The Best Trekking Poles for Conserving Energy and Softening Impact on Your Next Adventure

The time to start hiking with trekking poles was yesterday. This simple piece of outdoor equipment extends your limbs, giving you more power and stability on the trails. They lessen the impact on your joints, thus allowing you to hike longer and harder—a lifesaver if you struggle with weak knees on downhills or lower back pain after a long day on the trail.

They’re handy tools to boot—you can use a pair of hiking poles to set up ultralight shelters and tents. Plus, they can make that next-day hike recovery feel like you just took a walk in the park. Trekking poles are an essential tool for backpackers, trail-runners, and thru-hikers alike, and quite frankly, you need a pair for yourself.

We’ve put some popular models to the test to help you find the best fit for your adventures. Here are our picks for supporting those knees and joints on steep inclines and downward descents.

Need more outdoor gear? Check out our picks for the best backpacking backpacks, ultralight tents, and lightweight hiking shoes.

What to Consider

Material

The material your trekking pole is made from directly affects its weight and durability. Aluminum is a hefty, cheap, and robust material. On the more expensive end is carbon fiber, which is extremely lightweight but more brittle than aluminum.

Carbon fiber trekking poles offer the best strength-to-weight ratio, though they can snap when stressed due to the material’s thinness. Aluminum, on the other hand, dents and bends instead of breaking under immense pressure.

Some trekking pole shafts are made with a combination of both materials, while value-forward aluminum poles are cut with plastic to cut costs. All aluminum is made with magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, titanium, manganese, chromium, and silicon.

Trekking poles utilize two types of aluminum: 6061 and 7075. 6061, commonly used for bike frames and welding projects, is cheaper and more common. 7075 contains more zinc, making it stronger—poles made with 7075 aluminum have better shock absorption and are generally stronger than those made with 6061 aluminum.

Packability

While weight is one aspect of packing a pair of trekking poles, their ability to collapse and bundle also matters. Some trekking poles have a quick-release button that lets them snap into a longer length on the fly, while others have multiple latches that extend and retract each pole to an adjusted size. Some poles, like the Mountainsmith Halite 7075, fold into a Z shape to better pack into bags.

Baskets

Hiking pole baskets attach to the bottom tips of each pole to prevent the pole from sinking too deep into mud, sand, snow, or between rocks. Typically sold in pairs, baskets are about 1.5 inches wide, while those made for snow are much wider. These inexpensive pieces can be replaced and swapped, and can be found at outdoor retailers like REI.

Handles, Grips, and Straps

Trekking pole handles are shaped for hand comfort and are primarily covered in foam, rubber, or cork. Each has unique advantages, but your choice of grip may depend on preference.

• Cork: Often considered the best material for most hikers, cork wicks away moisture, conforms to your hands over time, and offers a solid grip. It’s a natural material, mold-resistant, and waterproof.
• Foam: These synthetic grips are the lightest and softest to the touch. However, they absorb moisture fairly well and don’t quickly wick it away, meaning long trekkers may suffer through wet palms. Foam tends to hold up better over time than cork.
• Rubber: The cheapest of the bunch. It’s not a very durable material and is prone to causing blisters and hot spots. They’re better in the cold and can absorb shock and vibration on hikes.

Nearly all trekking poles have straps attached to the top of their handles. These are meant decrease pressure from your hands and transfer it to the wrists. To use trekking pole straps properly, move your hands upwards through the underside of each strap loop until they sit over your wrists, then grip each pole by making a fist. These straps are also helpful in ensuring you don’t drop a pole on a trek, which can result in accidental breakage.

Height

Adjustable trekking poles are useful for most people under six feet tall, but some have retracted lengths that are too tall for short users. According to REI, trekking poles that have a maximum length of at least 51 inches are best for those over six feet.

As for fixed length poles, those shorter than 5-foot-1 should find a set of poles with a length at 39 inches. If you’re between 5-foot-1 and 5-foot-7, 43 inches is your best pole length. If you’re 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-11, the retailer suggests finding poles that are 47 inches.

For most hikes, your arms should make a 90-degree bend at the elbow with your poles pointing straight down on flat ground. If climbing a steep incline, shorten your pole lengths to give yourself better leverage uphill. If you’re moving downhill, it’s best to extend them to soften the impact of landing.

How We Selected

To find the best trekking poles on the market, we called in review samples from top brands like REI, Mountainsmith, and Leki, taking each on a hike to see how they performed in the field. For the products we didn’t test, we looked for product recommendations based on bestsellers and highly-rated products at retailers like REI, Backcountry, and Amazon. We also read recommendations from publications like Wirecutter, Switchback Travel, and Outdoor Gear Lab. We whittled down the field by comparing each option’s versatility, strength, and price, using our personal field experience and user reviews to recommend the best.