't think CF is a good option, but that does not mean it's not a good option for others that weigh less or use the poles differently.

Want to comment on this as I also put great weight on my poles, sometimes suspending my entire weight on them for a moment, carbon works fine for this, the issue is not in compression (weight) but in bending (as in falling on them sideways).