Trekking Poles

The Best Trekking Poles for Any Adventure 2022

TrailBuddy trekking poles for hiking

Trekking poles or trek poles area a great investment if you want to reduce fatigue, injury and have a better time hiking or exploring. How many times have you rolled an ankle or lost your footing while hiking or backpacking? It’s happened to me more times than I can count. Plus, the added weight of a backpack can bring you to your knees with one slip. 

A good trekking pole or hiking pole is a great piece of hiking equipment to own. Many hikers may tell you that they’re not worth the extra weight, but it’s likely they’ve never fully embraced just how helpful a great trekking pole can be on a hiking trail. It’s easy to lose your footing on rocky or slippery terrain and it’s a good idea to do everything in your power to ensure that you have the right hiking gear. 

You can collapse and attach your trek pole to your hiking backpack until you need it. 

Hiking Pole

You’ve probably heard people refer to trekking poles as hiking pole as they’re basically the same thing. Hiking poles have been used by hikers forever and the terms are usually interchangeable. A good trekking ple or hiking pole can really make your hike more enjoyable and can assist you during tough hikes. 

Here’s Why You Need a Good Trekking Pole

There are many benefits to using a trekking pole or hiking pole on your next excursion. Here are just a few: 

Crossing Bodies of Water – You’ve likely crossed numerous bodies of water while hiking. Many times the water is actually way deeper than you originally thought and you can easily fall down and injur yourself or get your gear wet. Trekking poles offer extra balance and help you find submerged limbs or rocks that you could trip over. 

Leaving the Trail – Everyone that goes hiking eventually leaves the trail to explore. A good trekking pole or hiking pole will really shine when you leave the “safe” trail and embark into the unknown. There’s usually trees, branches, water and other potential hazards once you go off trail and a set of trekking poles or a hiking pole can help you keep your footing in unknown territory.

Helps Prevent Injury – We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating – trekking poles can prevent injuries while on the trail. I can’t count the number of times I’ve slipped on rocks, rolled an ankle or somehow tripped over an obstacle with a heavy pack that could have been prevented by using a set of trekking poles or walking sticks. 

Trekking Poles Help Burn More Calories – Yes, you read that right. Trekking poles or hiking poles can actually help you walk faster and some studies have shown that using them burns nearly 50% more calories than not using them. This could partially be because you’re using your arms too, but I think a large part of that is due to them allowing you to walk faster with a brisk pace. 

Trekking Poles Protect Joints – Hiking or backpacking can be hard on joints, especially as we get older. A hiking pole is similar to having a third leg to help take some pressure off of your joints. This is especially true if you hike with a loaded backpack. 

Here are the Best Trekking Poles and Hiking Poles

TrailBuddy Trekking Poles

TrailBuddy makes a great pair of trekking poles that come with everything you need to traverse various types of trails. They’re made from strong, yet lightweight aircraft-grade 7075 aluminum that can withstand heavy trail use. In fact, this type of aluminum is tougher and can out-perform carbon fiber. The TrailBuddy trekking poles come in 8 different colors depending on your style and they’re actually quite affordable. 

These trekking poles are adjustable and you can adjust them based to fit from 24.5” all the way up to 54” in height. One thing I loved about this pair of trekking poles is the fact that you can operate the lever locks single-handedly versus stopping to use both hands. This saves time and makes it more efficient while hiking with gear. It even has comfortable straps with padding and  a moisture-wicking cork handle that actually molds to your hand over time. This comes in handy while hiking in hot climates because your hands will sweat immensely. 

These hiking poles give you options when hiking such as interchangeable tips that give you an advantage in all types of weather conditions. It comes with 2 mud baskets, 2 snow baskets and 4 rubber tips. 

We highly recommend this pair of trekking poles by TrailBuddy. 

Aihoye Hiking Poles

Aihoye makes a great pair of hiking poles that’s perfect for all types of hiking terrain. They come with multiple attachments such as rubber tips, mud baskets, boot tips, snow baskets and you even get a carrying bag so you can keep your gear together. You can use these as walking sticks around your neighborhood or subdivision to burn some extra calories and save your joints or you can take it on a tough hike. 

One feature I like about the Aihoye trekking poles are the comfortable grip and anti-shock technology. It absorbs shock that can transfer to yoru hands and wrists while hiking. This can protect your hands and keep them energized. It has a great grip with a foam that does a great job at absorbing the moisture from your hands when you sweat. 

Black Diamon Trekking Poles – Alpine

You’ve probably heard other hikers talking about Black Diamond trekking poles around the campfire. It’s true, they’re extremely high-quality and one of the best companies around. Black Diamond poles may cost more, but they’re worth it for serious hikers and backpackers. They use 100% carbon fiber shafts which are designed to withstand all seasons. 

The Black Diamond Alpine trek poles are lightweight, adjustable and collapsible. They can extend to 51” and collapse down to 24” which makes them easy to carry. The pair of trek poles weighs only 1 lb 1.1 oz which is less than competitors. 

I highly recommend Blad Diamond trekking poles for serious hikers and those who enjoy the outdoors. 

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Trekking Poles

Some say that these are the best trekking poles money can buy. I’ll let you be the judge of that, but what I do know is that Leki makes amazing trekking poles that are well-known to be some of the best you will find. The shaft if made with carbon fiber with an aluminum handle. The aergon grip is hollow to save weight. These trekking poles excel in cold weather and are comfortable to use while traversing steep terrain. 

Leki makes an incredible, lightweight trek pole that has a thermo foam grip that provides insulation during extremely cold weather conditions. It even has Kevlar reinforcements to make them last longer. I recommend Leki trekking poles because they surpass other brands by lightyears for durability, quality control and technology. 

Cascade Mountain Tech Trekking Poles

The Cascade Mountain Tech trekking poles are made from high-quality and sturdy materials. They’re incredibly easy to use and can help you hike some of the toughest terrains, especially if you prefer to go off-trail like I do. They help you probe in front of you so you can judge unknown terrain and help you stay on your feet when you stumble. 

I like this pair of trekking poles or hiking poles because they feature an amazing handle with cork to keep your hands dry nad you get plenty of extra attachments depending on the type of ground you need to cover. These poles are fully adjustable depending on your height and comfort level and you can easily secure them in your hiking backpack or attach them by using MOLLE. 

Many people use the Cascade Mountain Tech poles as walking sticks around their neighborhood to gain momentum while walking, while others strap these to their hiking backpacks and take them deep woods. 

Trekology Trekking Poles

The Trekology trekking poles are designed for men and women and can be used in multiple environments. They also make sturdy walking sticks for seniors or anyone that needs to sturdy their footing while walking or hiking. These hiking poles are adjustable and collapsible so that you can store them while not in use. 

The handles are worth noting as they have EVA foam shafts that give you the perfect grip as well as a cork texture that improves your grip by keeping your hands dry. You can collapse these hiking poles down to 15” and attach them to your hiking backpack.

Foxelli Trekking Poles 

The Foxelli trekking poles or hiking poles allow you to move faster on the trail or around your neighborhood. They’re extremely light and only weigh 9.4 oz. However, the Aluminum 7075 material is extremely durable. Don’t let these trekking poles fool you, they’re incredibly tough and will last a long time throughout many tough hikes. 

The Foxelli trekking poles do a great job at returning energy back to you. In fact, they actually can reduce fatigue while hiking and allow you to go faster while using less energy. This is a win-win situation where you can hike faster, longer and still have more energy thanks to the design of these poles. 

I highly recommend checking these out for your next hiking trip or walk around the neighborhood.