Best Trekking Poles for Hiking and Backpacking

A good set of trekking poles does quiet, useful work: it steadies you on loose ground, saves your knees on the way down, and lets your arms help push you up. The catch is that poles differ in ways that matter once you are miles from the car, mainly shaft material, lock and fold type, grip, and how the pole sizes to you. This guide sorts the picks by those real differences so you can match a pole to how you hike rather than to a spec sheet.

Aluminum versus carbon, and why weight is not the whole story

The shaft material is the first real decision. Aluminum, usually a 6061 or tougher 7075 alloy, is the durable all-rounder: under a heavy side load it tends to bend rather than snap, so if you trap a pole between rocks you are more likely to end up with a dent than a broken trip. Carbon fiber is lighter for the same length, and that lower swing weight genuinely adds up over a long day of lifting the pole thousands of times. The trade is brittleness: carbon handles straight-down loads well but is more likely to crack if you lever it sideways or pinch it in a crack. As a rule, choose aluminum if you hike rocky, scrambly terrain or want a pole you can be rough with, and choose carbon if you count grams for long miles or fast running and will treat the poles with a bit of care.

Telescoping versus folding lock types

How a pole collapses shapes how you carry it. Telescoping poles slide their lower sections up inside the shaft and clamp with external flip locks or internal twist locks. Flip locks are the easier choice: you can see they are shut, set them with gloves on, and tighten the tension screw if they ever slip. Twist locks are cleaner looking but can loosen or seize, so many hikers prefer flip. Folding poles are different: they break into three short sections joined by an internal cord, snap together like tent poles, and lock at a set length. Folding poles pack much smaller, which is why runners and travelers like them, but they usually offer less length adjustment than a telescoping pole. If you lash poles to a pack and want a wide adjustment range, go telescoping; if you stuff them in a vest or carry-on, go folding.

Grips, tips and baskets that suit your hikes

The grip is what your hand lives on all day. Cork wicks sweat, resists odor and slowly molds to your palm, which makes it the comfortable pick for long or warm hikes. EVA foam is lighter and softer to the touch but wears faster over the years, while rubber insulates against cold and shock and suits winter use, though it can feel clammy in heat. Down at the business end, most poles use a hard carbide or steel tip that bites into dirt, rock and ice, with rubber tip covers you slide on for pavement or to protect floors. The baskets, the small discs above the tip, keep the pole from sinking: compact trekking baskets handle mud, while wide snow baskets stop the pole from plunging into soft snow. Several sets here include a mix of tips and baskets so you can adapt to the terrain.

Sizing poles to your height

A pole only helps if it is the right length. The simple test is to stand with the tip on the ground and grip the handle: your elbow should sit at roughly a right angle, forearm level with the floor. A common starting estimate is your height in centimeters multiplied by about 0.68, then fine-tuned from there. Adjustable telescoping poles make this easy and even let you shorten them a little for steep climbs and lengthen them for long descents, so your arms stay in a comfortable position throughout. Fixed-length folding poles do not adjust much, so you must buy the size that matches your height, and taller or heavier hikers should check both the maximum length and the weight rating before choosing. Getting the length right is what turns a pole from a thing you carry into a thing that carries part of you.