Traverse Treking Pole

As with most "treking poles" these really suck butt! I bought a pair for myself and my wife a couple years ago.



After 2 uses one pole had the middle section stuck inside the upper section (this happened as I left Paradise to climb Rainier), the other 3 poles would collapse when weighted. If you slipped on the snow and planted a pole to keep you and your 50lb pack upright, they collapsed almost without fail. Funny thing was then you really had to struggle to get them opened back up -HA HA HA HA!



I took them to the service counter at REI 3 different times and the guy would shake his head at them and give them back explaining there was nothing he could really do other than give me a new one that would probably do the same thing.



After a dozen frustrating trips with these I finally took them back to REI for a full refund and bought some of Black Diamond's Ascent Flick Lock Poles which have thier own peculiarities.



I have come to the conclusion that, unless you need a collapsable pole for some reason (like if you had to carry them over a technical climb) stick with regular ski poles, they are cheaper, more reliable, require no maintenance, lighter and stronger.

I purchased my Traverse Trekking poles at REI. They worked great on my first trip up Mount Whitney in June 01. On my second trip with these poles, one pole refused to lock once extended. The middle section just would not hold. I was able to extend the lower section enough to compensate for it, however, when I encountered mud or moist dirt in Switzerland along Swis hiking trails the defective pole would hyper extend. Needless to say, after two trips these poles should be working fine. Well, I am still overseas, and have one good pole and one near worthless pole. The collapsable features are great for technical ascents, and travel, but otherwise, I prefer skiing poles or "regular" hiking poles. Poles are good for support when walking, do offer some extra stability in places with scree or talus, and make a nice probe.
For a trip on 17 August, I pulled apart and "fixed" the broken pole. It worked fine on 17 August. It still should not need repair so fast, but I am amending it to a two star rating. I "dare not" adjust the lengths.

I purchased the Traverse - Antishock Trekking poles at REI in May 2002. I have used them extensively since then and had no problems with them so far at all.



The grips are extremely comfortable. The poles lock properly in the required position and even when putting my full weight ( 185 lbs + Backpack ) on them during descents - due to a knee injury, none of the poles have ever collapsed ..



When using the "Antishock Function" you can sometimes hear a squeaking noise, when the springs retract.. which can be a bit of a nuissance ..



Otherwise they work great for me and I am very happy I got them, especially on long 20 + mile day hikes in the Sierra in steep terrain.

I got a pair of the REI poles for Christmas and have loved them. I used them for my Mt Hood climb and they work great. The only thing I think they can improve on is the grip. It doesnt fit perfectly when I have my climbing gloves on.

I have only used these polls once on a 24 hour adventure race but I thought they were worth their weight in gold. I put them through quite a bit and they seemed to hold up fine. The antishock feature was unexpectedly nice except that it would often turn on or off accidentally. Overall I am happy with the purchase.

These poles seem to work quite well for me. No complaints. I have not experienced any of the problems listed by other reviewers. I do take the poles apart after every use to clean and dry them. I also occasionally need to adjust the internal locking mechanisms.
The poles come with dirt baskets and you can order two different sizes of snow baskets.

These poles are easy to handle and very useful to have. I take them everywhere. That said, One or the other will occasionally "slip" and partially collapse. The first few times I blamed myself for not properly locking them, but two years is a long time for it to still be happening.