G'day guys, it's Ben from Snowys here and today we're having a quick look at our
range of trekking poles. Now the reality is is that a trekking pole is as
individual as a person that owns it, so there's lots of different options out
there, so we're going to go through some of the the differences between the poles
and that way you can actually help you work out which one's best for you. So we'll
start off with the handles, now there's four main options when it comes to handles, this
first one here is a rubber handle. Now, not great for sweat absorption, it is
relatively comfortable but you are more prone to blisters. If you're going to the
snow or something and you're going to have you know something comfortable
under the glove - grippy under the glove, that's probably your best option
there. Next option is again on the cheaper end,
now we're looking at a plastic one, so if you want one for short hikes it's good,
reasonable price, it's quite comfortable under hand there, they're nice and
contoured but again they're not very great for sweat absorption. The next one
is your foam handle, now foam handles are quite good for sweat absorption. If
you're like me, then you get really sweaty hands they can get a little bit
swampy under there which is not so pleasant but it is better at absorbing
the sweat than the the first two ones. And the good thing about the foam
handles as well, you'll see is that the, the handle actually extends a fairway down, so
if you're climbing uphill for short periods of time, you can actually grip it up
here, you can pull yourself up hill and then you don't have to worry about
you shortening it/ lengthening it all the time. So these are a really great option for,
for you know, your undulating territory. Now, that the fourth option, which is my
personal preference for me, is your cork. And the cork again is quite good for
sweat absorption but what it also does as well being a natural cork is that over
time it does mould around your hand, so that it'll sort of start to fit your
hands a bit better, bit more comfortable, it wicks the sweat away but
doesn't get swampy under hand as well, so there's your four, your four handle
options. Now, the next one we're going to have a quick look at is your pole material, now
90% of poles are in alloy - it's a great light, strong material. Now, the next one
up, which is a bit more expensive and getting a bit lighter just as strong as your
carbon. Now they're your two main types. Now, there's three ways that your poles fold
down, they all fold down to be smaller less of a pack size. You first ie this
flip lock, so is that, as it sounds, you simply flick it up, push it down, you
flick it back into place, that locks up - most of them will have two, there you go, now
you've got a nice small compact pole for popping into your bag or into the car
wherever you're putting it. Now the second option is your, your twist lock, so
you just basically unscrew it, takes a few screws. Now the thing
with these ones is if you don't screw up all the way up when you're tightening it,
you're likely to lose a bit as you're walking and it'll slowly shrink down. So
your third option, which is a little bit more fiddly, it's great for people that
have only got a small daypack or trying to save space, is your Z-type. So,
folds down, folds down a little bit more and then it actually comes apart, so it
it comes apart into three even sections and the good thing about it as well as
it's really easy to pull back in, so you simply just pull up like so, clicks in
place and away you go. Good to go. So now the last thing we're
gonna have a look at is your tips, now there's this two main types of tips I
suppose, we'll grab one there, one there, so if you look on the end here, you'll
notice a little metal tip and it's called a carbide tip. Now every pole
comes with this but you will find that a few also come with a little rubber cover for
it, known as a rubber tip, so that pops off, pops back on again and that's good
for when you're walking on asphalt and the like, or more built up gravel sort of
tracks because it protects your carbide tip. Now if yours doesn't come with the
rubber tip, no need to fret, you can buy them as a spare part and simply just
slides on over the top of your carbide tip nice and easy, so you can always have
a rubber tip if you want it. You'll notice as well on this pole here that it's got
a little what we call a basket, now it's basically just a little plastic
piece that stops you from getting stuck in between rocks or sinking too deep if
you're in mud, soft ground grass or, or even snow. Now when you're in some
really soft ground, so probably most likely snow or some really slushy sort
of mud there's also what we call a powder basket, which you can get. Now,
these ones are sold separately but they do attach on, these ones come off, attaches
on. Then, you know, it means you're not going to sink too, too far deep
into snow and the like when you're trekking through some some really harsh
conditions. So this pretty much covers it when it comes to all of our trekking
poles, all the different information you might need to find about them.
Now, it probably is worth noting as well that we do have another option when it
comes to handles - this little pistol grip type handle. It's not a walking pole
necessarily, more of a walking stick but you can lean on it, give some good
support which, which is good to know. Now, all of these poles, all the different
combinations are available online on our website
snowys.com.au
With fast, free delivery Australia-wide.
Until next time,
happy trekking.