Which brand trekking poles to buy?

I'm tired of my Wal-Mart poles falling apart and the grips and straps rubbing my hands raw. I looked at some Leki poles the other day, but haven't had a chance to look at Black Diamond or other brand poles.

I've read a few reviews of folks that thought the Leki locking mechanisms weren't as good as the BD's, however it seemed that no one on the trail (AT) had the BD poles, most all had Leki brand.

I'm looking at the Leki Thermolite Aergon XL poles. They seemed really comfortable, light and of good quality. Can you talk me into buying another brand/pole?

Thank you,

Nitrosteel

I am just starting to look myself, and I may be sold on the bd's the carbon stuff shock absortion in some of their poles won't have that click clack click clack... And their supposed to be stronger which I don't know will matter when I double them up for my tent pole...
At least some of them have an elipticle design which give them more fore and aft strength , but does that weaken side to side strength?
Are they heavier? I do not know?
At least according to dude I called at the outfitters the twist adj. ones are more prone to fail get jammed have to be cleaned or is easier to break but never heard of one breaking but I haven't seen one in 9 years either. BD's adjuster is supposed to be easisier to adj. in cold, quicker...
Maybe someone can clear this up for us..

I'd suggest getting the lightest solid carbon fiber poles you can find. Shock absorbtion is completely un-needed with carbon. Too bad Luxurylite doesn't make their regular poles anymore, I really like mine . . .

I really like my Tracks.

http://www.trackspoles.com/

Mine is the Sherlock model. They have had a lot of hard use and are still as good as new except for some minor scratches. The rubber tips screw on very solid and can be removed if one prefers to use the spike (as in icy conditions). To tops remove to allow for camera attachment. They are very adjustable and sturdy. I don't know how they compare weight wise but I like mine. I have two of them.

Howie

Howie

I would recommend Leki because of their excellent customer service. Due to hard use, not workmanship, I have had two poles fail. They were immediately replaced by Leki through the mail. No questions asked.
You will not believe how light, yet strong, carbon fiber poles are. Newer versions do come in adjustable lengths, but most are fixed length and without hand straps or loops. (Gossamer Gear, Titanium Goat) The tips can be replaced with Leki parts, if necessary.
Spring loaded poles do take stress off the arms to help reliveve tennis elbow which can occur rarely. The spring loaded pole are heavier than those without.

"At least some of them have an elipticle design which give them more fore and aft strength , but does that weaken side to side strength?
Are they heavier? I do not know?"
Recently I had to redeem an already expired gift voucher, so I purchased a pair of BD Contour Carbon. Only the top section is CF, they are elliptical.
I tested those against my BD Approach now about 7 to 9 years old . The new ones are lighter and stronger in every direction.
They also have a double flick lock, very easy to use and never failed on my Approach version.
Just in case, this is the way poles should be used.Note in particular the use of the strap.
http://www.alpkit.com/support/products/how-to-use-trekking-poles
Franco

I also have a pair of the BD Contour Carbons and they are fine poles.

However I recently bought a pair of Gossamer Gear Lite Trek 4's and they are far superior to any I have used. They are so light the swing weight is just amazing. I love the fake cork grips and they locking mech. has never failed. I have only had them for a couple months but have used them hard. A bit more expensive than many other but well worth it IMO.

Ed

+1

I post about my Lightrek 4s from time to time in other forums and usually am immediately dismissed because they don't have straps and "carbon fiber snaps easy" - what no one seems to understand, and rightly so because they haven't tried them, is that a pole that weighs 3.5 oz feels a LOT different than even lightweight metal poles. I had some Komperdell poles that weighed 8 oz apiece and thought I had light poles; the GG poles feel like nothing, like an extension of my arm, and the twist locks are different than the Komperdells (which after a year of heavy use failed). I could not find parts or instructions or any way to get Komperdell to fix their twist locks; GG sends a little bag of parts with the poles, and I have no doubt based on my experience of their customer service that they would fix the poles for a small fee. (I recently sent back my Mariposa Plus to be retrofitted with the new aluminum stay; you tell me what major pack mfr would do this for twenty five bucks.)

So yes, I am totally sold on the GG poles, despite the lack of straps that I thought I would miss. I was one of those annoying people who insist the straps are necessary. Not anymore.

Another vote for the Light Trek 4s. Here's my video review of them:

http://jasonklass.blogspot.com/2009/01/gossamer-gear-light-trek-4-trekking.html

They're the best poles I've ever used, hands down.

I’ve been loving my Lightrek 3’s. Most adjustable-pole hikers set their length and never touch it again for the whole trip. Thus fixed-length is simple and light (2.5oz!). I’ve been using Lightreks for about 5 years.

There is no forearm fatigue and hand swelling is totally eliminated.
Good luck in your choice
-Barry

I find that I like them at different lengths going up than I do going down, therefore the fixed lengths would not work for me. I have been using a $10..00 trekking pole from wal-mart (two of them) for around four years and they seem to be holding up pretty well. They are sort of an extra "perk" for me. An insurance policy if you will...sabre11004...

I can vouch for the BD flicklock mechanism being easy to use and stout. I have a pair of BD poles for backcountry skiing, and use the adjustments pretty often, with varying types of handwear. I also like them as a tent pole. I use them to support my MSR twin peaks , and the fact that they adjust without twisting makes it easy to tighten up the roof from the inside by jacking up the poles a little bit.

I have Leki poles now. I like the twist lock better than my old BD flicklocks. THe twistlocks are very sound. The lekis are not ultralight, but I use them alot and they are solidly built.

Just after I bought a pair of Leki Carbonlite poles on sale, Gossamer Gear announced that they were going to put out a version of the Lightrek 4 poles with straps. They are now on the market, although the regular size is currently out of stock.

I have to have the straps--I put a lot of weight on my poles at times, and gripping the pole to do so (instead of putting my weight on the strap) aggravates my carpal tunnel syndrome.

I don't really want to buy another set of poles to save 5 ounces, having already spent too much money to save 11 oz. on my tent and 8 oz. on my sleeping pad. I'll therefore stick with the Lekis for a while. I've used Lekis since 1989 (back then it was a single adjustable walking stick) and been very happy with them (I still use my heavier 5-year-old Leki Makalu poles for exercise walking and conditioning hikes). At some point, though, I'm sure I'll end up with the Gossamer Gear poles.

After a year's hiatus, Titanium Goat has their Adjustable Goat poles back in stock. They come with or without straps.

Fixed length doesn't work for me, either--I need 105 cm. for hiking, but my shelters require 110 to 125 cm.

While researching poles last fall (looking for lighter poles than the 18-oz. Leki Makalus), I found that Black Diamond poles, even the carbon fiber ones, are definitely heavier. I also had a lot of problems working the flicklocks on the ones I tried in the store. Probably not a problem for those with more strength in their fingers than I have!