Best Trekking Poles of 2019

Trekking Poles come in all shapes and sizes… well, not really. But from antishock systems, to lock and grip types Trekking Poles do have distinguishing characteristics that make them better or worse for backpacking, camping and hiking.

Today we present to you our list of the best Trekking Poles of 2019. If you are curious what advantages trekking poles give you while hiking check out our other trekking pole post here. Trekking poles are great for backpacking because they can help take the load of your legs while climbing and descending hills and they provide a way to balance while crossing tough terrain.

Best Overall Trekking Pole

LEKI Micro Vario Carbon

The LEKI Micro Vario Carbon trekking poles are some of the most fully featured trekking poles available, and their price shows it. The Micro Vario Carbon Trekking Poles are made entirely from carbon, with aluminum ends to extend durability. The poles are light weight at 8.9oz, though not as light as the Gossamer Gear LT5 trekking poles, and feature a unique grip that makes the poles comfortable to hold even on steep inclines.The poles also feature an antishock system.

Best Bang for your Buck

River Country Products Trekking Poles

The River Country Products Trekking Poles are great for backpacking, hiking and talking a walk around the park. They are made out of a sturdy and lightweight carbon fiber/aluminum mix, and have a comfortable cork handle. One nice feature of these poles is an additional foam handle located underneath the cork handle, perfect for hiking steep inclines. You can grip lower on the pole without having to adjust them.

We also are a fan of the dual latch system, allowing the poles to shrink to a packed size of only 25”. I also like the clasps on these poles because they are more intuitive and prevent slipping better than twist lock systems in my experience.

For only $29 these are some of best poles you will find. They aren’t quite as durable as more expensive poles, and you can certainly find lighter weight poles, but if you are just getting into Trekking Poles, or want a high quality pole without paying $100+ these are the way to go. They also work great with River Country Products trekking poles shelters and tents.

Lightest Trekking Pole

GOSSAMER GEAR – LT5

The main critique with the Gossamer Gear poles is that they twist lock, though most reviewers don’t seem to have any problems. Besides the twist lock and the price, these poles work great and are extremely light. Even after just hiking for a few hours you can feel the difference between these poles and a normal set of trekking poles.

Though their website does not provide much information, the handles appear to be made of cork and they have a minimum length of 23.5”, which is plenty small for putting into a backpack when not in use. If you want to lose a little extra weight you can hike without baskets and wrist straps to get the poles down to 4.6oz each.

Most Innovative Trekking Pole

Montem Ultra Z Folding Trekking Poles

The Ultra Z Folding Trekking Poles are an awesome innovative trekking pole, and a great and more affordable option than the LEKI Micro Vario Carbon Poles listen above. While they look similar to the Black Diamond Trekking Poles featured below, these poles are great because once you unfold them their height is adjustable, unlike the Black Diamond Trekking Poles that have a fixed height.

Using these trekking poles is easy. To put them together you simple let the poles hang by the handle and then screw the bottom sections together. The Ultra Z Trekking Poles unique “quick twist” system also means that you don’t have to worry about the poles falling apart while hiking. After you have assembled the poles you can then use a clasp located near the top of the pole to adjust the pole height.

These poles are perfect for backpacking because of their small packed size, though they are a bit heavy at 10.5oz per pole. Which is even heavier than the $29 River Country Products Trekking Poles.

Best Fixed Height Trekking Pole

Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles

The Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles are a great set of trekking poles. Similar to the Montem Z Trekking Poles the Black Diamonds fold into 3 separate parts, which can then be easily put together. The Locking mechanism for the Black Diamond Poles is a bit quicker to use than the Montem poles, simply push the pieces together and they will snap into place. However unlike the Montem Poles, once put in place there is no mechanism for adjusting the height of these trekking poles, making these a fixed length trekking pole.

This can actually be an advantage as fixed length poles can’t slip and slide into themselves unexpectedly, but the lack of adjustability means they do not work well for setting up shelters trekking pole tents. Additionally unless someone is the same height as you they are difficult to loan to others, and at the price you probably wouldn’t want to anyway.