Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > LEKI Trek Pathfinder Jr. Poles > Rami Benhameda > Long Term Report

LEKI Pathfinder Jr.
Trekking Poles

http://www.leki.com

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION (Primary Tester):

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION (Secondary Testers):  

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND:(back to top)

I've been hiking and backpacking in and around Central and Southern Indiana for the past 20+ years either solo or with my wife and daughters. Within the last 5 years, I've become an avid long distance hiker with sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia under my belt, as well as other long distance hiking.

Carmen & Jade have been hiking and playing in the woods for as long as they've been mobile.  This is the first set of 'Junior' sized poles they have had contact with.  They do have previous experience with adult sized poles on several occasions including two Appalachian trail trips in Georgia and Tennessee as well as many local trips.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:(back to top)

Manufacturer:    Leki USA (www.leki.com)

Year of Manufacture:    2004

Series:    Trail Series

Model:    TK2047-04 "Pathfinder JR"

MSRP:    USD $39.95 per pair

Features:    Turbo Sport Kids Grip

                    ELS Locking System

                    Two-section adjustable

                    Performance Basket

                    Steel Flextip

Weight:        408 g per pair (14.4 oz)

Length:        Adjust from 80-110 cm (2' 7.5" - 3' 7.3")
 

Over the course of this test series, we have had many opportunities to test the Pathfinders.  Our experience and satisfaction of the poles has been very good on almost all counts.  We have been highly impressed with the technical aspects of the poles, and they show very little wear.

In terms of pole usage, there are features which we feel slightly hinder the user experience which I will discuss below, and I must emphasize a caveat peculiar to our testing scenario which makes these complaints specific to our circumstance.
First
     the caveat;  We tested these poles as a pair of poles (usually intended for one user) between two different people.  We were constantly adjusting the shaft length and the strap diameter as we switched between users.  This greatly exaggerated these activities as compared to my own use of a single set of poles set for my fit.

The wrist strap is adjusted to fit the users wrist.  The same feature which makes the strap secure against accidental loosening, makes it difficult for my children to easily adjust the strap to fit their wrist.  The coarse weave of the webbing and the secure grip of the buckle mean that a lot of force is required initially, but once the webbing starts to move through the buckle, it goes quite quickly.  What results is frustration in my users inability to accurately make minute adjustments.

Because I am testing with two users, we have frequent 'trade off' times, where one girl goes from one pole to none, and the other goes from one to two for example (or the other way 'round).  This is the real root cause of our issues.  Because we are making changes throughout the course of our hike (sometimes once an hour), we are hyper exaggerating the customization process. 

The girls overall interest in the Pathfinders has remained high despite our issues.  They are both proud of them and actively use them on a very regular basis.  As an example; last weekend, Jade (the 8 year old) and Susan (mom) took our dogs (each heavier and bigger than Jade) to a local park to play.  Jade was holding the leash of one dog while Susan threw a stick for the other to swim out and fetch.  The dog Jade was holding got so excited that the other couldn't find the stick, that she pulled Jade into the lake.  After the initial shock wore off, Jade remarked that if she had been using the poles, she would have been able to brace herself and not gone swimming.

As with any young hikers, flexibility is the key to happy times.  There are times when neither wants to use a pole (flat logging roads for example) and times when both want to use both (switchbacks coming out of a ravine).  What I have observed is that the girls now consider the poles to be essential gear items and part of our standard hiking package.  We will continue to use this set and also probably purchase a second set to address our problems.

Thanks to LEKI, and to BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to participate in this test series.

Rami Benhameda

Carmen Benhameda

Jade Benhameda

Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > LEKI Trek Pathfinder Jr. Poles > Rami Benhameda > Long Term Report