User Review: REI Peak UL Trekking Poles

REI Peak UL Trekking Poles
Above: The current Peak UL Trekking Poles, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed November 22, 2006 by Keith C.

Rating: rated 4 of 5 stars
Price Paid: $109 15% off sale

I have enjoyed these poles for the past two weeks. They are so light I hardly know they are there. I am 6' tall and 210 lbs. and the poles do a pretty good job of handling my body weight. I use the hand straps in the recommended manner and I am putting quite a bit of weight onto those straps when moving up steep terrain. So far I have had no issues with strap comfort.

I love the hand grips, for me they are a perfect fit. But I dislike the top of the hand grips. The top of the grips are flat, uncomfortable, and poorly supported. (Sometimes when I am tired, I like to shorten the poles to near mimimum and "straight arm" my way down a steep hill with my body weight resting on the tops of the poles through the palms of my hands). You can't use these poles in that fashion. Outside of that one minor issue they are stable and sure footed and have always stayed locked.

I especially like the star design on the carbide tips, they grip granite extremely well. Better than the Leki and BlackDiamond designs, (at least when they are brand new, that could change as they age) I don't know how long that star design will last before it gets worn down. So far this week I have traveled six miles over granite fields and the tips still look brand new. The poles have a max length of 55" and fully extended they are not to terrible strong. At my body weight I am capable of snapping a pole set at 55" if I really leaned way out on it. (This is a harsh test and I am capable of breaking a lot of premium poles this way) With the poles set to 49 to 50 inches which is my primarry trekking height then they are quite strong and I have no fear of breakage.

All in all highly recommended. At the moment I also own the new Black Diamond Alpine CF and it's a toss up as to which one I will keep. The Alpine is the stongest and stiffest pole I have ever used and it's also a very heavy 18 oz. a pair. This pole does not even flex under my body weight. It's like a baseball bat. Sigh... On the other hand the REI pole is so lite that at times I have fogotten it was on my hand. There is something magical about picking up a pole that weighs no more than a bag of potato chips. The REI pole is a very light weight, attractive, seductive piece of equipment. It is so light that everyone who has handled it goes "owwwww...ahhhhh! Good luck in making up your mind.

Keith C.
Atlanta, GA

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