From: Johnlebl@aol.com
Date: Wed Dec 11 2002 - 11:00:27 CST
Trekking Poles
> <<I want to get a pair of good hiking poles for my hubby. I do not
> want/need
> top-of-teh-line, but anti-shock would be nice.
>
> Any great deals on the net?
Lorie McGraw >>
<<Sierra Designs has some pretty good ones and the best prices I have seen.
I
got a set before my trek last summer and thought they were great.
Alan Hamm>>
Trekking poles was discussed at length last year and it sould be this year
also.
They range from $19.95 to $140.00+ a pair.
How in the world do you decide what you need?
With so many variables, I decided to go to a place where I could try them
out. I went to our lodal REI satore. Good move. BTW, the Nantahala Outdoor
Center west of Asheville, NC right on the Applachian trail will rent you some
to try out.
Anyway, there are trekking poles and there are trekking poles. Many makes
and models to meet the needs of many different folks.
For me, at age 57, returning to Philmont,I wanted functional trekking poles,
not just a "walking staff".
I bought them the same way I did my boots and pack and tent and stove and
cook kit and all the rest of my outdoor gear. The process of elimination.
I have found through the years that what is one persons idea of "the best" is
not necessarily the same fro the next person.
I ended up with Leki Super Makalus at $125.00. I would not trade them for a
dozen other pairs or trekking poles if you gave them to me. They meet my
needs and meet them well, but they may not meet your needs.
The needs of a 15 year old boy and a 51 year old man are vastly different
when it comes to trekking poles.
There were a variety of poles on our crew last summer. Some had pairs, some
single staffs but all swore that what they had was best. My thoughts on that
is most people tend to justify what they bought. I know of two people sho
simply carried them along on the trail. I never saw them use them as they
wre designed to be used.
I use mine very similar to ski poles. That is they take some of the weight
off my lage, they help to propel me down the trail and they form a very firm
and stiff third leg on rocky or unstable ground. They have angled and very
comfortable grips. Corbon I think they are called. Anyway it is cork
embedded in a rubber like stuff.
They have adjustable anti chock springs and in Signe Rogers vernacular
I LOVE MY TREKKING POLES.
They are the best for me. I have tried ones without the anti chock and
would not want to walk over a mile without springs in them. The anti chock
makes a big difference on my elbows each time I plant one in the ground.
If you are 15 years old, that might not matter, but it does matter to this
old man.
Let me just say that I am on my third pair.
The first ones were "swiped" by my 15 year old daughter who carried them on
trek. I had to buy another pair.
She subsequently made a great freind at Philmont who did not have any adn
gave her trekking poles to that friend to have and to use until they meet on
the trail again.
She then took my poles off my hands again and I bought a second replacement
pair.
I am now on my third pair for those reasons. Note that all three have been
Leki Super Makalu poles. I could have gotten any brand and model I wanted
each time, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Leki Suoer Makalu is my choice...three times!
Get what you or your husband needs, and it may well be that you need the
cheapest ones you can find. The choice is yours, but I will say there is a
world of difference in the different models. Shop wisely.
I've bought some nice stuff at great prices at Sierra Trading Post, but
always remember there is a reason they are sellign it cheaply. Some are
seconds, some are models that just don't sell well and well, you get the
picture. There is a reason. That reason may not affect your needs and in
that case it's like keeping money in the bank.
Over the years I';ve sound that most Scouters and most Scouts parents shoot
for middle ground equipment. Not high, not low quality but as the Cajun
shrimper once told my dad "dems just good meadjums".
Sometimes you don't get what you pay for, but you never get what you don't
pay for.
John LeBlanc
Eagle Class of 1959
Phirst Phil Ptrek 1959
PhilTrek 2002 630H2 Trek 16
My latest adventure was yesterday,
Today is not over yet!
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