Walking pole options that can take a beating?

[djb21au]

I don't know how, but I have a bad habit of flicking a walking pole behind me if I take a slide onto my backside on a descent, sitting on the pole and bending or breaking it. Yes, I'm a bit of a klutz . As a result I'm hesitant to spend much money on poles just in case I have to replace one of them. To date I've bought Trekology aluminium poles – onto my third set – from Amazon which work well for me, and are cheap enough to replace at around $50 a pair. However I'm wondering if I invested in carbon whether they would have greater strength when sideways pressure is applied. Or is nothing going to stand up to that sort of treatment which, after all, these things aren't designed for. Am I better sticking with my strategy of cheaper poles that are readily replaced?

[Tortoise]

I'm pretty sure the carbon ones have less strength, but others here will tell you. Thanks for pointing me that a cheap option. My arthritic hands mean I have to stick to more expensive light ones (that stop working in other ways), but lots of people ask me for recommendations for entry level ones.

[sandym]

One thing you could think about is getting a pair of used fixed length ski poles that downhill skiers use. These are usually burlier and don't have finicky adjustment systems that either seize up or break. Not sure how easy they are to access, but we used to buy them for $10 to $15 a pair when I lived in Canada. They don't collapse for storage but they will take a beating.

[Last]

I have carbon poles. They break just the same. Actually not quite true, they break in different ways but just as easily. When they break it's into 2 pieces. Aluminium poles at least sometimes can be straightened. I only bought them because they had the most comfortable (for me) grip. My next set will be selected on similar criteria.

[djb21au]

Great feedback, thanks all. I'll probably stick to what I've been doing based on that. That's a good point about carbon poles tending to break in two. On more than one occasion I've been able to get by with a bent aluminium pole for a good while.

Off topic, but to be honest I've never really understood the benefit of spending big $$ to save a few grams on pole weight. I'd rather spend the money removing weight from my back.

For anyone who's interested, these are the poles I've been buying: https://www.amazon.com.au/Trekology-Tre ... 5044143051. I much prefer cork handles which is the reason I first bought them.

[benoloughlin]

I’ve been using a pair of black diamond aluminium clamp-style adjustable polls. I bought them before going into the Walls in April and they accompanied me to the US where I walked 260km of the PCT in three sections in Oregon and Washington, the Overland in November and a recent overnighter Arms River-Ossa-Return.
Generally speaking, aluminium have greater sideways flex than the carbon-fibre and hence more durable. And that’s why I prefer them over carbon fibre.

May I respectfully suggest you look into changing your habit of flicking?/sitting? on your polls going down a steep descent. Your polls will thank you for it!

[djb21au]

Thanks Ben. Yes, you are quite right: being a little more careful would probably be the best idea! (For the record, the last victim of this foible, which prompted my question, came about on the Overland last week. The beauty of the walk well outweighed the loss of my pole.)

[Jack Doolan]

I have several sets of poles - Black Diamond aluminium, Leki Carbon, Mountain Design carbon Fibre to name a few however my favourite, strongest, more reliable and ergonomically friendly poles are Pacer Poles from the UK. I have owned them for at least 15 years and they have never let me down. I only bought and tried other poles because the grip in the Pacer poles is slightly less suited to trekking pole tents.

I have gone back to free standing and semi free standing tents and now only use the Pacer Poles. Incredibly strong aluminium, much stiffer and yet less jarring than the Black Diamonds for example.

https://pacerpole.com

[Biggles]

If poles that can take a decent beating are your thing, then expect to get heavier aluminium or composition (carbon-alloy or cabon-resin composite) poles than what many people use (myself, I use HELINOX Ridgeline 135s). I know from my own experience even seemingly rugged poles will bend, then maybe fracture or snap at the worst possible moment (twice this has happened); the poles in question were Leki Terrano. A pair of poles long before that (c. 2007) also fractured after a mishap en route Feathertop. If all else fails, a stick from an obliging tree is a pretty good sub, though blisters and splinters may be the penalty.

Trekking poles are expensive (some ridiculously so), and should be treated with care (and maintenance as required) — put to use for their intended purpose, as supports for walking tarp/fly supports etc, but not as makeshift seats placed between two rocks (sit on the rocks!) or used as assistst for flying jumps of a ledge.

My research prior to buying the Helinox poles was fairly extensive; among bushwalkers I occasionally walk with, only one was using them; another was using the ultralight fold-up style (which appeared very flimsy); but the majority I had seen are unknown or uncommon brands with probably equally unknown reliability — that reliability question is something that is answered in perhaps the least convenient circumstances.

An outdoor shop should oblige you in extending a pole set of interest to your correct (bent elbow) height. Then further tests for excessive flexibility of the pole fully extended, with a load placed on top (similar to descending steep rocky terrain where the pole is extended outwards and down for an extended drop).