I have a pair of REI Peak UL adjustable CF trekking poles. They have served me well, but don't fit in a pack.
I have considered the BD Ultra Distance poles. At 5'11", they recommend the 120cm poles, but I was considering the 110cm to keep a Tarptent Notch lower to the ground for better wind protection to account for the possibly weaker trekking poles.
However, I'm concerned about the ergonomics of the 110cm poles.
I've looked into some of the other options…I was ideally trying to keep the cost down and the BD seemed to be reasonably priced.
TiGoat is a bit pricey.
I've looked at CAMP Xenon 4 and they are about the same price as the BD Ultra Distance and roughly the same weight. However, they are aluminum.
How does aluminum stand up to backpacking and use to hold up a tarptent vs carbon fiber?
I would imagine you could bend the aluminum and that would lessen it's ability to function, but the carbon could crack from being scratched.
The wrap up:
Should I stick with 120cm for a fixed height pole?
Will these ultra light poles hold up a tarptent reliably?
Is aluminum or CF better?
Alternatively, I guess I could pick up some Tarptent poles at 5oz and when combined with the 9.5oz trekking poles, would end up only slightly heavier than my current ~12oz trekking poles but would be far more functional since they can pack away.
