Leki  Cressida FX Carbon Trekking Poles - Women's - Pair

First and foremost I apologize for the late review - I was decommissioned for awhile due to a surgical procedure. The craftsmanship of these poles is next level. The fact that they have replacement parts is kind of incredible and super smart. Although, I can't imagine anyone wearing out any part of these! I know aesthetics don't help with performance but I like how good looking these poles are (dare I say "sexy"??) ;) Everything about the poles screams "quality" - every piece. I like how easily adjustable they are for height. My boyfriend is taller than me but we were able to extend them to his perfect length so he could give them a go too. Even the wrist straps are adjustable - so smart and well designed. My BF gave them a big thumbs up! A big bonus is the super light weight of these poles - they are a mere 245 grams (1/2 pound or 8.6 oz). When I received these poles they came with a bag to store them in. It's probably not something I will use often but nice to have just the same. I had trouble extending the poles and getting them to lock (the users guide included in the packaging didn't make it clear how to do it). I started to try to unlock (flip) one of the tabs but luckily I looked up a video online before I did any damage. It showed how to extend them with a quick snap at the full extension to lock in place. I am amazed at how compact they are when folded. They are small enough that I can carry them inside my pack if I choose to. I'm not sure why they fold into 3 sections though, it doesn't make them any smaller than if there were only two sections. Plus, it's difficult to grab all three sections at the same time and the bottom section tends to get caught on everything when I try to pull them out of my bag (regardless of whether I store them inside or out). I leave mine in two sections because the take up even less space that way. I loooovee the cork handles! My hands sweat on other poles but not on these! I also like the rubber top of the knob - my hands don't slip around at all with these. I tend to switch my grip back and forth between the normal grip for walking and putting my palm on the top of the pole when I'm descending trails - it gives me better stability when I can push straight down. I found the ribbon strap hindered this switching (usually because my hands are moist and the ribbon sticks to my wrist). I would prefer the strap was a chord. I've used these poles in Yosemite, Mammoth, the Sequoias and several places in between (we go hiking nearly every other weekend). Overall I am very please with these poles and am grateful I got to try them out. Before I tested them I felt they were out of my budget but now that I know first hand how many perks there are, I definitely see the value and would recommend them to any serious hiker.

It’s always the small things that make a big difference, and these trekking poles have a few features which differentiate them from the rest. The first is one of the locking mechanisms on the extender. When it locks into place, instead of risking pinching your finger trying to push in a metal piece to fold up your poles, this pair has an easy button to push which unlocks the extender. It’s nice! They also fold up a lot easier than some of the other hiking poles I have, which is nice when you’re trying to fold them up and store them in a hurry. The wrist straps are adjustable. This is the first time I’ve seen that feature. I don’t use the wrist straps a lot, but it’s nice to have the option of tightening them down for a more secure fit (I have small wrists), but then extending them again in the winter when I’m wearing mittens. The cork handles feel nice to hold, which seems like a small thing, but when you’re on a long hike and holding them for hours, it becomes a bigger deal. The lightweight is also handy in that regard. Whether you’re hiking with them in your hands or in your pack/vest, you won’t even notice these poles because they’re so light. Overall I am very happy with these poles, and will be bringing them along on all my hiking and trail running adventures to come!

Durable, lightweight carbon fiber. Easy to extend and collapse the poles on the fly. The cork grips are nice, they don’t get hot on sunny, warm days. I cleaned them with one of those magic erasers, that worked out well. The instructions that came with the poles said replacement parts are available for up to 10 years after purchase. That’s a huge plus. I’d like to get snow baskets for an upcoming trip. The poles are great, easy to adjust and pack away, they are sturdy under a load.

Super lightweight. Easy to pack. They work well. But I had the hardest time figuring out how to make them lock and unlock. The directions that come with the poles are pictures that are so confusing and don’t help at all. I had to google how and watch a video.

Nice poles & visit YouTube to figure out how to lock them in place. Easy to put together. Lightweight. The only challenge was figuring out how to lock them (should be in the instructions, but it isn't). Found a great 1:15 video on YouTube to solve that issue.