Which trekking poles?
Equipment
Looking for suggestions for trekking poles to purchase for an Alaska caribou hunt. Thanks!
We have been using the Leki Micro Vario Carbon Trekking Poles with great success. Light, but very strong. They pack away nicely when needed to, like for flying out in a bush plane. Good luck on the hunt.
What’s the top priority? Weight? Cost? Durability?
As a rule, pick the two you want and the one you can live with; I would text them on the store to make sure that you are happy with the locking of the length adjustment, overall length, etc.
I’m short enough that most 3-section poles are longer than I need, so they must weigh more than I need them to, but I’m not sure that I could cut them down.
Just don’t cut them too short to pitch your tarp if you use them that way....
Omg buddy snapped his rei aluminum pole this year when he lost his balance and put too much pressure on it. It snapped easily. I was really surprised.
They have these on Camofire for $59.99. Thoughts?
I've had the Cascade Costco ones for a couple years but have broken the bottom section twice now. I'm interested in the Sissy Stix which have an aluminum lower piece and the rest is carbon fiber
I bought the Camofire ones last week but haven’t used them yet.
within the last month there was a thread with an extensive discussion on trekking poles...but likely gone already....
Have the camofire crest . Excellent in my opinion. Have helped pack two elk this year and they are really helpful when loaded and going up and down hill. Tripped once and had to put entire weight on one pole while loaded with meat. It didn't snap.
I hiked the Adirondack 46 high peaks and used EMS brand poles. Never regretted the choice because of their lifetime guarantee. I broke different parts several times...took them back and they replaced the broken parts every time. Not sure if they still do.
Hard to beat the cascade mountain carbon poles from Costco. Mine have been out west twice and packed a lot of bone in and bone out deer with gear, here in WV. They aren’t flashy or the cool choice. But, they’ve worked great for me. $35 too
Is EMS still in business??
REI is no longer as accommodating as they used to be when it comes to equipment which has been abused and broken. Can’t say as I blame them, and I say that as a guy who worked there part time for 3 or 4 years.
Too many people treat good customer service policies as a get out of jail free card for being stupid. If you use it hard or abuse it, sooner or later it’s going to wear out or break. Those people probably return knives when they get dull, too…
And FWIW....
They’re just a couple of sticks. Not much more to it than that....
I have these. They're amazing. I've fallen on them a couple times and not broken them (although I only weigh 155 lbs) and it's amazing how small of a cinch sack they fit into. They're expensive, but they're top of the line and if you're counting ounces for a sheep hunt or a hunt out of a cub, these are the ones you want.
I have Black Diamond Alpine FLZ poles. They’re aluminum. I prefer that for strength. I also prefer lever locks over twist locks. Twist locks slip and eventually they are the weak link of a set of poles. The Z poles, as opposed to telescoping ones, break down small enough to fit inside my say pack. Telescopic poles have to be lashed on the outside. Look for those features and you’ll be fine with most brands. I also like the cork grips. As with lots of products you get great customer service if you spend a little more money and the same can be said for Black Diamond. I have a set of Eastons too and they have shock absorbers built into the grips which is nice. I picked those up from Camofire. Everyone knows trekking poles are great for pack loads but I like them just as much for hiking uphill. They take some of the work off of your legs.
Got the Cascade brand off of Amazon....44 bucks.... I weigh 220 and use them HARD as in "Pole vaulting" across a creek with a pack on...they are great...
Great info Mule about them breaking down to fit in the pack. Thanks everyone! John
Get carbon poles. I have some Easton aluminum ones that have served me well for 4-5 seasons, but the bottom section is a twist lock and they are starting to wear out. Also, if you clank the metal poles together it's a really unnatural sound, I think it spooks the critters.
I would agree that twist-to-lock is inferior; I can’t foresee a wear issue with levers, but the twist-locks all seem to have weaknesses...
Just whatever you do, pick up some spare pole tips before you go.... Kinda sucks when they fall off.
Use Thread Lok so that doesn’t happen. You can still get them out if you want to.
