get collapsible trekking poles?

Try ’em… 1 year no questions asked REI return policy.

billy

That particular pair is completely unadjustable, so if your tent requires exactly one pole length–and exactly the length of pole you buy–what could possibly go wrong?

I’d think for most tents you’d prefer a little adjustability, but who knows.

EDIT:  I just realized I looked at the model wrong–those things *are* adjustable, so that part of my comment is nm.

I have those poles (the unadjustable and Al version) and have other reasons why I wouldn’t buy them again, but I just replaced them with new adjustables to better accommodate my Tarptent.

“1 year no questions asked REI return policy”

Why do people think they can go on a buy stuff at REI and try it out for a year and then return it if it doesn’t meet their needs?

This really irks me.

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“Why do people think they can go on a buy stuff at REI and try it out for a year and then return it if it doesn’t meet their needs?”

Because they can. And… it is promoted by REI for just that reason.

What irks me is people who ambush others with their judgemental posts.

“That particular pair is completely unadjustable…”

er… maybe…. but the write up on REI says, adjustable

billy

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Ahhh Billy.

Not going to get into an all out posting war with you … I just wholeheartedly disagree with your stance on your misguided interpretation of the REI return policy.

Have a great weekend outdoors.

Those poles are a great deal now, state of the art, made by Komperdell.

REI’s return policy: “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…If you are not satisfied with your REI purchase, you can return it for a replacement or refund within one year of purchase.”

Billy suggested that Sebastian “try ’em”. That is exactly what REI’s policy encourages you to do. Not use them for a year during which you are totally satisfied and then return them to save a buck, but try the gear and if you are not satisfied you can return them. You might think REI’s policy is overly-generous, but returning something to REI because you are not satisfied is not an abuse of their policy.

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.Skip to last post. Finally! geez.

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@LINK… . Thanks for all your help I have read pretty much all the info and links you have provided and I appreciate them very much and your time to answer them. However,  Im not going to apologize for asking questions, some more specific than others.  Yes, you provided the link to the $30 trekking poles several times but I never asked about wanting cheap poles.

I am learning as best as possible, from scratch, so I dont waste hundreds of dollars and for different reasons cannot just go backpacking just now or when you say so. If you are tired of answering my questions, well, thank you and please refrain from answering, period. I respect you sharing your knowledge, its very kind, and as much as I appreciate the info, Im not interested in the grumpy comments you are starting to add. An online conversation is no different than a real conversation. You dont give yourself the right to be annoyed or condescending just because you are online.

you have received comments from several people about having the same questions answered numerous times in different threads, it is not just me.But if you wish I will remove my answers and post no more answers to anymore of your questions. If you read the link that both Ken and I gave to Andrew Skurkas review you would see that (Andrew a very respected long Distant hiker(National Geographic Person of the year for his great treks) was blown away by these poles after hard use and doesn’t see any great reason for anyone to spend big bucks when these poles work so well. I see ken has already started deleting his posts and links to you already, unfortunately I cannot remove all my links to info for you as too much time has elapsed to do so.

@Link its mostly you doing that all over the threads. I have made sure non of my additional threads were asking the same questions as addressed in my initial UL Gear List post. None of these are specifically addressed in all the links you provided:

Collapsible Trekking Poles question…… and like I said, I was never asking for cheaper poles. The $30 poles have mixed reviews of the locking mechanism failing.

North Face TKA opinion

Car camping tent

Hot weather shirt suggestions (Skurka’s suggestions are expensive).

I agree with Nick’s post in your other thread

I agree with Ken. You have been asking a lot of questions about specific gear — and there is nothing wrong with that, but you will probably get 6 different answers from 6 different people on every gear item. Best to head out with what you have and then figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. Good way to save a lot of money :)

Also, changing too many different pieces of gear at one time gets to be overwhelming. Refine one at a time.

hey sebastian

as someone who returned to backpacking relatively recently as well, i can sympathize with your situation. there is a lot to learn, and fast! what i can say, however, is that virtually any question you can imagine has already been thoroughly answered – probably numerous times – at this site. (and if not here, at one or two other similar forums.) honestly, the backlog of information and experience held in this site’s archives is kind of amazing.

of course there’s always new stuff to discuss, but the basics have been covered, and well. i’ve googled “backpackinglight somequestion” 3 or 4 million times, and almost always found several in depth discussions of the exact issue i had in mind.

in this way, the knowledgeable/grizzly old timers can avoid repeating the same information over and over ad infinitum. and at the same time, this method is ultimately faster for the questioner: you don’t have to wait for someone to reply, the answers are *already there* waiting for you.

:)

Thanks Link. I agree its a work in progress and I cant sit here and cant analyze the gear forever. But trust me, the answers im getting here in only one week of being on this forum,, specially from YOU, have been GOLD and have already saved me hundreds of dollars as I have begun returning a lot of gear I dont need. The REI folks are nice but not as practical as you all here.

I appreciate your reply and will be wary of how I post to you so you don’t feel hurt, it is actually fun going out seeing what works and what doesn’t(more fun if it does work of course unless you have a good sense of humor and no one gets hurt) , you will find numerous posts from people telling their tales of what did not work out and why or resell their gear in gear swap because they didn’t like something everyone else thought was so great. Just take short trips (an overnighter) just to see if you like certain clothes, bags packs ect. This is an old BPL secret, if you look at any link for a backpack and clothing this is the one, you will never see them in gear swap they are the Gold Standard here

The Flextrek Whipsnake And The French Wedge Le Crevasse

and the Flextrek 37trillion

I love my Fizan Compact poles that I got off Massdrop. They currently have 97 out of 200 votes so they’ll likely be back up soon, as they are dropped somewhat frequently. They are usually $50 when they drop. They’re extremely light, seem durable (no issues for me so far) and they collapse down very small which will likely come in handy for the tarp I’m about to build for using a super low ridgeline. Worth looking at I think.

Fizan Compact on Massdrop

This week at Costco, I picked up a $30 pair of Cascade Mountain Works carbon fiber poles with the flick locks. I wanted to see how they differ from the twist locks on the ones I bought a few years ago. I am pretty impressed with this newer version. After modifying the cork grip with a Dremel to give me a better index finger rest, removing the straps, and using the rubber tips, the pair tips the scales at 15.4 oz., not at all bad for poles that seem fairly robust. They can be extended to 135+ cm, and they collapse down to 28.5″ for suitcase transport. All in all, I think they’re pretty sweet. And cheap!

As to the REI poles mentioned in the OP, $120 for a 1 lb pair of poles is not much of a bargain:(

If I was going to buy the cheapest poles possible, they would be Alu or CF flock locks such as Gary did above.

Then cross my fingers:)

But, after trying out a bunch of different poles during the last year, I believe the best overall bang for the buck are the Fizan poles. They are awesome.

The most reliable twist lock poles I have ever used. No issues so far.
They only weight 11 oz per pair even in Alumnium and cost $50 to $60. One of the cheapet ways to drop 4 oz you will find. And, they work superbly.