Lidl trekking poles - would you?

Denalihighway

http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3AC47280-35FC5B2D/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_30697.htm?offerdate=&ERR=noservice

aluminium poles for €15.99?

would you risk it?

Had a snoop at them today, quite heavy.

Should you just be considering carbon fibre?

The other gear - shorts, pants, trousers etc, looks decent. Ridiculously cheap.

Alun

My wife, and a good few people I know have the previous incarnation of these (same design but white) and they're perfectly good.

The thing is with these, and any other pole using this kind of twist-to-secure mechanism, is to take them apart for storage if they have got wet to dry out, otherwise the sliding sections will just corrode together and you'll never be able to adjust them ever again. The only people I know who've had problems with them were those who failed to heed this simple advice.

Carbon fibre poles will be much, much more expensive, and the thinner, lighter aluminium poles will be weaker. OK for "Nordic walking", but not for the kind of (ab-)use they'll get hiking.

As for the clothing, doesn't look too bad to me.

Denalihighway

cheers for that

At €15.99, you can hardly go wrong.

duckysauce

Denalihighway wrote: »

http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3AC47280-35FC5B2D/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_30697.htm?offerdate=&ERR=noservice

aluminium poles for €15.99?

would you risk it?

Had a snoop at them today, quite heavy.

Should you just be considering carbon fibre?

The other gear - shorts, pants, trousers etc, looks decent. Ridiculously cheap.

Had a pair like these starting off to see if I would use poles or if they would help the knees etc, found them great have recently changed them for a lighter pair for that price you cannot go wrong.

hmmm

They'd make a grand starter set, but if you're used to other poles I wouldn't recommend them as anything other than a backup set because they are heavy.

I had carbon fibre poles, and both shattered when I got them caught between rocks when walking. "Ordinary" metal poles would have bent at worst, so I can't recommend the CF ones - particularly considering how expensive they are.

Leki poles now have a "speedlock" locking mechanism which is excellent - twist to secure poles are a pain the proverbial.

hoff1

I use an ash plant... does the job

Alun

hmmm wrote: »

They'd make a grand starter set, but if you're used to other poles I wouldn't recommend them as anything other than a backup set because they are heavy.

I had carbon fibre poles, and both shattered when I got them caught between rocks when walking. "Ordinary" metal poles would have bent at worst, so I can't recommend the CF ones - particularly considering how expensive they are.

Leki poles now have a "speedlock" locking mechanism which is excellent - twist to secure poles are a pain the proverbial.

I've just weighed my wife's Lidl poles, which appear to be the same as the ones in the current offer and they weigh 583g. My Leki Sherpa poles with the aforementioned speedlock mechanism weigh in at 571g, a massive 12g difference

duckysauce

Alun wrote: »

I've just weighed my wife's Lidl poles, which appear to be the same as the ones in the current offer and they weigh 583g. My Leki Sherpa poles with the aforementioned speedlock mechanism weigh in at 571g, a massive 12g difference

Did you scrape the muck off them :P

hmmm

Alun wrote: »

I've just weighed my wife's Lidl poles, which appear to be the same as the ones in the current offer and they weigh 583g. My Leki Sherpa poles with the aforementioned speedlock mechanism weigh in at 571g, a massive 12g difference

Mr Romantic getting the wife to carry the big heavy poles while you swan around with your posh ones

The Leki Sherpa are however designed for fighting off bears and supporting the weight of several grown men, there are pretty heavy yokes as far as poles are concerned.

AdrianDub

Old post, but…
Yep, we have the Lidl poles. They have done many miles. I am (moments ago) doing a bit of maintenance on them (cleaning & also checking that the tip retaining pin is fully seated) after some good sessions on Crook Peak, Snowdon and Hay Bluff.

FYI The pin is held in under the tension of the (shock absorbing?) spring.

We would not do without them, they have coped well with snow, ice, rock, bog, grass and road. The tungsten tip never slips on stone and gives great confidence. They are always in the car with our boots.

Many people do not realise that the strap is adjustable (press the clamp in, adjust the ribbon, and then pull all sides of the ribbon together to lock again)

We are amused by people that we see that have no idea how to use walking poles; They look like they are taking their pet sticks out for a stroll, rather than making them work!

Mine cork handles 264g each (528g total), my wife's (plastic handles) are a little lighter, purchased at the same time but a different style. For the money, use them as pea sticks if you don't like them.

AdrianDub

You may find Hazel better/lighter. You can shorten, but not lengthen!

"I use an ash plant... does the job"