Dear all, as the title says I am looking for some advice on durable hiking poles and microspikes/crampons.
I frequently hike in the alps and people have told me that there really are no durable microspikes and that the best you can do are repairable metal links. I was wondering if any of you have advice and or experience with these items.
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I can’t help you with the poles, but I swear by these.
I know that’s a Canadian site, but I’ve seen them in other stores, so I’d think they’d be available someplace closer to home.
I’ve had mine for nearly 20 years. Once winter hits, I wear them daily for my 5km walk and use them to hike out for ice-fishing, sometimes 10 km round trip.
I recently retired from the local volunteer fire and rescue. When they were looking for something for the members, I showed them mine. They brought in a few sets along with a variety of other options and these easily won the day.
Replacement studs are available, but I just use ordinary sheet metal screws. I’m sure that the official replacements must be hardened, but I just replace worn studs as necessary.
The only real downside is that they add a fair bit of weight. I just pretended that it was part of my fitness routine and now I hardly notice them. And they’re still lighter than my snowshoes.
Wow that’s great. Hope they sell in EU as well. Those straps really make the difference compared to those rubber ones that go around your foot, as well as the repairability. Thanks!
Edit: oopsies, I meant to comment under the top-level comment.
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Unfortunately I’d say these fall in the consumables category. Realistically the failure mode of a hiking pole is bending or cracking (not as easy as swapping a part) and the failure mode of micro spikes is the flexible part breaking or the spikes wearing down. I’m tuning in to see if anyone disagrees though :)
Yeah that is about what I thought. But you know I’m just one guy. Maybe someone knows of a brand that is more repairable than others. Thanks for chiming in.
My Leki poles are nearly 30 years old and the parts, should they wear out, are replaceable. I highly recommend them. I suggest you try out the different grip choices. Mine are cork and don’t get cold, but aren’t as grippy as other choices. I have YakTrax, but haven’t used them (or needed them) in Iceland or Norway. In the US they were fine, but I’ve used them fewer than 10x in 15 years.
For hiking poles Guidetti is the brand I would recommend. The poles are made in Grenoble and all parts are replaceable.
I agree with genie’s comment; at the end of the day they’re breakable.
I never would have expected to recommend these before purchasing but the Cascade Mountain Tech flick lock carbon poles with cork handles have lasted me for years. I’ve put 3000km+ on them between a thru hike, ultramarathons, etc, and have yet to break them. They’re also light and work well for pole-supported shelters due to adjustable height. Non-amazon link:
That being said, I have a friend who has snapped one by accidentally levering it between two boulders. Keep the baskets on to avoid this. So it really depends on how reckless you are with them. They do sell replacement parts including pole sections for a fair price.
If you have the cash, Leki poles are very high quality and I would highly recommend them.
