REI Co-op  Flash Folding Trekking Poles - Pair

Purchased in October 2020. I used these poles lightly on experimental basis until this year for backpacking and for trail running. In June 2024 I was on a hike on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail near Madison. When stowing them, one of them suddenly broke within the interior connectors, so that it cannot be reset together again, rendering it useless. I had to carry the wreckage for the duration of the hike, using the one remaining pole only. I am very unhappy with the quality. On my return home, I stopped in at my local Minnesota Bloomington REI store and inquired of the floor sales staff. The retail person expressed dismay at the misfortune, but explained that nothing can be done about the quality, won't be replaced, and that no repairs are possible.

I have owned two pair of these poles. After using the first set for only a short period of time, the bottom section of one of the poles disconnected from the other two sections and fell out. I was hiking in Iceland at the time and had to use duct tape to continue the hike. Thinking it was a one-off problem, I exchanged that pair for another. 5 miles into my first hike with this second pair of poles, the exact same problem occurred. I returned this second pair for a refund and will buy poles from a different manufacturer. Don’t waste your time purchasing this item.

I've had these poles for less than a year (less than 10 uses) and one is already broken. The first thing to go was the Velcro that keeps the poles together when folded, which prevented me from carrying them on the outside of my pack. Then, one of the poles splintered at the lowest joint after I used them to support my weight as I stepped up on a log (I'm 130lbs). As disappointed as I am with the durability, I have to say that I was impressed with the weight, ease of use, and comfortable grips. I would not recommend these for anything but casual hiking.

I bought these poles as my first pair of trekking poles ever. I was so excited to use them. I went on a five mile hike through moderate terrain of the Northeastern CT woods, and after four miles, one of the inner chords of the right pole completely snapped. I had not been applying excessive force at all, but the pole basically fell apart in my hand. I will use telescoping poles with locking mechanisms from now on. One pro of these poles is that they are very light, and if they hadn't fallen apart, I would be very happy with them.

My previous one star review disappeared so I'm reviewing again. Seriously flawed design. Poles collapse repeatedly and I think it has to do with the little piece of metal that sticks out from the bottom section......... The worst part was, when I tried to return them, I got nothing but lectures such as "You aren't supposed to lean on the poles." I have used hiking poles for over 20 years and these are the first that have broken......

owned two pairs. The first were just a bit too tall, and I struggled to adjust the straps correctly. chalked this up to user error, but the grips felt like they were a little too loose. Got a second pair, and after little use (less than 30 miles) the grip on one of the poles tore almost completely off, almost sending me down a pretty nasty embankment on Mt. Massive. Had to finish the descent with one pole and pack the other out. lightweight, grabs the rock well with the rock tips... felt great, just really poor quality on the grip. Better off spending your $ on a different set. TLDR: poor quality grips, almost took a fall when they failed.

I'm using these poles for thru hiking the CDT. They are light and fold easily to fit my pack side pocket when not needed (wt is important!). They handled over 75 river crossings and 900 miles before one snapped in half in over 3ft of wet heavy spring snow in Medicine Bows (thus the 4 not 5 rating). Using one (and still great) until replacement arrives.

Poles are light, compact and comfortable. Unfortunately, they lack the 4th characteristic I really care about which is durability. I thought I was fortunate to find a fully functional pair in my size at an REI garage sale. Two uses in, the latch mechanism failed. The button should pop out when poles are extended in order to keep tension. Somehow, the button / latch is pulled inside and up the pole with no way to retrieve / fix. This is noted in another review as well. Unfortunately for me, because I bought a garage sale item, REI would do nothing for me even though the latch failure was not present at time of purchase. This is the first time I've ever been disappointed in an REI branded product.

I hate saying "I wanted to like these" but there you go. They are nice and light, feel great in the hand, collapse nicely. First hike with them, first hundred meters I hear a FOOP! And the bottom section of one of them drops out. The black plastic knob in between the sections was the weak point. So, poorly designed at that spot. I read some other not so great reviews, but the price was nice and I gave them a shot. Oh well. Going to spend the money for the BD carbon sticks.

I haven’t experienced the durability issues. I have several hundred pretty harsh miles and feel I drive my poles pretty hard. I replaced my black diamond counterparts when they broke and plan to stick with this model as long as they keep making it. Still on my original pair though. I highly recommend them.