The Best Trekking Poles

After about 40 hours of testing on trails, streets, beaches, and many places in between, we’ve determined that the Montem Ultra Strong Trekking Poles are the best for nearly everyone. They’re simple to set up and use, comfortable, and able to take a beating.

If you walk or hike regularly (and, really, if you don’t, you should), we strongly recommend using a pair of trekking poles (or, at the very least, a walking stick).

Poles improve balance and cut down significantly on wear and tear in your legs (especially in your knees), particularly when you’re going downhill.

But poles also make walking—one of the best, and certainly easiest, workouts you can do—even healthier, because they also get your whole upper body involved.

If you’re looking for a fine, sturdy, simple set of trekking poles, Montem’s Ultra Strong Trekking Poles are our pick.

They’re made of aluminum—a malleable, sturdy material that is not as brittle as carbon fiber—so you can scratch them, ding them, and generally bang them around without worrying they’ll break, yet they’re lightweight enough for most people.

The EVA foam grip is less sweaty than cork and won’t chafe your hand over time like hard rubber, and the adjustment mechanisms are simple to use and tighten. Plus, these poles come with rubber tips and baskets included; for all our other picks (and most poles in general), you have to buy those pieces separately.

Montem is a small company that makes pretty much nothing but poles, and when we contacted the customer service, we found it to be excellent––the founder and CEO is often the guy who picks up the phone.

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Gossamer Gear’s LT5 Carbon Trekking Poles are exceedingly simple to set up and use, and they’re very comfortable. And since they’re made of carbon fiber, they’re extremely light. They’re also expensive: nearly $200 for the pair, plus shipping, on Gossamer Gear’s website. For some people, though, they’re worth the relatively high price. Among the dozens of poles we researched, and the 10 models we field-tested, the LT5 poles were the favorites across the board because of the overall simplicity of their design. The LT5 poles have two adjustment points and collapse from 51 inches when fully extended down to 23.5 inches. The locking mechanisms aren’t flip locks but simple twist locks, which keeps the profile slim. Ultimately the high price and limited warranty kept us from making this set our overall pick, but if you want the most comfortable trekking poles, these are the ones for you.