REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are probably the lightest poles out there. More durable then they look. At first I thought they would be too flimsy but they have held out well. Whitney, Dana, Half Dome, Yellowstone, Tetons, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and still going strong.

The trick to having the lock hold every time is to never let the tension out too much when you untwist and store them. I found this out with my Leki's and have applied to every twist pole I've used since. If you untwist too much, then the tension is lost and it will start spinning when you tighten. So once you start getting close to sliding tension, just untwist 1/4 turn CCW at a time until you can slide the poles shut. Always twist the minimal to get the job done. When the poles are done sliding to storage position, 1/2 turn CW to maintain tension and prevent loosening in transit. When extending, just make sure you tighten an additional 1/4-1/2 turn after you feel it tighten. Never had them collapse or spin after following these tips.

If you've accidentally let the tension out too much, then you either need to pull them completely out and hand tighten until the mechanism will catch (then place back in the pole shaft), or bend the pole slightly (while in the shaft), so the mechanism catches, and twist.

It helps to know how the mechanism works in this case. Basically think of a flower that opens up. There is a screw in the middle. As you tighten the pole, the screw forces the petals of the flower out and it grabs onto the cylinder of the pole. If you loosen it too much, the petals won't touch at all and when you twist the pole, instead of the screw causing the petals to flower out, the whole mechanism just spins and the screw won't go further in. Once you get a little friction on the edges of the flower petals, it will catch and the screw will cause the petals to flower out even more.

The other hint is do not extend these poles outside the marked areas. There is a reason they provide those markings. Try to keep them closer to the middle where they are stronger. If you insist on extending them to very long lengths and putting a lot of weight on them, I can see them cracking because they aren't as strong on the ends and the torque becomes greater as the pole increases in length.

The poles themselves fold up very short so they don't take up a lot of space. That's nice for storing in car trunk or luggage, but also when you fold them and place them in the side of your backpack, they won't stick up like flag poles. This was useful at the cables for half dome where you don't want to poke people coming down in the face whenever you turn around.

I've used Leki, REI/Komperdell, and Black Diamond.

The Lekis I have need even more twist to tighten and, being aluminum, are much heavier. They are bomb proof as well and have the angled cork handles which I find more comfortable. However besides being heavy, the angled handles prevent the poles from storing as short as the straight poles. I saw that Leki reduced the angle on the new poles so they could use the handle itself to implement the angle instead of angling the actual pole like on my Makalus.

I've also used the Black Diamonds that have the flick lock. This mechanism is more like a vice grip with a little flap to cause both halves to tighten. It is very reliable and I also like it. If I had gloves on and it was very cold and wet out, I would prefer the flick lock mechanism. However the flick lock is only for the top portion on my Contour. The bottom portion on mine has this rubber enclosed button that pushes a mechanism similar to the telescoping handles on luggage. This one is difficult to push with gloves on. I see on some of the newer BDs they give you double flick locks, which I think is a good idea.

Every pole has some negatives, but overall I would definitely recommend the REI ultralight carbon poles (the are made by Komperdell for REI). The light weight makes them a pleasure to use and pack. They are very durable for 98% of the ways people use them (if you get them stuck between boulders and put all your weight on them instead of pulling the pole out of the hole, then they'll break, just don't do that). Follow the tips and the poles won't collapse or spin forever. The one thing I didn't like as much are the grips. The cork handles I have on my Lekis are more comfortable, but they are also heavier.

Basically read all the reviews below and filter out the ones that give one star because the poles collapsed or spun forever. Keep in mind that if you follow the tips above, there is a very good chance you won't experience those issues. I've seen spinning and collapsing with every twist pole of every brand if you let the tension out too much. Just follow the tips and don't do that.

The Black Diamond double flick locks are good also and are pretty much idiot proof. They are heavier though so if you want light, don't be scared away, go for the REI carbon UL. If you get Black Diamond, get the double flick locks rather than the single flick + pushbutton. The pushbutton can be hard to press and it can also corrode if your poles get wet.

I would have given this five stars if the handles felt nicer and it was idiot proof from the beginning without needing to follow tips.

The handles aren't that big a deal because if you are properly using your poles the weight should mostly be on the straps and your wrist. There is a common misconception that the straps are there to prevent you from losing the pole. Actually the straps are there to support 90% of your weight. Many beginners will place their hands through the straps and grab the pole, so the strap runs above on the top side of their hand. Using it that way, your weight is supported by your hand grip and it is easy to tire out your hands or get blisters on your fingers/palm. The better and more appropriate way is to put your hands in the strap from underneath the strap, then grab the handle with the strap between the palm of your hand and the handle (adjust the length of the strap so that fat portion rests a little below the top side of your wrist). When you do it this way, you can completely let go of your grip and your weight will completely be supported with almost no effort. Usually when I'm moving fast I don't grip the poles at all and just use my hands to slightly guide the pole location, allowing all my weight to be absorbed by the strap and my wrists. Incidentally, this is why you will see on some brands like Leki they will have "left and right" poles. The poles themselves are the same, but the straps are thinner on one side so they feel more comfortable when you rest your weight on them and also so they won't chafe the sides of your hands.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are near-perfect trekking poles. Lightweight and amazingly strong. I have used them under very rugged conditions in Turkey, the Alps and, most recently, for a month of trekking and climbing in the Himalayas.
In both my poles the plug of the tightening device became loose in the lower pole segment making it impossible to tighten that segment. A drop of Superglue on the plug followed by immediately tapping it into the lower segment tube cured the problem.
I can only hope that Komperdell will find a solution to this, because otherwise, this is the perfect trekking pole.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

I bought these during the January Clearance. I could not pass up the price. The store was sold out so I had them shipped to the store (great arrangement on its own). When I got home I read the reviews on the poles as I waited for delivery. Frankly, I was worried about the collapsing issue. When I went to the store for pick up I asked a salesperson to show me the trick to tighten the poles. I don't get it. I set them at the height I wanted, tightened them up and literally put all of my weight on one pole, no collapsing on either pole. Either they fixed the issue or others did not tighten enough. I must say that I have had experience with other twist type poles (L***) and there is a "feel" to making the adjustments, but I have had no trouble with these and am a happy hiker!

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

These collapsed on me at least once a day from the day I got them and didn't always tighten where I wanted them to, instead just spinning in place. It was an annoyance to break stride to lengthen the pole again, but then again, the weight IS impressive. I think if I had remembered to tighten these every morning I would have had fewer problems.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

I got two pairs of these at a[...] sale as an experiment for my son and me -- everyone I talked with who had poles loved them. Well, now I do, too. They take a load off your legs on the way up and a load off your knees on the way down. These poles are incredibly light and I really like them. But they're fragile and you can no longer get replacement shafts for them! [...] [...]continues to sell this pole even though they don't support it with spare parts. So get this pole only if you're willing to treat them as throwaways [...]

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

After extensive back surgery I was instructed to use my walker at all times. I tried my treking poles after a few days, and found them to be sturdier, easier to use, and could travel with them much easier. I never used the walker again. One month after surgery, I was still using my treking poles, surprising my therapist, and surgeon. I would recommend them to anyong to gain confidence and balance recovering from surgery or accidents. Much stabiler than a cane while recovering.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

The most important aspect of trekking poles for me is that they be light and strong and these are. I'm in my 60s and I find them helpful when the hike has a lot of downhill and uphill - like to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back.

A number of folks have been frustrated by the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism works, but it can be hard to deal with until you have figured it out. On some of these poles, the locking mechanism works fine. On some you have to figure out what works. Bending the pole a little while twisting to lock may work. On others, no amount of twisting and bending will get them to lock. In these cases pull the joint to maximum extension with the red "stop" showing and twist to lock. (They'll all lock when extended to the stops.) But you can't leave it there because it is overextended and the joint won't be strong enough. Loosen it just enough that you can make the joint slide to the length you want. If you haven't loosened it too much, it will now lock where you want it to. I've played with a few of these and some lock easily and some don't want to lock. But they all will lock if you figure out what works on yours. And it takes no more than a minute. Then you'll have the one of the best poles at a great price. I bought one for myself and one for my wife at half price.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

I was so excited to use these poles but only a mile into my climb up Mt. Liberty, they seemed to be getting shorter.

Upon inspection, they were indeed creeping in on me and so I twisted loose, adjusted, and then one of the poles would not twist back to lock. It just free-spun continuously.

So I pulled the sections apart to look at the locking mechanism and discovered construction of cheap, smooth plastic. The kind that gets brittle in temps in the teens - like I was in.

When I slid the pole pieces back together, I had to give a little tap with the heel of my hand on top of the handle - which broke the plastic threaded bolt that is the mainstay of the locking mechanism.

In short, these poles look nice but I'm returning them and trading a little weight for something that actually works.

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

REI has fallen quite short on what could be the perfect trekking pole. The joints on the higher end REI poles are not well designed. I had a pair stop tightening before I got out on the trail, so I went online to see if I was doing something wrong. Saw many bad reviews on the REI carbon poles due to joint failure. THANKFULLY I wasn't on a trail when I found this out. Promptly took them back amidst an employee admitting they get a lot of returns on these. REI should demand a change in design in the joint, making it fail proof, and they will literally have the perfect trekking pole. If only they chose to use a Black Diamond style FlickLock system....

Comments about REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are expensive, but they are light, quiet, and we have never had a problem locking them, unlocking them or adjusting them.