JaxHiker aka Kudzu - WFA
Florida Trail Association: NE FL Trail Coordinator (Gold Head to Stephen Foster)
Problems on the trail? Have a great experience? Please let me know. trails at northfloridatrailblazers dot org
Blazing Trails with Kudzu @ www.idratherbehiking.com
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I agree with this, you don't want to look like a T-rex after doing a lot of hiking. This is why I use all natural poplar poles. I let mine dry out for a bit then coated them in some lacquer to keep them from absorbing water. They are strong and not super heavy. I even added my own handmade wrap for a handle.
I heard those new LEAFY poles are awesome you pick one up wear it out then pick up another. But i like the Leki Super Makalus not really sure who makalu is but my friend swift told me he has hiked a million miles and usually is seen with the swedish bikini hiking team.
I just got a pair of the Leki Corklite Aergon Speedlock (or whatever order those go in) poles. I haven't used them yet so I cannot say how they will do. They seem to feel pretty solid and the locks and all work fine. I am depending on the locks to work too since I will be using these to hold up my new Lunar Duo. As far as weight, my pair weighs 18.3 oz.
Saying all of this, if I were a more patient man, I would have held out about 2 weeks longer and got the GG LT4's too. That was my plan. But I am happy with the Leki's. Have heard great things from many people.
And I got mine from REI so they have a forever warranty...
...take nothing but memories and pictures, leave nothing but footprints, and kill only time... (Bette Filley in Discovering the Wonders of the Wonderland Trail)
Two suggestions: wrap 6' or so of gorilla tape on each pole for emergencies and some extra weight; second, put some reflective tape on each pole so that cars can better see you when you are hitching or walking along the road in the dark.
WalksInDark
You May Be S l o w...But You Are Ahead Of Me!
This is what I have.
http://www.leki.com/trekking/trekkingPole.php?pID=75
I got them for 79.95 and they have been great. I liked the price too.
"You just have to tell them that you have a hunger and a thirst. And you may not sit at the same banquet table as them, but you have a hunger and a thirst. So they shouldn't judge you."
For all the people who claim that a hiking pole is a hiking pole, your terribly wrong. Just thought I would throw that out there.
Smile, Smile, Smile.... Mile after Mile
I got a pair of new Leki's off E-Bay back a couple of years ago. I don't remember the name but they are the speedi lock type with shock aborbing (slight spring) tips. They are great and were about half of what most chain store sports stores were selling them for.
There are so many miles and so many mountains between here and there that it is hardly worth thinking about
I have run Lekis Makulus for 20 years and my current set is an mix of a couple sets of poles. Unfortunately the Leki Man is never where I am.I have bent one lower pole section in 20 years of hiking including an section hiking the AT.
I have found that with a lot of use the aluminum inserts that hold the threaded sections of the expansion sleeve get loose in the lower aluminum pole. They appear to be pressed in somehow but eventually they get loose. The poles still work but they acquire a distinct clicking noise. I have fixed them in the past by pouring expoxy into this area, but this is definitely a long term wear area. I also have found that the rubber grips eventually get damaged by DEET. I have one pair with a yellow skeleton appearing underneath what is left of the rubber. Boith of these issues are something that happens over year of hiking and most folks lose then long before theses issue occur.
I do believe that the worse thing someone can do with the expansion sleeve poles is leave them in collapsed position after a hike as there is usually moisture that build up inside. I pull them apart and let them dry out between hikes.
The one time I have less use for expansion sleeve type Lekis are in winter. In the cold its a bear to get the sleeves to lock and they tend to loosen up quicker. I am used to it but for many folks they buy click locks
I think all you can get here are personal biases rather than any sort of objective "best". My personal bias if buying a new set of poles would be to get the lightest weight pair of Leki's that they guarantee for life, which last a looked (a while now) was something with no carbon fiber shaft but still pretty light weight. And that will bend (and can be bent back) rather than breaking if you inadvertently stress in the wrong direction. I've snapped a c.f. pole in the middle of nowhere and been moderately unhappy for a while after that as a result. Then I managed to bend a replacement (Leki) pole pretty good on a later trip but then just bent it back and kept going.
Gadget
PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016
I've gone through a lot of poles. My recommendation is get the lightest weight ones you feel comfortable paying for. I think lighter weight poles make hiking easier. The cork handles do feel a little better than the synthetic ones I've tried, but they wear out quicker.