The previous generation 2006 Gossamer Gear Lightrek pole was a staff favorite and received the highest rating among fourteen poles reviewed in our 2006 Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole Review Summary and Gear Guide. They were comfortable to use, had excellent grips, and were incredibly light. However, the Gossamer Gear poles did have some drawbacks - they were more flexible than other poles and had a bad habit of losing baskets on the trail.
The new Gossamer Gear Lightrek 3 poles address both of these concerns, and have some major improvements over the previous model. The poles feature all-new shafts that are made of tapered carbon fiber that are both larger in diameter and significantly stiffer than the previous models. They use the same excellent grips but a better Leki-style tip is used. The best news about all of this is that the weight remains exactly the same as the previous Lightrek (2.8 ounces in a 125 centimeter length), making these poles the lightest on the market once again.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- What's Good
- What's Not So Good
- h2*Specifications
- Performance
- What's Unique
- Recommendations for Improvement
# WORDS: 1730
# PHOTOS: 7
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Discussion
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Nia,
Picture a 1" rubber stopper with a bolt in the middle. A very simple, yet robust design. A couple of twists and the sections are "fused" together.
I haven't paid attention to the GG poles because I have to have adjustable poles–the length I need for hiking is shorter than what is needed for my shelters. The advent of the adjustables made these look more interesting. However, in an email Grant of GG told me that they would not offer wrist straps as an option. Unfortunately, I require the straps for medical reasons. Before I retired, my 10-12 hour days at the computer led to severe and very painful carpal tunnel syndrome. I avoided surgery only by taking early retirement (I had other, more pressing reasons, for that). Since retirement, I haven't had any problems–except when I have to grip something for extended periods. With trekking poles, I put full weight on the strap, which doesn't seem to bother my wrist joints. I hardly grasp the pole grips at all. My hand is around the grip, but it is almost completely relaxed. With even the lightest strapless poles, the lack of straps would mean that I'd have to grip the pole harder just to keep it from falling out of my hand.
Claims that non-adjustable poles are better and that straps aren't necessary should therefore be tempered a bit, IMHO. Not all of us can use either feature (or, from my point of view, the lack of them).
I'm just hoping that Titanium Goat will get their poles going again so I can get similar weight poles with straps. They have been out of stock for what seems a long time.
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