REI Co-op  Traverse Trekking Poles - Pair

I needed something to give me some knee support for the intense uphill climbs San Diego can throw at you and after long hours of research I settled in on these. They work fine, the only shortcoming was I had to tighten the locking clamp after the first trip. I'm pushing 250+, I reckon they don't sell them set for larger bodies but a simple leather man adjustment and we're back on the trail again! Great buy for the price!

Bought the poles for my Machu Picchu Inca Trail trip last May. I liked its ability to collapse to shorter length to fit my luggage size. Also, high strength aluminum material on the poles withstand well during 4 days trail hike. The tube extension held up well despite my constant adjusting the length as I walked the many steps of Inca trail. However one of the pole plastic tip felled off at the end of the third day. Luckily I didn't need them on the fourth day at Machu Picchu site. Constant poundings on the trail rocky and muddy ground must have loosened up the contact between the plastic and aluminum tube. I wished REI designed more robust contact, like the screw in replaceable tip.

First used these trekking poles on a long weekend hiking trip in the north Georgia mountains. I did quite a bit of hiking that weekend and the REI TRAVERSE trekking poles were fantastic. I had always just used a walking stick and never had the benefit of real trekking poles. I was really impressed with how much better the hike was with my new poles. There were some serious incline in sections of the trail throughout the weekend and the Traverse poles made it a lot easier on my body, and mind haha. The grips are very soft and although my hands did start to get a little chafed, there were no blisters whatsoever. And that is after almost 20 miles in two days!

Recently purchased these telescoping trekking poles from REI and was impressed with their performance. Took them on a 3 day backpacking trip to the Velma lakes in Desolation Wilderness. They were still a little long when telescoped down as far as they would go and strapped to my pack. But once they were off my pack and in use...i fell in love. Easy to telescope out to the desired height with just a few quick turns of the pole. Locking mechanism worked well. They proved to be very supportive on steep trails. Saved my knees on the steep downhills. Large handgrips were comfortable. I never felt like the poles were flimsy or in danger of collapsing. Overall, a durable and useful product.

These are the first and only poles that I have ever hiked with, so my comparison to other brands and materials is limited. Living in Minnesota, most of our trails are fairly flat, so I've never needed or wanted poles. I decided to purchase these poles for an upcoming week long backpacking trip to the mountains in Wyoming. Using them on the training hikes that I've been doing, which include ascending and descending steep ski jump hills, these poles have proven themselves to me. The locks on the pole extensions hold tight, the straps are comfortable, and the poles are very sturdy. I weigh nearly 300 lbs, and the poles had no trouble holding strong when I put considerable weight on them. At half the cost of carbon fiber, and only 8.5 oz per pole, it was an easy decision to make, and one that I'm glad I did.

These were key when doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand. I would have been blown off the mountain without them. They were easy to pack, adjust and use. They are great for the beginner and well worth the price. If I were an avid hiker I might consider something lighter as it's all about weight when hiking, but they were PERFECT for what we used them for.

After purchasing these poles despite receiving advice in favor of more top-of-the-line models from an in-store employee as well as my fellow online commenters, I have been very satisfied with this set of poles. It was easy to adjust them to the correct length, and after a few miles of use I was getting the hang of using them comfortably. They held up very well on the 4 night backpacking trip up to Marmot Pass I took recently. I was able to really lean on them, and they held up my 185 lbs without any hint of slipping. The only negative I could give about these poles is that one of them makes a slightly annoying buzz or rattle when planted on the ground. The other one does not make it, and it's only one of them. It's not loud, but it's consistent, and I would prefer to have something that didn't make extraneous noises as I'm trekking through the beautiful natural spaces we all enjoy so much. Overall, these poles meet my needs, and I am hopeful that I will figure out a way to keep the one from rattling.

I took these on a fifty-miler backpacking trip, and within the first day I noticed that the second extension on both poles wouldn't extend any further then six inches. I had checked them before I left and they were in perfect condition. On one of the poles I could see an internal piece that was working its way out. I also noticed that one of the poles rattled when I planted it in the ground.

These were a gift from my wife for my Bday present back in January. I was excited to get out and try these once the weather improved. Well our first backpacking trip was in RMNP in June. Took these out to give them a try and no more than 1.5 miles into the hike I put too much pressure on one of them and it snapped like a toothpick at the top twist joint. Upon looking inside I found many cheap plastic parts that had been broken. Needless to say I was bummed to only have one trekking pole the rest of that trip and I had to carry the other broken one around as dead weight! Well fast forward to July...I returned the broken set and grabbed another set of these poles. Figured the one broken pole was a fluke. Took them with me on my second trip to RMNP this summer for another backpacking trip. This time about 1 mile into a 7 mile hike in, we stopped for a quick break. I decided I wanted to adjust the poles to make them a bit longer to climb a difficult section of the trail and tightened them down when the same top joint broke again. I really didn't tighten it that hard and I'm not a huge guy (6'1" 205 lbs), but apparently these things are super cheap plastic. Needless to say I was again annoyed to have to carry around another broken pole for our 5 nights in the park. This set will be going back and I will not be getting any more REI branded poles. I love REI branded things, but trekking poles is not one of their better offerings! My advice: STAY AWAY FROM THIS SET!!

These poles work as advertized. They are comfortable and durable. They set up easily. I liked 'em so much I got a pair for the wife. She loves them. They make a big difference on our aging knees when going up and (especially) down.