Recommendations for cheap poles

[gaiagirl]

LLBean did replace the poles, well they actually returned my cash, but i was embarassed to bring em' in because I am currently employed there!!! I feel i maybe should have known better that they wouldn't be enough for me, but at the same time, I expected them to last longer than 1 little hike to Owl's Head . I think maybe they might be hanging out back in the stock room, in pieces, just for laughs .
I ended up buying the Swiss gear poles, $10 for each. They seem very solid and the locking mechanism appears to be budge-proof .... but DAMN are they heavy!!! I AM working on my biceps and all, but using these things I may have to lay off the preacher curl Nautilus machine on my non-hiking days . I also bought a pair of Xcountry poles from Bean that I may use as well since that is what i had been used to previously. Between the 2 of em', I think I should be all set.
Thanks to everyone who had information and advice. What would I do without you ????

 

[KevCon223]

Cheap is not good!! I use Leki Ultralite Titanium and have NEVER had a problem. Just go for the best.

 

[king tut]

I would suggest a second hand sports store. In Maine we have Play It Again Sports. You can probably pick up a pair for a few bucks. I normally use my old downhill ski poles for snowshoeing. I tend to beat the crud out of my poles, but i rarely destroy them. What are ya doin to them, exercising some demons? The only poles i ever destroyed were from skiing the bumps, i sawed off a pair 1/2 way down w/ my ski edges. Unfortunately i did bend my good ski poles this week snowshoeing, but they bent back the other way pretty easily.

 

[gaiagirl]

Exercising demons? Who, me?! .... ummm, errr, gosh no!!! LOL ... I think it's a combination of things. I had Xcountry poles previously and got used to putting a bit more weight on them i think. I am probably pretty tough on my gear in general anyway. The poles I bought from LL bean are really probably not designed for hiking at all, but for recreational snowshoeing I'm betting. The Owl's Head hike i did when I destroyed the snowshoeing poles was a pretty messy, mucky, nasty bushwhack, as well, so that probably was a factor, too. As I said earlier in the thread, I just bought some seemingly sturdy cheapies and a pair of cross country poles, and I think between the 2 I should be good to go .

 

[king tut]

ah ha. X-country poles, that explains it. Them suckers can snap real easy, if they are the real light racing type of carbon poles. If you're going to use those, check out this web page.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/st...langId=-1&categoryId=43402&sc1=Search&feat=sr

I figure that might help ya out when you get that spring forward from the torque that those poles can produce when they snap.

 

[Lawn Sale]

LLBean did replace the poles, well they actually returned my cash, but i was embarassed to bring em' in because I am currently employed there!!!

I ended up buying the Swiss gear poles, $10 for each. They seem very solid and the locking mechanism appears to be budge-proof .... but DAMN are they heavy!!!

If you work at Bean's, you should be able to get a sweet discount off thier regular items, or make out well at the employee store, I'd just keep my eye's open for nice ones.

My Komperdell C3's are nice and light (5.6oz each), and I've managed to beat the snot out of them, to include falling on them on a riverbank and they've held up well. My old P3's took every ounce of abuse I could throw at them and they're still going strong. Both came from Bean's originally.

I checked out the Swiss gear poles while "there" last night picking up my film (can you believe they lost a roll of my 100 mile trek!!!!), and thought they weren't too bad for $10, but I was able to collapse them when I put my weight on them, no matter how tight they were.

I'll be interested to hear your long term report on them after your first outing.

 

[Louis]

cheap poles?

Hey I know fine Polish peoples, none are cheap and i find this thread a bit offensive!

 

[deadpoint]

take a drive down to the local goodwill/salvation army/thrift store and pickup a pair of $1 ski poles.

if you're messing up your poles then you are relying on them too much. they should only been there for balance and quick adjustments, don't expect them to stop a fall or even slow one down in most cases. i rarely use my poles anymore and i've made a habit of it. most of the time when i have them out i'm holding them mid-shaft and parrallel to the ground. they work well when you need to adjust your pack.

 

[Lawn Sale]

Oh, I don't know...

I have fallen on my poles a few times, and many times they've saved me from falls. I was hesitant when I first got the carbon poles, as they are very light and don't seem like they'd hold up, but they have proven themselves to me a few times, so I trust them now. The old aluminum ones are a known quantity and I trust them completely, but the new ones are half the weight. Maybe I rely on them too much, but if I were 100 miles from home and going on a weekend hike, I'd probably go get them. After awhile they're like a part of you and you feel odd not having them around. I know it sounds a lot like Linus' security blanket, but how many of us have other items we feel the same way about.

 

[LenDawg]

I got my poles as a gift and later found out that they are the Walmart specials. Still, I really like them and can't find a problem with them. Still, I think you usually get what you pay for.

 

[jjo]

Target was closing out some Eddie Bauer poles a few weeks ago. They had A/S, 3 sections, etc They were $40/set now $20 for the two. I bought a set as backups. I'm sure they are made for them by one of the big 3 or 4 mfrs.

 

[whcobbs]

cheap poles

I bought a pair of cheap snowshoeing poles a couple of weeks ago from LLBean and completely destroyed them ,

gaiagirl

Two years ago I bought a pair of Masters (Italian) 3-section tele poles on sale at REI.com, $45. They have served me well shoeing, skiing, hiking. I bent one in a super fall but later managed to straighten it ok over the kitchen range gas flame.

Walt