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Lightrek
Hiking Poles
Initial Report by Rick Allnutt -18 August 2004
 PERSONAL
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
51 Year old male
183 cm (6' 0'') in height
86 kg (190 lbs) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Trail Name: Risk
Hiking website: http://www.imrisk.com
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 5 kg (11 lb) and skin out weight of 9 kg
(20 lb). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in
all four seasons, with a total mileage of nearly 725 km (450 miles). I am a
gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.
"I wonder if
these things will float away into the air while I am asleep?"
Risk
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Gossamer Gear
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.gossamergear.com/
MSRP: US$95.95
Listed Weight: 69 g (2.445 oz) each (Gossamer Gear supplies this level of
accuracy)
Size: 120 cm (47.3 in)
Measured Weight: 67 and 72g ( 2.4 and 2.5 oz) for
each pole
Measured Length: 122 cm (48.2 in)
Measured shaft diameter: 10mm (3/8 in)
INITIAL REVIEW
My first impression on walking around with these poles is that they are
incredibly light. Half in jest, I began thinking about them floating away
in the middle of the night if there was a change in the atmospheric pressure.
The second impression is that they are much sturdier than their weight would
suggest.
I looked at the new Gossamer Gear website and was impressed that GVP has come a
long way. The site is easy to navigate and clearly describes this product.
I knew what I expected after reading the site, and I received what I expected.
The site even has a downloadable Lightrek Owner's Manual which described the
poles and some suggested uses in detail.
What came in the mail is the lightest pair of hiking poles I have ever touched.
Their combined weight is about the same as a pair of waterproof hiking socks.
They are so light, that manipulating the poles with the backs of my fingers is
effortless. In weight, they feel more like high-price arrows than hiking
poles.
The hand grip is made of a foam material with exactly the right amount of
friction to it for my easy manipulation of the stick. Though the poles do not
have wrist straps, I am beginning to believe I will not miss the straps at all.
I've hiked several hundred miles with a pair of hiking poles that have wrist
straps. I have been quite pleased with them. But I think I have just
touched something better.
In the photo of the hand grip above, my size 7 1/2 hand fits the grip
comfortably. There is a small bump in the foam hand grip between my index and
second fingers. This bump allows me to spin the pole in my hand, and position
the grip without looking at it. It feels much like the trigger button on a jet
fighter control stick. (That's a good feeling.)
The pole is not adjustable. Fortunately, I know from my previous
experience what length pole is right for me. Though I have read
descriptions which advocate changing the length of poles when climbing vs.
descending, I do not. Therefore, I expect no problem with the set length.
The way I look at it, I do not need to adjust the length of my kayak paddles on the
water, so why should I need to change the length of my hiking poles while
hiking?
DETAILS
The total length of the poles is a couple fingerbreadths longer than what I
requested. I suppose there is variation between exactly where measurements can
take place. Should the carbide tip be included? Should all the foam hand
grip be included? I had expected the length to be real overall length. However,
for me, the extra inch is no problem for my hiking and should not affect my use
of the poles. However, if I had been waffling between two stock lengths, I
now know it is better to choose the shorter length, as this will be closer to
what I really wanted.
The carbon fiber fabric of the pole shaft appears to be wound as an overlapping
tube with a left hand thread pattern. It made me think of wrapping tape
around a pipe, gluing the tape, and then removing the pipe. The tape has
been wound from the tip of the pole toward the hand grip, leaving a slight
feeling of overlap when my hand is wiped up the pole. When wiping my hand
down the pole, the surface seems much smoother. When a fingernail is moved
up or down the pole, the sound is much like that of a zipper on a high-end
sleeping bag being opened or closed.
I was able to experiment a little in my yard and neighborhood with the poles.
I was able, almost immediately to get used to not having a wrist strap. Years
ago I converted from ski poles with straps to those without, and the transition
seems just as easy with these poles as it was then.
I used the poles to let myself down some steep stairs and they held my weight
well. It was apparent that they are very strong when pushing straight down the
length of the pole. It will be nice to not worry about a pole becoming
shorter -- a problem I have had with my adjustable poles.
When polling myself up a set of concrete stairs, I found that it might be easy
to bend the pole past its operating strength if I planted a pole in front of
myself going uphill and then pulled back on the pole with a rotating motion of
my wrist, bending it between my hand the tip. I will need to avoid such a
condition by applying force only along the long axis of the pole.
I immediately put the baskets on the end of the poles as suggested in a set of
instructions that came in the box with the poles. In previous hikes on the
AT, I had noticed how easy it was to drop a pole tip into a crack between rocks
and then apply a strong breaking force to the poles I was using then. I
have been using pole tip baskets for several section hikes and find the basket
usually keeps the pole tip from getting caught in a crack.
Review Conditions Anticipated:
Within the Field Report time span, I anticipate two or more section hikes on the
AT in Tennessee and North Carolina. Temperatures will range from hot and sultry
to near freezing. There are a many hills covered with rock gardens and
steep trails just waiting to see how these poles manage the trail.
Items of Interest for the Field Report:
- Are the poles strong enough for careful but routine use?
- How do the hand grips feel after long days of use?
- Does it work well to not use wrist straps?
-- hand tiredness
-- dropping poles
- Is there benefit to a small loop of cord on the pole as described in the
owner's manual?
- Are the materials appropriate?
-- Do the hand grips deteriorate in any way?
-- Is there any delaminating of the carbon fiber cloth?
- Do the baskets stay in place?
- How much inconvenience is there to not being able to shorten the poles?
-- on trail
-- travel
What I really like so far about the Lightrek Poles:
Incredibly low weight!
Comfortable Hand Grips
Read more reviews of Gossamer Gear gear
Read more gear reviews by Rick Allnutt
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