Gossamer Gear Lightrek 4 Trekking Pole Review

I have found that the Khyber Camo Poles are no longer available. GG says that the painting was too difficult to produce. I should have grabbed a pair when they were available. I would love to get a pair if anyone has them.
Thanks,
Fred

Funny stuff Franco.

The GG grips are truly fantastic. Great shape, as noted, and they also conduct very little cold. Quite noticeable compared to standard rubber grips.

Frederick, just a thought, if you can't find the Camo Poles to buy, I suspect you could paint your own camo pattern with a set of spray paint cans.

Hey Doug, great review! Add to your list of compatible shelters the Gatewood Cape, which requires a 45" pole. When I need a higher pitch I've been using my 48" alpenstock, but since it weighs a whopping 15 oz I think I'm ready to try something lighter.

I had some trouble initially adjusting and tightening the poles. I eventually stumbled onto both the methods described by the review and by GG.

After 5 or 6 uses, the rubber tighteners apparently "settled in," and I had no trouble tightening them.

I've used a lot of poles in the past few years, from my old wooden poles (yikes! they seem heavy now) to the fixed-length carbon-fiber poles available here to aluminum Lekis, etc., and IMO the LT4's are the best and the GG after-the-sale service is spectacularly cordial and effective.

Bravo, GG!

Stargazer

I have a pair of Lt4's – although I use only one pole so I actually have one I've used and one unused. I love the poles. I've had no problems with the locking mechanism in a couple hundred miles of use. I also had a great experience with their customer service. I found a sort of a slice on one pole when they were first delivered, and sent them a photo of the affected pole. They sent me a new lower section, no problem. I don't use straps on mine, but I do have a lop of cord for my wrist so I can let go of the pole and have it dangle from my wrist when getting something out of a pocket or what have you.

I've been using my LT 4's for a year now and love them.

I used the Lightrek 4's for a little over 2100 miles on the PCT this last summer and absolutely love them! I had 3 problems with them. I broke both a lower and an upper section in snow, and had the glue fail in a replacement lower section leaving the tightening mechanism jammed in the upper section.
As far as breaking my poles. This is the lesson I finally learned. As soon as I encounter ANY snow, I make the decision to either carry the poles or put the baskets on. I don't use the poles in the snow with out baskets. Both times I broke my poles, I didn't have the baskets on. The first instance was during a fall, and the lower section broke. The second instance was when I postholed, the pole postholed, my momentum moved formard, the pole didn't and sheared off at the level of the snow. It all happened too fast for me to just let go of the pole.
You might ask why I don't just use the baskets all of the time? It's simply because these poles are so light that I can tell the difference of when the baskets are on or off! Having the baskets on changes the pole, in my perception, from an extension of my arm to pendulum. Instead of being part of me, my pace, my breathing-they become something mechanical that actually requires my thought and attention. It's kind of hard to explain, but I really hate using the baskets! Those who have hiked with me know how whiney and persnicketey I can be.
The third problem was simply that my adjustable pole turned into a take-down pole, and was fixed with a small strip of duct tape to keep the two sections together when the tip would lodge between rocks or stick in clayey soil. The adjuster kept the pole at the proper length.

The guys at GG are fantastic about resolving the issues with the poles, and with all the parts and pieces I had at the end of my hike this year, I could put together a complete set of functional poles.