 I'm taking on board all the advice and am going to try a cheap pair of poles first and I see that GoOutdoors.co.uk do a pair of Trekmate Anti Shock Hiker poles for £15! Am keen to buy but they dont state what weight they are so was wondering if anybody else had also tried these? I'm a small chick and know that I wll prefer something light to carry...
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 Hi Websy, welcome to the forums.
I've no experience of the Trekmates poles, but I do have a pair of their gaiters. They fell apart at the zips after about half a dozen uses. I know that may not relate to the poles, but it may be worth bearing in mind.
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I've no experience with those particular poles (I use Leki ultralites which have been excellent for a few years now) but if I was buying again now I'd probably buy the Alpkit carbon ones which are £45 or so.
I have a cheap pair of walking poles that the kids use and they look similar to the Trek ones you mention - they do work but they're not as comfortable to use as my Leki ones and don't appear to be anything like as sturdy (my cheap ones were only about £10 the pair from a supermarket in Sweden though so can't complain)
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 My other half has some of the poles and i had a pair before i snapped one.
They were pretty good but are heavy and also prone to sticking or unlocking.
i recently bought a pair of alpkit poles bit more expensive but much better quality in my opinion.
the trekmates ones are great if you arent sure how much you are going to use them or if you only use them occasionly. That was the main reason i bought some.
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I had an inkling people might say that. Sometimes cheap is good to test something but other times it can give you a bad first impression or be a complete waste of money after breaking.
I do fancy the Alpkit ones but that's a woman for you - expensive taste even for a first buy!
Checked out the rock and run ones and they seem like a better alternative so cheers for the advice! I'm sure there will be more to come...
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Take care to adjust the rock and run flicklock ones carefully, otherwise they can stick or slip. Make sure you always set the sections to the same length, and each time you use them check that they will take your bodyweight before you trust them with it!
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The only thing that put me off the rock and run ones was the weight as they are still quite heavy and only marginally cheaper than alpkit once you have bought 2
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The reason I got mine was that the flicklock is easier to undo with gloved hands when the poles are iced-up in winter than the twisty sort of lock. Mine are Black Diamond, which are actually a tiny bit lighter than the Alpkit carbon fibre ones (according to Alpkit), but actually I've had them years so Alpkit weren't an option when I bought them. THere are other poles I think I'd prefer for outside winter.
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 I got flicklocks because my hands don't work properly in winter, gloves or no. I can't screw up the screw-up ones.
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 I think Alpkit and Trekmates use the same source for their poles as they are vertually identical (both do carbon as well).
If your looking for a budget pole there's nothing wrong with them
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 TK Maxx Hammersmith knocking out Trekmates poles for £12.99 right now.
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 I've had a pair for a year and they've got me over rocky stuff, through boggy stuff, bashed away barbed stuff.
Excellent value.
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Thanks for the advice all, I checked TK Maxx here in Belfast and they had Craghoppers for £20 each (reduced from £35). After weighing up all the odds I've decided to purchase Alpkit ones as they are a bit lighter and seem to have such a good reputation. An extra £10 for the pair but what does a tenner buy you nowadays!
Will let you all know how I get on... Really crap forecast over here for the weekend so hope I get out.
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