PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
52 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
163 lbs (74 kg) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Personal Hiking Page: http://www.imrisk.com
Trail name: Risk
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 17 lb (8 kg) and skin out weight of 25 lb (11 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 1100 miles (1770 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and I make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Gossamer Gear
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.gossamergear.com/
MSRP: US$95.95
Listed Weight: 3.0 oz (85 g) each for 49 in (125 cm) length
Measured Weight: 3.4 oz (99 g) each
REVIEW

For a detailed description of these poles, please see my Initial Report.

I have used the Lightrek PLUS poles for about 110 mi (175 km) of walking in the four months of the test period.  They have performed quite well as hyperlight trekking poles and the material failure described in my field report has not been repeated.  The repair as described in that report has worked very well and there have been no further unfavorable issues with the poles.

I remain convinced that these stripped down poles have all the features of a hiking pole that I need.  They work great for balance, and to help me walk up and down steep hills without slipping.  I do not miss the straps of other poles, and when walking do not miss the adjustment in length available in conventional trekking poles.  

The primary attribute of the new Lightrek PLUS poles, when compared with the original Lightrek poles, is increased strength of the shaft of the pole.  After considerable use, I now have confidence that these poles do not bend with the sorts of stress that normal hiking puts on them.  I have occasionally tripped and slipped while on steep hills.  In none of these instances have the poles bent to any degree that I could see.  While I am sure that I would not want to put my full weight on any ultralight pole, in careful use, the poles have never been near their strength limit.  A full four months of use continues to reinforce this confidence.

 In my Initial Report I said what was important to me in the use of a hiking pole:

    - help me to keep my balance when crossing a stream
    - help me to step on jumbled rocks and not fall when one of them shifts
    - help me to recover from a missed step or a stubbed toe or slipping on some fresh mud
    - help to decrease the overall weight of equipment I carry
    - help to reduce impact on my knees when going up hills as well as down

For all these reasons, I remain convinced that the Lightrek PLUS poles are what I need for ultralight hiking.  

The Lightrek PLUS pole is not as bulletproof as some of the standard hiking poles out there.  The company lets me know from the beginning that it is possible to stress the pole beyond its breaking point.  I have been careful to always use a pole basket so that the shaft does not get inserted into cracks between rocks, which avoids one known cause of stressing the shaft of the pole beyond its breaking point.  

But the Lightrek PLUS poles are not perfect. I have had two problems with the poles during my test period.  

The first problem surfaced on my first day hike.  The new tips on the poles (obtained from China according to Gossamer Gear) have screw on baskets.  One basket, despite being screwed on tightly, managed to unscrew itself and was lost on my first day hike and I had to get a replacement from the company.  After discussing this with Gossamer Gear, they suggested one of two solutions.  The first was to use a spot of Silicone caulk to "glue" the basket to the pole.  The second solution was to wrap a 1 in (2.5 cm) wide strip of duct tape around the junction of the basket and the tip to keep the basket from unscrewing.  Gossamer Gear has since added this instruction to their supplied instructions on the Lightrek Plus Poles. I used the duct tape solution for about 70 mi (115 km) of walking and have had no further problem with the baskets coming loose.  The tape has been in mud, water, snow, and bitter cold.  It has never come close to coming undone.

For the last 40 mi (65 km) of the test period, I used a slightly different approach.  Instead of wrapping the tape around the junction of the basket and the tip, I wrapped duct tape around the screw on portion of the tip and then screwed the basket on over the now tight portion of tip covered with tape.  This is actually more in keeping with the company instruction on decreasing the risk of losing a basket.  Using this method, the basket has been very secure, and it is possible to removed the basket without removing the tape.  

When I wrote the Field Report, I was in the middle of repairing a pair of broken tips.  I had removed the broken tips and was awaiting a new set of tips.  Those tips were delivered within a few days and were a perfect fit.  I glued them in place with Superglue and have had no further problems with the replacement tips, despite a lot of freezing weather and hard use on frozen/rocky paths.


- Are the poles comfortable in day long hiking? (They are very comfortable.)
- Are they strong enough to arrest a fall when I trip or stub my toe? (Yes, absolutely!)
- Does the lack of adjustment lead to any difficulties when hiking? (To the contrary - lack of adjustment means they stay full length all the time.)
- How do the poles work in very cold weather?  (They do not slip on ice.  The original tips broke after cold soaking, however the replacement tips have had no cracking or other strength issues.)

FIELD CONDITIONS FOR THE TEST PERIOD
During the four month test period, I used the poles extensively for day hiking and backpacking in all extremes of weather, from balmy warm muddy conditions to significantly below freezing.  I used them on grass, asphalt, ice, and snow. In addition, I used the poles for several overnight walks which have included trips along woods trails and bike trails in Ohio.  Altitudes ranged from river valleys to mountain tops.

My thanks to Gossamer Gear and BackpackGearTest.org for arranging this test.  These poles are just what the ultralight doctor orders for knee protection on steep hiking trails.