Trekking Pole help

Aaron, in my personal opinion, one who never used trekking poles should buy cheap pair at first to tell whether you like it or not. I bought my very first pair for 15$ shipped from eBay. after using them awhile, I liked it, and could decide what features I'd like to have for my next serious poles (locking mechanism, shock absorber, max min length, weight, durability etc etc). I think every person has different desires about poles (for example, if you're a big guy you probably want stronger poles, and in my opinion made out of AL).
the bottom line – only you can decide which poles will fit you best. you tell us the features you'd like to have, and we'll find suitable options.
just my 2 cents.

Idan

(edited grammar)

I love my LT4s. They've been great right up until one pair broke. I've used them a bunch and the only reason it broke was a buddy of mine stepped on a lower section. So I'll be replacing mine eventually. Also the twist lock on the LT4s is not the greatest. Mine sometimes refuse to lock at all and then I have to separate the two sections and muck about for a second. It's not a deal breaker but it can be a pain sometimes (like when I'm cold and want to just get moving ASAP). That said, if you plan on traveling with your trek poles, look elsewhere. They're still pretty long when collapsed and I would prefer a 3 section pole for air travel. The CP3 from Locus Gear is pretty nice but about twice the weight.

Starting out, find a suitable sapling, or trim one to size. Unbeatable cost/benefit ratio

"The CP3 from Locus Gear is pretty nice but about twice the weight."

Nah, it's not that bad. According to each site, the GG poles weigh 4.1 oz each without baskets. The CP3 poles weigh 5.3 oz each without baskets, so barely an ounce more per pole.

I use LT3s (even lighter) for most of my backpacking, since I now use a hammock for most of my backpacking and don't need to readjust the height of the poles. I use CP3s when ground dwelling because of the reduced fiddle factor (I used LT4s exclusively for the past 4 years or so, just changed to LT3s and CP3s this year).

You could try THIS 6.9 oz each,flick lock and $20.My CP3s weigh 5 oz each without baskets.

I recommend flicklock strongly over twist lock. I've had my flicklock pairs for years without any real problems. Previously, I've had twistlocks collapse catastrophically in the field, and I could never repair them even after I disassembled them at home.

The BD Ultra Distance poles have worked well for me. They are very light & fold for transporting. The TSA still does not allow trekking poles as carry on. I have not tried carrying these poles on an airplane, but it seems possible they'd get thru security? My last out-of-state trip I mailed the poles, plus my liquids &c, in a Priority Mail flat rate box, which cost less than what the airlines are charging now for checked baggage. Any very light poles like this are going to be a touch fragile, but I did the whole SHR with mine & didn't have any problems.

I'm with Idan, if you have never used them before its crazy to buy fancy ones. Make sure you REALLY want fixed-length ones. Maybe you will want adjustable ones for a tarp or tent in the future, as well as for travel. Also make sure you already know your style of use – are you going to just use them for balance, or will you want to put a lot of weight om them. There are certain ways people use/abused poles that may make Carbon poles too fragile. And so on. As Idan mentioned, this particular item can be found very cheap, and often the only real difference is weight.

I brought BD Alpine Carbon Corks carry-on in September. No hassle at all. They were allowed (falling under "ski poles") under the rule changes earlier in the year.

Good to hear that the BD poles made it thru security. But, my understanding is that the TSA's proposed rule change that would have allowed poles (and some other sports equipment) in carry on was not enacted. ???

I really appreciate all the replies. Just shows how awesome this forum is.

I think maybe I will pick up some cheaper ones to try out first. I normally don't like doing this because I dont like spending my money twice! That's one of the reason I thought I would give the LT4's a try from the swap. I figured they were atleast a little cheaper.

In this case I think you're doing the right thing. Cheap poles for $20 are a good way to find out if you like poles and limit your loss if you don't.

Even cheaper than cheap hiking poles (which I agree with, Walmart has them starting @$21/set), are old down-hill skis poles at Goodwill. Often $5/set or so. The downside being you can't adjust the length to optimize them for uphill versus downhill or sidehilling.

My first poles were downhill poles from a garage sale that I stripped down. They are very strong.

Another pole option is to cut down cross country ski poles. Some are very light and use techy materials. I've thought about mounting trekking pole tips on a pair.

I have used a bamboo staff and glued a broken off trekking pole lower section up into the hollow bottom. An easy way to add a strap is to drill straight though and simply knot the webbing on the forward side. That allows a standard grip with the strap supporting your weight. Not any lighter, but they look natural and cool.

+1 on the ski poles from goodwill!

Also good to know about the Locus poles being only a few ounces heavier for the pair. I may have to look into those since they have a nice looking ergonomic handle. Still that GG handle is pure comfort for me.

I used a pair of $20 WalMart poles for a good while. The I started reading Chris Townsend's book where he explained how to use them along with highly recommending Pacerpoles.

I got the 2 piece with the carbon bottom. About $111 for the pair. And the customer service is unbeatable. They will let you try them for 4 weeks or so and if they don't work for you you can send them back.

If you buy a pair of fancy poles and they don't work out, they sell fast on this forum at a modest loss. One of the things I love about this forum is it makes gear trial and error much less costly and keeps a lot of great gear in circulation.

Yeah, I'm gonna keep my eye out on the swap as well as check out a few of the cheaper options.