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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Gossamer Gear Lightrek Plus Poles > Andy Mytys > Long Term Report
Tester's Biographical Information:
Backpacking Background: I live in Michigan and have been hiking seriously for 15 years, although I've camped since I was 6 years old. I consider myself a lightweight hiker. I carry the lightest gear I can get my hands on which will provide a comfortable wilderness experience and adequately support the goals of my trip. Unless my goals are time/distance oriented, my pace is always slow. I rarely exceed 1.5 miles (2.4 km)/hour. I rest frequently, hike long days, and enjoy whatever nature throws my way. Product Information:
Product Description: A fixed-length pair of trekking poles made of custom-manufactured 10 mm carbon fiber tubing for an optimum strength to weight ratio. The poles feature EVA "Kork-O-Lon" foam grips, an end cap that's compatible with LEKI brand baskets, a carbide tip, removable trekking baskets, and a small loop of spectra cord below the handle. The poles also float in water.
Field Conditions: The Gossamer Gear Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles have been used for both dayhiking and backpacking in Michigan. Hiking trails have ranged in condition from developed singletrack, to un-maintained hunter trails, to barely perceptible animal tracks, to bushwhacks. For the most part, the ground I have walked over during the testing period can be described as "rolling," meaning that trails were generally flat to slightly sloped with frequent instances of elevation changes anywhere from 20 to 100 feet (6 to 30 meters). The poles have been used across grassy fields, compressed soil, sand, rock covered trail, mud and snow. During bushwhacks, I have used the poles as a climbing aid in working my way up steep embankments and cliff faces. Temperatures in the field while using the Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles have ranged from 5 to 60 F (-15 to 16 C). The mileage on dayhikes has ranged from 5 to 32 miles (8 to 50 km), while overnight trips have had mileage ranging from 3 to 20 miles (5 to 32 km) per day. While multi-day trips have had me practicing ultralight backpacking methods, I have packed luxuries on dayhikes - as a result, my pack always tended to weigh between 10 and 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg). When using a sledge to pull my gear, I didn't pay attention to weight in the least and packed whatever luxury struck my fancy - as a result, winter sledge trips had me pulling around 50 pounds (22.5 kg) of gear. To date, the Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles have accompanied me on about 250 miles (400 km) of trail.
Performance: According to the manufacturer, "at a third of the weight of the next lightest poles, Lightrek poles are obviously not as robust as other trekking poles on the market. We feel they are an appropriate balance between weight and strength for people who are extremely committed to having the lightest weight equipment." With this in mind, I began my testing with the attitude of handling the poles with the utmost of care, for fear of breaking them. After a few miles on the trail I changed my perspective to one where gear should meet my needs, rather than my having to adjust to meet the needs of the gear. I stopped babying the poles and simply used them as I would any other set of trekking poles. I used the poles up and down steep slopes, I leaned on the poles, and used them to support my shelter. After proving themselves time and time again, my confidence grew and I became totally detached from the concept that I was hiking with "less robust" poles and I even used the poles to support my weight while swinging over obstacles along the trail. For deep snow (> 8 inches/20 cm of snowpack), I removed the stock trekking baskets that the poles shipped with and replaced them with LEKI Snowflake Baskets. I found the LEKI baskets to be much more compatible with the pole threads than the stock trekking baskets - they screwed on smoothly and came to a solid and secure "stop" at the top of each pole's tips. Ascending steep inclines that were covered in snow provided an additional challenge. When I say "steep," I'm not talking about a slope that one would find a marked trail leading the way to the top. I'm talking about a bushwhack with no trail where the slope is chosen for exploration purposes alone. In this case, I was following creeks up challenging terrain in the hopes of finding waterfalls, and perhaps small caves or grottos hidden behind them. These formations would be marked for future winter visits, when frozen waterfalls would lend themselves to being climbed with the aid of crampons and ice axes. The greater the slope, the more I was drawn to it. Slopes often were in excess of 45° and, at times, I had to free climb up sandstone cliff walls that were near 90°. Trekking up steep, snowy slopes proved challenging in that the snow, coupled with gravity, meant that each step needed to be tested before putting too much of my weight onto it, and an error in judgment could cause the snowpack to shift under my weight, sending me down onto my knees if not sliding a ways down the hill. The trekking poles were instrumental in gaining a foothold, and then testing it. I relied on them for support and catching my weight when the ground under my foot gave way. Due to the steepness of the slope, I found it best to advance sideways, one step at a time. Because the length of the poles isn't adjustable, I found that I could not rely on using a pole for leverage on the down-side of the slope. At the same time, the lead trekking pole often proved to be too long for the aggressive ascent. I found myself choking down on the pole and holding it by its thin shaft. In doing so, I found that using one pole resulted in a less than secure feeling - there was just too much play, or vibration, in the thin shaft for me to be able to rely on a consistent level of feedback during my climb. I ended up pressing the two poles as close to each other as I could, gripping the two shafts in one hand and working my way up the slope. I found that two poles used in this fashion provided a much more predictable level of support on my climb, and the increased level of stability along the shafts erased all concerns about a pole snapping. On my sledge trip, I often found myself often reaching back and holding onto the lengths of PVC piping that connected my hip belt to the sled. I preferred to pull the sled along with my hands, rather than feeling an awkward tugging along my waist. When the terrain became flat, I would revert to just pulling the sled along, using the connection at my waist for leverage and the poles to help establish a rhythm and balance while trekking through the snow. I would say that while sledging, the poles were used in a traditional sense 50% of the time, while the other half of the trip found the grips of the poles pressed against the PVC piping as I held both a pole and a shaft of PVC piping in each hand. As I pulled the sled up hills and over downed trees, I would tighten my grip around the pole and PVC. A post-hike inspection of the poles showed no wear, indentations, or other damage to the poles' EVA "Kork-O-Lon" foam grips. I was really impressed, considering the lightweight nature and softness projected by the foam grips. In terms of environmental stresses, the poles have been left out overnight, propped up against a tree, and exposed to subfreezing conditions. While hiking in sub-freezing conditions where wet snow was present, the tips of the poles developed golf ball sized balls of ice on their tips below the trekking baskets (though the tips themselves remained exposed). In terms of transport, I finally stopped coddling the poles and simply tossed them on top of all the gear piled in the trunk of a car or truck bed. The poles even survived being jostled around the bed of a truck for 1000 miles (1600 km) while sledges packed with gear slid about. Overall, Gossamer Gear has over delivered on its promises surrounding the Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles. During normal and even beyond normal trail use, the poles have met every one of my needs, save for the ability to modify their lengths (these are, after all, fixed length poles). I found the greatest danger to the poles in the hands of my fellow hikers. For some reason, everyone wants to test the poles by flexing a pole's shaft in their hands, or over their knees. The poles do not have the same level of strength along their shafts horizontally as they do vertically. I didn't have any pole breakage issues, but I did have my jaw hit the ground out of concern and shock on more than one occasion. A second danger is losing the poles to the elements. I'm used to hiking with traditional, three-section poles that weigh around a pound (450 g) for the pair. While on rest breaks, I've always leaned such poles up against whatever tree was near me. With the Lightrek "Plus" poles, I have to look at the terrain around the tree before making my decision. If there's a cliff face or embankment going down to a creek, or just a slope that I don't particularly want to go down, I need to find a better spot to lay by poles against. The issue is the lightweight nature of the poles - they're so light that even gentle breezes can push them off their resting spot. Laying them flat on the ground would help, but then I risk someone stepping on a pole and snapping it along its shaft.
 Durability... So Far: The poles themselves look good as new. The black color of the poles seems to run deep, rather than being a simple paint job over a flat metal-colored housing. As a result, the poles lack any noticeable scratches even after being swiped against rocks and other sharp objects. As the poles are composed of a single, long shaft, there are very few joints for dirt and mud to lodge into. Cleanup is as simple as dragging a wet sponge down the poles' length and holding the pole grips and tips under running water for a few seconds. The EVA foam handgrips on the poles are also in excellent shape. I was concerned that dirt and mud would be ground into the foam of the grips, or that the grips would become pocked or have foam flake off of them when pressed against the ground after being used as supports for my tarp. While I have started many mornings hiking with dirty hand grips, I have found that the debris fell off on its own after either a few hours of use or after dipping the poles into a creek for a quick washing.
As seen in the image on the right, the pole tips have a texture to them that sort of looks like a waffle iron. This allows the tips to achieve grip, while maintaining a structural integrity - I have yet to notice any chipping of flaking of the tip.
Parting Thoughts: In the end, the Gossamer Gear Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles proved themselves to be without flaw. To date, this is the only test that I have participated in where I cannot find anything lacking in the product's design. The poles are functional and durable - their weight is imperceptible. While the manufacturer does acknowledge the fact that trekking baskets can work themselves loose, I didn't have any such issues after applying the manufacturers suggested solution - a spot of duct tape around the threads of the pole tips. I've found my share of trekking baskets from all existing major brands of poles along the trails I've visited, and as a result feel that, given the right conditions, any basket that's removable can be worked loose by the trail. There is a bit of a learning curve to these poles, specifically being diligent in ascertaining if the spot where the poles are laid to rest is a "safe" place. Beyond this, the experience of hiking with the Gossamer Gear Lightrek "Plus" Trekking Poles is nothing short of ultralight perfection. Read more reviews of Gossamer Gear gear Read more gear reviews by Andrew Mytys Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Gossamer Gear Lightrek Plus Poles > Andy Mytys > Long Term Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The plastic trekking baskets near the tips of the poles are also in very good condition, and there is no real wear that I can see to the baskets' "teeth." I attribute this lack of wear to the flexible characteristics of the baskets - their shape changes in the presence of stress and the teeth seem to be exposed to less stress as a result. The baskets also bend into an oval shape when the guy lines used to shape my tarp rest on them. I was initially concerned that the baskets would lose their shape after being held under such pressure overnight, but found that their "roundness" returned as soon as the pressure was released.