Are you ready for thru hiking in 2020?
If you are preparing for a thru hike, you may know a lot about trekking poles and how to pick one.
I thru hiked the Appalachian trail in 2014. Here are some of my personal preferences while selecting a pair of trekking poles.
1. Carbon fiber vs aluminum
I used carbon fiber trekking poles while hiking the AT.
Light weight is critical for thru hiking. After 10 miles hiking a day, a piece of paper feels like a rock. You do not want any unnecessary weight.
It is true that carbon fiber poles may snap. If you use them properly, they are as durable as you need them to be.
Considering the weight and that aluminum trekking poles may bend, carbon fiber trekking poles are my choice.
2. Adjustable
I used trekking poles to set up my tent. With the full lengths of the poles, I can get more space in my tent.
Meanwhile, I found it helpful to adjust the length when I was hiking uphill or downhill.
Adjustable trekking poles come handy in these cases comparing with non-adjustable ones.
3. Snap lock vs twist lock
The twist lock is usually not recommended.
You can either over-tighten them or twist them too loose. There are trekking poles with twist locks that have good performance, but a snap lock is simple to use and gradually replacing the twist lock on the market.
Summary and ThruVentures TrekV2
The factors I listed above are the ones I considered while selecting trekking poles for thru hiking. The pair I used during AT hiking was helpful, but I found that they could be better to satify all my needs. Therefore, I started ThruVentures, LLC and designed the TrekV2 trekking poles, which have all the features I wanted.
I hope this product can become an essential tool for people who are thru hiking. If you are interested in our product, check out our product page.
(The weight of TrekV2 is 11. 81 ounces per pair. )
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