My New Favorite Trekking Poles 2021 (Black Diamond Alpine Carbon vs Leki Micro Vario vs Zpacks UL)
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Date: 2021-02-04
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Comments and reviews: 9
Huntarama
I have never really understood trekking poles The time when your knees really take a hammering is down hill and this is when trekking poles are most useless. Would people use them if you didnt need them for your tent. Sounds like an expensive tent pole. One trick I have picked up over the years is to tighten your shoulder straps going down hill or undo your waist to take the weight off your hips and put another shock absorber between the pack and your knees.
I may be committing backpacking heresy but their isn't a lot of medical reasons for trekking poles most of the articles in support of trekking poles are produced by outdoors company's.
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I have never really understood trekking poles The time when your knees really take a hammering is down hill and this is when trekking poles are most useless. Would people use them if you didnt need them for your tent. Sounds like an expensive tent pole. One trick I have picked up over the years is to tighten your shoulder straps going down hill or undo your waist to take the weight off your hips and put another shock absorber between the pack and your knees.
I may be committing backpacking heresy but their isn't a lot of medical reasons for trekking poles most of the articles in support of trekking poles are produced by outdoors company's.
reply
Peter
I got some Ozark trekking poles from Walmart for 20.
I had never used any poles before and as big dude I suspected they would be too flimsy and I d break them in no time, hence the budget pair from Walmart.
Anyway, that was 4 years ago and they are still going strong.
They are heavy compared to others (my wife has the black diamond carbons) and I m not fond of the hard plastic grip but the durability at that price point has been awesome.
For the price and durability, I d have another pair without hesitation.
reply
I got some Ozark trekking poles from Walmart for 20.
I had never used any poles before and as big dude I suspected they would be too flimsy and I d break them in no time, hence the budget pair from Walmart.
Anyway, that was 4 years ago and they are still going strong.
They are heavy compared to others (my wife has the black diamond carbons) and I m not fond of the hard plastic grip but the durability at that price point has been awesome.
For the price and durability, I d have another pair without hesitation.
reply
Mike
My favorite trekking pole is a 1 inch diameter rake handle I bought at Home depot for 6 and I cut it down to 45 inches long. It handles all the basic needs of stability going down hill and using my arms to pull up when going up hill. I call it my Dog Stick because it is a great defensive barrier for dogs that have teeth. The Japanese call it a Jo Staff and it's used as a weapon with striking techniques similar to a Samaria Sword. I practice my spins while walking. Great stick.
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My favorite trekking pole is a 1 inch diameter rake handle I bought at Home depot for 6 and I cut it down to 45 inches long. It handles all the basic needs of stability going down hill and using my arms to pull up when going up hill. I call it my Dog Stick because it is a great defensive barrier for dogs that have teeth. The Japanese call it a Jo Staff and it's used as a weapon with striking techniques similar to a Samaria Sword. I practice my spins while walking. Great stick.
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Me
I have a pair of the REI brand Traverse 7075-T6 poles with cork grips. They weigh 10. 2 oz. each with the hand loop attached. The loop can be removed. My only issue with them is that one of them slips on the bottom extension, unless you extend it nearly all the way. Fully extended they are 140 cm. They do have the plastic locks, but so far the locks have held up well over the past year. I m planning to use them when I section hike the TN portion of the AT in June.
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I have a pair of the REI brand Traverse 7075-T6 poles with cork grips. They weigh 10. 2 oz. each with the hand loop attached. The loop can be removed. My only issue with them is that one of them slips on the bottom extension, unless you extend it nearly all the way. Fully extended they are 140 cm. They do have the plastic locks, but so far the locks have held up well over the past year. I m planning to use them when I section hike the TN portion of the AT in June.
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Michael
I have the Cascade Mountain carbon poles with cork and I have beat the snot out of them. I did replace the flick lock nuts with some lighter aluminum RC racing wheel nuts, but that was preference rather than failure driven. I'm not a little guy and I have bad knees so they take a beating. I looked at the BD and Leki so many times and could never justify the price difference. I would really like try the new CNOCs but again the price any my CMs just keep going.
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I have the Cascade Mountain carbon poles with cork and I have beat the snot out of them. I did replace the flick lock nuts with some lighter aluminum RC racing wheel nuts, but that was preference rather than failure driven. I'm not a little guy and I have bad knees so they take a beating. I looked at the BD and Leki so many times and could never justify the price difference. I would really like try the new CNOCs but again the price any my CMs just keep going.
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Jacob
The Zpacks were my first trekking poles, and I used them last summer. Very light, like them a lot. I do understand the vibration comment. They have a distinctly hollow feel, and an end to end flex. I don't have a history of poles to compare them to, so I assumed this was par for the course at this weight class. Also recently got a pair of BD distance carbon fixed length poles at a mind boggling 95g per pole. Going to test these with a fastpack kit this year.
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The Zpacks were my first trekking poles, and I used them last summer. Very light, like them a lot. I do understand the vibration comment. They have a distinctly hollow feel, and an end to end flex. I don't have a history of poles to compare them to, so I assumed this was par for the course at this weight class. Also recently got a pair of BD distance carbon fixed length poles at a mind boggling 95g per pole. Going to test these with a fastpack kit this year.
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Alice
The 20. 00 Trekking Poles from Target have been working fine for me. That said, I'd prefer cork hand grips also. I never put full body weight on them.
Less wear and tear on the joints, more energy and free standing supports for my Poncho Tarp, Trekking poles are a necessity, not an option for me.
Although spastic at first, I've even used them with Ranger pace count beads, which are of limited use to me, but do have some application.
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The 20. 00 Trekking Poles from Target have been working fine for me. That said, I'd prefer cork hand grips also. I never put full body weight on them.
Less wear and tear on the joints, more energy and free standing supports for my Poncho Tarp, Trekking poles are a necessity, not an option for me.
Although spastic at first, I've even used them with Ranger pace count beads, which are of limited use to me, but do have some application.
reply
Hiker
I wrap my handles in Hockey Stick Tape and replace it every once in a while. It comes in a rainbow of colors. I know those clamp lock hold better but I prefer the streamline of the internal cam-locks of my Leki Makalu Tour. Ive had these for 13 years and just replaced the tips last year. Ive never wished I had lighter poles so haven't tried any. These are probably the heaviest poles on the PCT LOL
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I wrap my handles in Hockey Stick Tape and replace it every once in a while. It comes in a rainbow of colors. I know those clamp lock hold better but I prefer the streamline of the internal cam-locks of my Leki Makalu Tour. Ive had these for 13 years and just replaced the tips last year. Ive never wished I had lighter poles so haven't tried any. These are probably the heaviest poles on the PCT LOL
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David
Been using a set of cheap Chinese poles for quite a while but recently bought the Cascade Mtn aluminum poles to try out. I hate them! No matter how much I crank down the levers they vibrate and rattle when they hit the ground. The cheaper Chinese ones don't, so this is what I'll continue to use. Maybe I'll keep the CMT ones in the truck as a backup - but not for everyday use!
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Been using a set of cheap Chinese poles for quite a while but recently bought the Cascade Mtn aluminum poles to try out. I hate them! No matter how much I crank down the levers they vibrate and rattle when they hit the ground. The cheaper Chinese ones don't, so this is what I'll continue to use. Maybe I'll keep the CMT ones in the truck as a backup - but not for everyday use!
reply
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