| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
LEKI Trail Series Pathfinder Jr. Trekking Poles
Field Report - April 12, 2004
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Upper Darby (Philadelphia suburb), Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Date: April 12, 2004
Tester Information [return to top]
Name: Alex Kime
Nickname: Game Boy
Age: 13
Gender: Male
Height: 5’0½” (154 cm)
Weight: 100 lb (45.4 kg)
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: LEKI
Model: Trail Series Pathfinder Jr.
Year of Manufacture: 2003
URL: http://www.leki.com
Listed weight: 14.4 oz (408 g) per pair
Measured weight: 14.6 oz (414 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
MSRP: $39.95 USD
Features (from web site) [return to top]
- Turbo Sport Kids Grip
- ELS Locking System
- Two-section adjustable
- Performance Basket
- Steel Flextip
- Adjust from 80-110 cm
Description [return to top]
The Pathfinder Jr. model poles are 2-piece adjustable hiking/trekking poles designed for children (and perhaps smaller adults). The grips are a semi-rigid black plastic or rubber, and have black webbing straps. The upper section is colored metallic blue with silver/grey paw prints printed along the shaft. The lower section has a fine pebble-textured black finish over the entire shaft, marked with white lettering at 5 cm intervals. Just at the top of the flex tip is a small black plastic basket. For a more detailed description, including measurements, please see my Initial Report.
Field Testing [return to top]
Alex is a First Class Boy Scout who has begun working on the Hiking Merit Badge, which requires the completion of five 10-mile (16 km) hikes and one 20-mile (32 km) hike. These hikes, only one of which has been done so far (a 15-mile (24 km) day on Pikes Peak), will likely be done at relatively low elevations in southeastern Pennsylvania, with a possibility of doing a short section of the Appalachian Trail (in Pennsylvania) for the 20-miler. The poles will also come along on upcoming Boy Scout troop camping outings, including some short hikes when possible. All of these outings, other than stand-alone hikes, will include a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures expected to be from lows around 25 to 30 ºF (-4 to –1 ºC) to highs around 95 to 100 ºF (35 to 38 ºC).
On a recent weekend (3/21) we took a group of our youngest/newest Boy Scouts to John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge for a 5-mile (8 km) hike, a perfect testing opportunity for the poles. While visitors are encouraged to stick to the trails, there were sufficient opportunities for Alex to get off-trail (taking little-used side trails to the water’s edge, looking for animal tracks), to give the poles a pretty fair workout. Temps that morning were right around 50°F (10°C), with a stiff breeze blowing across the water. Alex used the poles without gloves, and experienced discomfort from neither the grips nor the straps. The paw prints on the upper section of the poles were used repeatedly to identify the tracks found along the trail – a task made easier by rain the night before softening the trail. I checked out the condition of the poles upon completing the hike to find no wear or scratches, and only a small amount of easily cleaned dirt/mud at the bottom. Alex adjusted the poles without assistance, but was somewhat concerned that they might slip, given his previous experiences. No slippage was noted at the end of the hike, although the trail was relatively flat, with no major ups or downs that would have resulted in additional loading of the adjusters. The poles will undergo a week-long test in August during our troop’s summer camp, where there will be more than enough ups and downs to thoroughly test for slippage.
We will be concentrating on:
- Adjustability. How easily can he adjust them, and how quickly? Do they stay where they are set?
- Grips. Do they fit his hands comfortably? Is sweating an issue?
- Straps. Are they readily adjustable? Comfortable? Are there any edges or buckles that cause pressure points?
- Durability. Do they wear well? Do they bend when used appropriately?
- Multi-use. Are they long enough to pitch a child-sized tarp for shelter?
Our findings so far:
- Adjustability. So far, Alex has been able to adjust the poles without assistance, and has experienced no slippage.
- Grips. The grips seem to fit Alex’s slender hands well, with some room to spare. Sweating has not been an issue so far, but warmer temperatures are coming.
- Straps. Alex has been able to make all adjustments himself at this point, although he has had some slight difficulty with fine adjustment of the straps. He has had no complaints of any kind regarding comfort.
- Durability. No wear so far.
- Multi-use. We will be trying this out in a few weeks.
Things I like [return to top]
- Shorter than the average poles. This is good for shorter users.
- The paw print graphics can be used as an identification guide while on the trail.
- The grips are nicely sized for smaller hands.
- We got blue, Alex's favorite color.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- When I applied to test this item, the website listed Push Button Locking System. These poles utilize twist-type (Expander Locking System) locks, which I believe is a change for the 2004 model year. This does add complexity to the process of adjusting the poles once they are in place supporting a shelter, and security of the lock depends on strength of the user. A push-button or lever-type lock could be easier for smaller (weaker?) fingers to operate.
- No instructions included. Presumably, any child receiving these poles would have some sort of adult supervision, but even rudimentary adjustment instructions would be beneficial.
- Being two-piece poles, they are slightly longer when collapsed than the three-piece poles Alex used previously. This takes some re-thinking when packing for vehicle/air travel, and is not something LEKI has done wrong - just me griping.
Backpacking Background [return to top]
I started car/trailer camping with the family when I was about 5. I enlisted in the Army Reserve during my first year of college and spent 17 years fine-tuning my packing methodology - by the time I separated from the service, I was down to what I thought was a respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load. When my son started Cub Scouts, I brought my 60 lb (27 kg) ALICE pack for a weekend. We got to Boy Scouts in the Spring of 2002 and now camp monthly in locations ranging from the Chesapeake Bay area (flat and lightly wooded) to the Pocono Mts (flat spots hard to find and very wooded), in all seasons.
Lightweight (and ultralightweight) web sites, along with a day hike up Pikes Peak in July 2003, have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices. I plan to start doing more hiking/backpacking on our monthly scout trips, taking along as many scouts as are willing, to a) get in shape (yeah, yeah, I know… round IS a shape), and b) determine what I really need to take along. I am relatively confident that I will be able to reduce my 3-season pack to 20 lb (9 kg), before food, fuel and water, by the time this season is over.
Since joining Boy Scouts in April of 2002, Alex has accumulated more than 35 nights of camping and nearly 45 miles of hiking. He is as comfortable in the outdoors as anywhere else, and also wants to lighten his load to make the miles go by more easily.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
Read more reviews of LEKI gear
Read more gear reviews by Chuck Kime
|
