Which Trekking Poles?

I just returned from a quick backpacking trip to Brady Lake. It's a very nice place but, sorry, no photos. It rained most of the time I was there.

On the hike down I borrowed a friends trekking poles for a time. I've never used them before and now I think I'm hooked. I need to buy my own. I carry a pretty heavy pack and I think they'll make a big difference.

Does anyone have recommendations for trekking poles? What should I look for when purchasing?

Thanks,

I think it all comes down to personal preference. I use a pair of BlackDiamond poles, I like the latching mechanism of the poles, better than the twist style. I've had mine for about three years, and have not had any issues.

I'll second Brad's vote for the Black Diamond poles - the latches are superior to everything else I've looked at. I bought my wife a pair for Christmas and she loves them.

I have Leki poles with the twist mechanism. It works fine, but the BD latch would be preferred. One good thing about Leki - when I bent the bottom section, they replaced it under the lifetime warranty.

I have REI poles (Peak UL), which I understand are made by Leki. They are twist to lock, and I think if I were to do it over again I'd prefer a latch type. I generally only use the poles for steeper up or downhill, slick or rough terrain, and for stream crossings. The rest of the time they are collapsed in my pack. I got the carbon fiber, which saves a little weight in the pack. I also think I might possibly look for a cork grip over the foam rubber if I ever get another pair. On mine, the foam on the top of the grips has worn a little and the tops of the poles are breaking through.

I love trekking poles. Can't stand hiking without them. I went the cheap route, and I've had some REI poles for almost 10 years now, and they've never failed me. They are beat up pretty good, but still work. It's possible that as Roger mentions, they are now made by Leki, but I believe the old ones I have were made by Komperdell. They are the twist-lock type, with shock absorbers. Since mine are 10 years old, I probably don't even have any business commenting here. I'm sure the whole world of trekking poles has changed since I bought mine.

I highly recommend poles with the Black Diamond Flick Lock latch. I've had several pairs (Atlas) of the twist lock poles and I've broken them. The twist locks can get gunked up by sand etc. and may slip/grind over time.

I've had both the Leki and Black Diamond and I prefer the flip locks of the BDs. Its kind of a similar debate you find in the tripod world between Manfrotto and Gitzo. Its really up to your personal preference. The same is true for shock absorbers. I prefer not to have any give in my poles, but that's just my preference once again.

Or, if you want to go the really cheap route, you can get the Swiss Gear poles at Wal-Mart for $10/each. I've had mine almost 4 years now and not a single problem - yet.

Just get ones that will hold your weight and more when you really lean on them. Of the three pairs I've got, all of them slip when I lean into them. Mine are not from Leki or BD.

Mel-

BD carbon fiber flip locks!!!

Mark, I recently purchased a pair of Komperdell Carbon Touring poles from REI Outlet. They have a flip-type locking mech. and weigh only 159g., unbelievably light. They're not cheep but quality is very high and strength good. Check REI online and see what they have on after season sales.
I found another great source is EMS. I do a lot of macro work and got some BD telekneesis knee pads from them and it was only 3-4 days for shipping.
Dave