TGO Rating: 4
These British-made poles are very light and compact but don’t extend as much as most poles, which is fine as long as you’re not very tall.
As the name suggests, this unusual pole is aimed at photographers but might also appeal to the very tall as it is extra long at 165cm.
Alpkit’s Carbonlite poles are great value for carbon fibre and the best poles for the cost of all those tested.
TGO Rating: 3.5
The Expedition is a standard alloy pole at a low price.
Brasher’s new poles feature external clip lock adjusters, only found on Black Diamond poles until now.
These poles are very similar to the Blacks Expedition, which isn’t surprising as Eurohike is Millets’ own brand and Millets are part of the Blacks group.
This Austrian-made pole is the lightest one tested despite being made from aluminium rather than carbon fibre.
Leki’s Ultralite aluminium poles are lighter weight than standard poles because they have slimmer shaft diameters, smaller grips and shorter straps.
The aluminium Pacerpoles are a little longer than the carbon fibre ones and quite a bit heavier. The shaped handles and foam shaft grips are identical, as are the internal expanders.
TGO Rating: 4.5
Pacerpoles have been my favourite trekking poles for several years now due to the angled handles which are shaped for the left and right hands.
