trekking poles

[QiWiz]

I like the poles that Gossamer Gear makes. The two-part version works well for me in the Soloplex (full pole in front, half pole in back). Very light.

[LazyLightning]

I've only tried Fizan and Black Diamond. The Fizan were super light but it wasn't long before they started slipping. I actually tightened and then screwed them together so they are no longer adjustable. Then I tried the Black Diamond shock poles and the shocks wore down and failed on the first or second hike, so they replaced with the regular non shock version. It's probably important to note that I use my poles very heavily. The Black Diamonds did the AT and a lot more with me, the only time I noticed slipping is if the lock got loose, been very impressed with how strong they are. I replaced the tips several times and had to replace the bottom section a couple but that was my fault, I let the tips wear down so much that it wore into the bottom section and new tips wouldn't work. I beat the crap out of these poles, I'm always tossing stuff off trail with them and using them to chop prickers ect. quick when I don't feel like pulling the saw out.

I'm sure there are many just as good but that's all I've used and very impressed with Black Diamond.

[DuctTape]

TrailBuddy on Amazon. They have cork style handles and clips for adjustments, vs the telescoping style that's more likely to fail.

[One Half]

Zpacks poles weigh about 14oz/pair, maybe a little more robust than the 8-10oz options.

The uberlight poles are definitely more fragile. Many of the CF poles weigh just as much as their aluminum counterparts because they use more CF material, so there's not much weight advantage there.

You can go MYOG as well, but it's quite an undertaking to spec/source materials and work out construction methods.

I went with the Zpacks poles and am really happy with them. I hike with the rubber tips on and lost 1 a couple of times, found 1 on the trail, then lost another. When I was at Trail Days I asked the zpacks guys if I could buy replacements and they just took some off a set of poles and handed them to me.

[Furlough]

I have a pair of Leki Corklites, that were a Christmas present many years ago. Pretty sure they are not made any more and have been replaced by some newer model. They have been great, they are one of my must have items for any backpacking trip I go on.