Gossamer Gear Lightrek 3 Trekking Pole Review

[Addie Bedford]

Companion forum thread to:

Gossamer Gear Lightrek 3 Trekking Pole Review

[twig .]

Less of an ouch at the moment as they are on sale for $110. Great poles.

[Jay Wilkerson]

I can't wait to buy a pair- 2.8 oz at 125cm that's SUL!!!

[Michael Davis]

I heard a rumor recently that GG was working on a sectional adjusting pole. Any confirmation of that effort?

[Joe Westing]

I haven't heard anything since Gossamer Gear's September email newsletter:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NEW GEAR IN THE WORKS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

1. The new Miniposa™. Due out very soon, this pack is a stripped down version of its predecessor and fills in the blank left by the discontinued G5™. It will be constructed of silnylon, will weigh around 14 oz., and will have the detachable hip belt, now standard on our packs. The Miniposa™ is for those with light loads or who take shorter trips yet want a full hip belt and a slew of features. Details and dates to come soon.

2. Adjustable Trekking poles! At last these are in the GG pipeline. Yeehaw! These revolutionary poles have to be used to be believed. I've tested them, as have others, and it's universally love at first sight. The time, engineering and technology that went into this has paid off. At a scant 6.8 oz. per pair, the shafts are
based on our current fixed poles with a beefed up spiral wound tip section for
added strength where you need it most. Fully adjustable up to 140 cm they are the bomb. We'll have more specifics in the next few weeks.
If you'd like to be notified when they are in stock, email me at [email protected].

3. The Gorilla™ is a new pack that will be introduced later this Fall. This is the
toughest pack we've ever made. The Gorilla™ will have the same volume as a Miniposa™, be feature rich and will include some fabrics and features we've never used before. If you do any off trail hiking, a little mountaineering/climbing, maybe some racing or just want a light but tough pack this might be the one for you.

There are several more new products in the works for this winter so stay tuned for developments.

[Ryan Dunne]

I'm in the market for some lightweight poles, but I'm not sure if I really want poles without a strap. Right now I'm using some BD Alpine CF poles and they feel really weird without the straps.
Does anyone else agree that poles these light don't need straps? I really like the design over the BPL poles, but I'm not too sure about the lack of straps. :-P

[Roger Caffin]

> Does anyone else agree that poles these light don't need straps?

You probably don't need them in fine warm weather – but I don't use poles then so i wouldn't really know.

But when you have thick ski gloves and overmitts on it is nice to have that extra help from a strap. Otherwise your hands get rather tired.

I don't think any of these UL CF poles were specifically designed for use in the snow, and I don't think they have been fully tested there either.

My 2c
Cheers

[Christopher Plesko]

I chopped my straps on the REI carbon poles and don't miss them…BUT…if you're hiking where you can lose them which is more often in the snow, I'd at least make a cord keeper strap for them. I drop mine now and then and it would be a shame to see it slide off down a snow slope.

[D G]

I've stripped my REI Peak Ultralight poles, removing the baskets and the straps. They now weigh 5.2 oz each, and I don't miss the straps at all. At first I thought I'd miss them but now I actually prefer them without straps.

The new Gossamer gear poles will be quite a bit lighter than my poles, so I'm sure they will be fine without straps.

Dan

[Adam Rothermich]

I've never used poles this light, but I have stopped using the straps on my Leki poles. I actually prefer using them this way because I'm generally using the poles for balance or just to keep my hands busy, not for sharing the load with my legs. Even when I use them to power up a hill, I don't feel like I need the straps. I also don't grip the poles much tighter than I did when I used the straps. Another advantage is not having to worry as much if the tip gets lodged in a crack, I just let go and the situation is avoided. I also prefer not to have the poles swinging from my wrists when I grab a water bottle or look at a map.

A slightly shorter version of all that would be that I don't miss straps even with a 1 lbs pair of poles. YMMV.

FWIW, I may hold out for the adjustable version. I would love a pair of lighter poles, especially since my current poles have a bent section that I straightened out and is just begging to give out soon. I really like having adjustable poles for pitching my tarp though and am unsure about making the switch to a fixed length pole.

Adam

[Jay Wilkerson]

I like straps for two reasons: Steep trails on the edge of a canyon or ravine and a fast moving stream crossing. I think it is better to have them-then not. My 3 cents

[Ryan Dunne]

I wonder If i could just drill through the handle and loop some 550 cord in with a knot on the other end. seems like the perfect strap to me. :-P

Or for that matter just score away a ring at the top of the pole and tie some around with a tight knot… hm!

The keeper straps would probably be more than enough though.

These poles seem pretty awesome to me, and I see that they're on sale! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!

[John Quinn]

Ryan, I've owned the Lightrek3 trekking poles for the past 6 months and have found that they are well worth the investment. In regards to straps, I find them to be essential for stream crossings, balance, etc. What I have done for straps was to make "keeper" cord straps. I took a 18" piece of 3/32" diameter cord and tied it together at the ends with a square knot. I than tied it to the loop below the handle on the pole with a larks head knot. I than slid a "tiny" cord lock onto the strap for loop adjustment. The cord and the cord locks can be purchased from Zpacks. The total additional weight for both poles was 0.1 oz. This method seems to work really well for me. I hope this helps.

[greg degler]

Short Story: I 100% agree with everything presented in Doug Johnson's BPL review.
Details: I have used a pair of LiteTrek 2's for 2 years. Love them 110%, except for the basket/tip interface which is mentioned in Doug's review.
Special Note: I simply don't understand the debate about adjustable length poles, grips with or without straps, etc. Two years ago, after some deep enduring thought, it hit me: JUST TRY THEM, and KEEP the "old" adjustable "heavy" poles with the wrist straps for those occasions when they are worth the penalty of weighing over TWICE as much. Guess what: I have never used the old Makalu Titanium poles even ONCE since trying the LiteTrek 2. As mentioned in the BPL review, the few complaints have been addressed, making the LiteTrek 3 a very desireable piece of gear.
I Remain,
TheThriftstoreMountaineer

[Kathleen B]

I never use the straps on my Lekis, so like others here, I recently just cut them off so they'd stop being in my way.

I use poles all the time (old-lady knees), so I have use for collapsible poles when I need to switch over to my ice axe. They're easier to attach to my pack and don't catch on branches when collapsed.

[Hiker 816]

I put a lot of weight on my poles, and I can't imagine not using straps. Of course, I haven't tried going without straps for very long, and I haven't yet really used SUL carbon poles, but it seems to me that the weight of the poles would have no bearing given the way I use the straps. For me, the straps distribute the pressure of my weight when I am bearing down on the poles. Otherwise I'd have to grip the pole grip with enough pressure to create enough friction to keep my hands from slipping down when putting weight on the poles. I think that'd get really tiring after a while.

[Pedro Arvy]

I own Leki Ultrlight Ti's and have owned these poles (the very first thinner incarnation which snapped on me after 2 weeks solid use).

With the Leki, I always use the straps.

With these poles I never even wished for the straps.

I think their extremely light weight changes the way you use poles.

[Steven Nelson]

I put twine loops on my Lightrek poles. Doesn't give me the leverage of real straps but keeps the poles attached to my wrists when I want that, and lets me keep them dangling at hand when I stop to take photos. The loops weigh next to nothing.

[Doug Johnson]

Regarding the poles being fully tested in the snow…

I've used primarily strap-less poles for extensive snowshoeing and mountaineering for years. The poles I've mostly used are Lightreks and Stix 1 poles. I have found them to be excellent in this arena as well. Even with snow baskets they are so light that they are easy to hold in the hands. I'll use keeper straps on hardpack high angle climbs sometimes.

I do use straps on XC ski poles because of the full extension and release but I don't find that necessary when snowshoeing.

Doug

[Glen Van Peski]

People who are signed up for the Gossamer Gear newsletter should be getting some good news this weekend about the availability of the new Lightrek adjustable poles.

[Christopher Plesko]

That's good. Non adjustable poles are just a no go for me. On 95% of my trips I bet I have to strap my poles to my pack at times.

[Glen Van Peski]

Since people asked, the Lightrek 4's, fully adjustable, are on the site now. If you call Grant Sible at GG, he'll knock $5 off the price on the first batch.

[Paul Cronshaw]

I have been a big fan of the Lightrek 3s for the past year, using them exclusively for 500 miles on some PCT section hikes. Great support on the trail and with The One Tent.

I have been testing the Lightrek 4s for the past month. These poles have replaced my 3s. Lightweight. Robust. With only two sections, I can adjust them easily and faster than conventional four section poles.

Take advantage of GG's introductory offer and pickup a pair.

[Nia Schmald]

What's the adjustment mechanism for these poles? I can't really tell how they work from the gg website.

[John S.]

Somebody should make some carbon poles that break down like a pool cue, a simple screw on thingy.

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