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Trekking Poles-Lightest fully adjustable
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May 11, 2013 at 4:54 pm #1302818
Looking at getting rid of my 22 oz leki poles. I do use them with my shelter so replacements need the following.
Adjustable
Nice grips
Light weight
Tough, rugged and Good Looking, ok I just through that in but seriously pretty rugged.May 11, 2013 at 5:20 pm #1985372How about the Gossamer Gear LT4 trekking poles?
May 11, 2013 at 8:26 pm #1985407Hard to beat the carbon fiber set at Costco for value.
May 11, 2013 at 8:29 pm #1985409LT4's are out of stock for half a year!
Not sure you can consider them due to unavailability.
Any good alternatives?
May 11, 2013 at 8:42 pm #1985413Alternatives to GG:
Ruta Locura
Locus GearMay 11, 2013 at 9:50 pm #1985428I love my new Locus Gear flick lock poles,they weigh 5 oz each and were $137 shipped from japan.I own LT4s and the Rota Lacura Lana poles and I like the Locus gear poles the best and would definitely say that the Locus gear seem the most rugged and I like the fact that they are flick lock and not twist lock poles.
May 12, 2013 at 10:06 am #1985483Wow… I cannot believe that I missed these… they are definitely on my radar now! Just curious, is your listed 5 oz including the straps? And how do you like the handles? I love the grips in the LT4's…
May 12, 2013 at 10:56 am #1985499Totally for got about Locus Gear as an option.
Maybe my new choiceMay 12, 2013 at 1:12 pm #1985535Response I got from GG:
We are hoping for the end of the May early June. Sorry for the delays. We are working on the locking mechanism and it has taken a little longer than anticipated. I will add you to the notification list.
May 12, 2013 at 1:40 pm #1985541The 5oz includes straps but not the rubber tip or basket that are included with the poles,with the basket and rubber tip they are 5.6oz and so far I like the grip,it is shaped like the LT4 and are foam like the Yana.
May 12, 2013 at 2:08 pm #1985549It seems a very nice alternative to GG LT4's
Is there an on-top camera mount for Locus Gear poles? Also StickPic sits on it securely?Thank you!
Greg.
May 12, 2013 at 5:56 pm #1985601AnonymousInactiveWow! Another thank you! I don't know how I've missed these, been waiting for the LT4s to come back in stock to order another single pole to complete my pair, but now I may just give these a shot. The flick lock is definitely a huge plus to me. My LT4 has been pretty finicky. And they're cheaper to boot!
May 12, 2013 at 8:38 pm #1985634Big Agnes Helinox Passport Twistlock Trekking Poles
10oz per pair (per my measurements), aluminum, 120cm max lengthSpecial order them from REI, if you want their 100% Guarantee.
They've worked great for me over the past season. No problems at all.
May 13, 2013 at 12:07 am #1985661How Locus Gear poles compare when folded to the Gossamer Gear LT4's?
On GG website they state 84 cm (33 in) minimal length.May 13, 2013 at 2:55 am #1985667According to the website 63cm to 135cm…
Of the mainstream manufacturers I think Komperdell make probably the lightest adjustable/folding ones. The Carbon Ultralite Vario is 176 per pole, adjustable from 120-145 and folds down to 45cm. http://www.komperdell.com/en/poles/trekking/carbon/194_2307_10.php
Edit: Those locus gear poles look awesome…
May 13, 2013 at 7:04 am #1985702I picked up a pair BD Alpine Carbon Corks last year. I'm not sure that they are still making them with the flicklock mechanisms on them and have heard some negatives about bushwhacking with the newer locking mechanism (occasionally disengages when snagged on brush). But, if you can still find them with the old locks, I love them. I too use them as tent poles and they remain sturdy and strong, even after many trail miles.
There are some lighter poles out there. But, these are the best all around poles that I have ever packed with:
1. The cork handles have formed to my hands perfectly (no blisters). They have a nice flat top for down-hilling and supporting your tarp/tent and a grip below the main handles for uphilling that remove the need for on-the-fly adjustments under most trail conditions.
2. Carbon fiber, so bending/warping is not likely and, even having gotten them wedged into some rock while torquing on them (even with a 45+ lb. total pack weight for a 10-day stretch on the Ozark Trail), no cracking or other failures. They really lightened the load on that one.
3. I have never had the locks slip or fail, even though I regularly put some serious weight on them down-hilling and used them as tent poles on some very windy above treeline evenings.
4. They come with decent snow buckets that are easy to change out for snowshoeing.
5. The tips on these things seem to be indestructible. I have beaten them against rock all day, all week, for almost a full season and they barely show any wear at all yet. They are easily replaced, even if that becomes an issue in the future.
5. Quite a good looking set of poles too. ;-)
All in all, I just love these babies, so far. YMMV, but I would say they are worth considering.
May 13, 2013 at 7:01 pm #1985907I just ordered a pair of 2012 Alpine Carbon Cork poles direct from Black Diamond for $104.95 shipped.
May 14, 2013 at 7:09 am #1985982Nice snag at that price. I paid about $15 more for mine on sale (coupon code) last year. Pretty sure you won't regret that purchase.
Like I said, I think the flik locks are probably the better of the two locking systems. Maybe they'll go back to them for future models?
I just noticed that the OP said the Leki's he's replacing are 22 ozs. The BD's are 9 ozs. each, so there would be 1/4 lb. weight savings for him too. I just checked though and you got a heck of a deal on what looks to be their last pair of the 2012's in stock. At that price, I would have put those in the closet for later.
Happy trails and let me know what you think of them, after the season. I'm curious to see if it's just personal preference, or if others will find them exceptional too.
May 14, 2013 at 5:52 pm #1986125Friday afternoon I got home from work and had a note from the post office saying I had a package to pick up, but couldn't get until 10:00 AM Sat morning. I had no idea what the package was, I didn't think I could get my poles from Japan to Philly in 4 days. However, there they were Sat morning so I drove up to the AT to try them out for a quick over-nighter.
To address a couple of questions:
I took the straps off immediately, but left the tiny baskets on due to all the rocks in PA. Without straps, each pole weighs 5.1 oz
My StickPic 2 fits perfectly.I used the poles with my MLD Grace Solo, and the next morning when taking down camp, noticed the foam handles were (and still are) indented from the tiny stones that the handles were atop all night. This certainly doesn't bother me, but may bother others. I had planned on swapping out the handles for GG grips, but after this weekend I no longer plan to. This certainly may change in the future though. The foam is comfortable, doesn't leave black marks on your hands (even in the rain), and is an over-all win in my book. I never had the locks slip once, and that was after I was being intentionally a bit hard on them to put them through the ringer.
The only issue I had with these poles was trying to justify the purchase to my girlfriend when she saw them upon my return; I thought I would have some time to broach the subject in the coming days, but they arrived too damn fast!
May 14, 2013 at 6:43 pm #1986139Do you think the GG grips would fit the Locus Gear poles ok? If I could get LG poles with GG grips with the camera mount that might be the best of all worlds…
May 14, 2013 at 9:53 pm #1986195Hi Pete: I noticed the same indentations in my handles when I used the poles on my SS2. They are slightly less noticeable 2 weeks later. I'm wondering if I should opt for the Tarptent handle adapter that lets me flip the poles handle-side up with the tip in the ground.
May 15, 2013 at 5:19 am #1986264Hei Pete, thanks for the report. Much appreciated.
Can you tighten the flip locks with out tools?
May 15, 2013 at 7:25 am #1986293Yup, you can adjust them without tools- the bolt heads have ridges along the sides. There is a picture on Locus Gear's site of these new bolts they started using.
May 15, 2013 at 5:45 pm #1986549AnonymousInactiveknow whether the Locus Gear CF pole tips can be replaced by the user when they wear out or get broken, as they inevitably will?
May 15, 2013 at 7:31 pm #1986584Tom, the Locus Gear owner told me that changing the tips was possible, but not easy. I plan on keeping the caps on mine.
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