Budget trekking poles

[Hem]

Huh, I've used the same twist lock Lekis for 30+ years. 70 summits, dozens of pack outs. I have skied with them every year.

 

[noharleyyet]

I’ve had Levi CorkLites for so long I forgot what I paid for em.

 

[PNWGator]

Andrew Skurka has really good info regarding the Black Diamond and the Costco Mountain Tech poles. Certainly worth doing your due diligence.

 

[44hunter45]

I have Black Diamonds. My first pair of no-name aluminum were really loud. Using carbon fiber now.

 

[Tradewind]

I have Komperdell. They were pricey. The add miss led that they were something like $100 or 110 per pair.
Turned out to be for each poll.

On the positive side. I have used the heck out of them, going on 8 or 10 yrs now They have a pistol grip type handle so I can put A LOT
of weight on them when packing out or if the knees give me problems before I make it back.
They are collapsible with the flip stye locking mechanism so I strap them to the pack mornings, on the way out.
Despite the price I feel like I have gotten my money out of them. They have sure saved my knees in a couple of occasions

 

[jbseamus83]

I got a pair of campfire trekking poles back when campfire was still around. They've worked really well for me for a few seasons now, but that obviously doesn't help since campfire isn't around. I would be looking at the black diamond if I was in the market right now. Kind of hard to beat.

 

[Burn Pile]

I have some cork leki two point collapsible that I like but they're relatively new and were a gift so I don't know the price on those. And some single point black diamonds. Throw on a wiser precision plastic locker to keep em together or shoot off of and ski with em in the winter.

 

[mevertsen]

I use a shovel handle.

 

[mtmuley]

Looks like the Black Diamonds are a great pole for a decent price. Thanks guys. mtmuley

 

[Big Sky Guy]

The Costco poles are 80 bucks. The Black Diamonds about 100. I can get the Black Diamonds at Scheels in Missoula. Hate going there but headed that way. mtmuley

Costco (Cascade Mointain Tech Carbon Fiber) are $30-50 on eBay or Marketplace. I have 3 sets. Had one lower section break but I was going over rock field with 6” of snow and pole went down in and must have snapped but idk if any pole would handle pushing forward that far with just the bottom few inches essentially in a vice. You can buy replacement sections, but they were out of stock so I should check again.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Looks like the Black Diamonds are a great pole for a decent price. Thanks guys. mtmuley

Also I highly recommend the Quick Stix from Wiser Precision. Pretty stable bipod and it holds the poles together nicely.

Also cork handles are a must IMO.

Aluminum vs. Carbon is personal choice. Peax makes the hybrid one now supposed to be best of both worlds but at the end of the day it’s a fancy stick to me.

 

[Caseknife]

I have the Black Diamond Distance FLZ aluminum. On my second set only because they don't stand up to close to 300# falling on them sideways on a talus slope, 230# me, with a pack load of mtn goat and rifle, clumsy and tripped. Very strong if used as designed, not as a cushion to fall on, and work great as impromptu rifle rest by looping the straps over each other. Wondered if the aluminum would be noisy, maybe if you are clanking them against rock or down lodgepole, but not bad at all. My use of them is usually after the shot anyway.

 

[Drake4]

Black Diamonds for sure.
My pair has lasted years.

 

[nontyp]

I have aluminum trekking poles from Walmart. I’ve bent more expensive pairs in the past, but I’ve been using this pair for 5 years. I almost exclusively just use them for packing out meat, so they stay on my pack most of the time.

 

[cgasner1]

Totally understand. I've never used them but read about a hunt where they pretty much saved the day. I know this is the place to get real info. mtmuley Plus, I'm old.

Not to be the grammar police because mine sucks

 

[crock239]

I have both the Cascade carbon from Costco and a Black Diamond aluminum set that were about $100. I carry the Costco ones because they are lighter (16oz) and have cork grips. Both have flicklocks. My Black Diamonds are 22oz...the weight savings are like having a "free" battery pack in your backpack, and I find cork grips to be much more comfortable if its hot at all.

Costco poles were $35 a couple years ago...if you're seeing them for $80 that looks like a two-pack (four poles total) from what I'm seeing online.

Both work but I reach for the costco poles first.

Flicklocks and cork grips are the way to go IMO.

 

[Gulf of America]

The Costco poles are 80 bucks. The Black Diamonds about 100. I can get the Black Diamonds at Scheels in Missoula. Hate going there but headed that way. mtmuley

Not particularly helpful for your hunt this season, but if you get them in store in the summer, they’re more like $30 or maybe $40. I was in the same boat looking at the start of hunting season and couldn’t stomach the online price, so I just decided to forego them but found them way cheaper the next spring.