Trek Poles

My sons got me these Outdoor Products trek poles for Christmas and today I tried them out for the first time. I was a little clumsy. I hit my foot with the pole a few times. I kicked the pole with my foot a few times. The tips skidded on the ice a few times.

Now, don't think I'm complaining here - I'm just letting you know that there's a short learning curve for any new piece of gear and gear should be used as intended. The rails-to-trails path I used today was flat with no need for the extra push or support from the poles - I was just trying them out. I'll just compress the poles and hook 'em on my pack when going along a path like this on my long hikes.

I expect I'll find them very useful when I start my rough trail practice next month. For now, I'd like to let you know my first impressions. And, basically, I think these would be great for scouts/scouters heading to Philmont or other backpacking treks.

Here's my thoughts on these Outdoor Products poles:

• They are aluminum with rubber handles and cam-locks. I like how the locks flip and hold rather than screw. You will need to adjust the cam-lock mechanism to ensure it clamps down hard enough to hold.
• There are three sections to the pole so they compress down to 25 inches which makes stowing on a pack pretty easy when not being used. Since they are easily adjustable, they can be shared with others without much hassle. The sections come completely apart so I really have 6 short aluminum tubes for emergency use.
• Without the rubber foot and basket, each pole weighs 9.7 oz. I don't plan to use the basket since it will just catch on brush and my pants.
• The rubber handles feel good to me, but the dense plastic makes them heavy and I'm anxious to see how they feel on hot, sweaty trails.
• The shafts adjust from 25 inches compressed to 54 inches extended. The carbide tips, baskets that easily unscrew, and rubber foot covers are all pretty nice.
• These poles will also be my shelter supports on my long hikes and they seem solid enough for that job.
• I like the metallic green color - it's pretty low-impact. They come in blue, too.

So far, I think I got a great present here! I believe they're a good item for folks like me that haven't used trek poles before and are learning how it all works. The $30 for the pair makes them a scout-affordable item as well. You can get poles that weigh half as much, but justifying the $$$ to ounces exchange rate can be a challenge.

Scout On