Line rating typically does not have to do with the strength of the rod, but stiffness. A lower line rating will be more flexible. If you are fishing for small fish, you need that flexibility to fling out really light lures. With a stiff rod it is difficult to fling out the smallest lures.

If you want a stiffer rod, then a cheap telescoping rod might work fine.

When I was looking to replace my section pole (I lost the top section :(), my thinking was similar to yours: all of the telescoping poles are cheap pieces of junk. I did however find a high end telescoping pole and ended up buying it. I'm not the world's expert on fishing but I think it is a nice rod. It is made by a German company: Balzar. A fishing shop in Pennsylvania importants them and sell in the US: http://www.psfishing.com/

Most of the rods are pretty long, but I was able to find a couple that are more appropriate for backpacking. The one I got is just over 6 feet and I think they might have a a couple that are even smaller.