Trekking Poles
Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
$90, 14 oz./396.9g
$One size, adjustable 105-135cm
montemlife.com
The biggest question with inexpensive gear is always: Will it work? And best way to answer that question is to field test it in places that are hard on gear. Backpacking six days on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route, five days in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, and three days on southern Utah’s rugged Owl and Fish canyons loop, and dayhiking in a couple of southern Utah national parks and on two of the steepest, meanest trails in my local Foothills, I found that Montem’s remarkably affordable Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles met virtually all the demands I placed on them through some very hard use and left me with only a couple of relatively minor critiques.
These poles helped me confidently carry a backpack up and down very steep and loose trails on a six-day, 60-mile hike on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route in mid-April—starting with more than 40 pounds in my pack, including 11 pounds of food and over 10 pounds of water, on our first day descending the steep and frequently loose South Bass Trail. That was followed by going up and down more steep and loose sections of the Tonto Trail West where it dropped into and climbed out of tributary canyons; and finally, on our last day, ascending some 3,400 vertical feet up the Hermit Trail.
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Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles lever locks.
The poles did the same for me on the route through Owl and Fish canyons in early May, which involves hiking and third-class scrambling very steep canyon walls, crossing sloping slickrock, walking over bowling ball-size rocks, and slogging across soft sand. In the Beartooths, we used these poles to pitch an ultralight tent, which held up quite well in strong winds in a couple of camps.
I also used them dayhiking about nine miles and 2,000 feet up and down the Navajo Knobs Trail in Capitol Reef National Park and the eight-mile, nearly 2,000-foot Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park in early May; as well as on two steep dayhikes in my local Foothills: Mount Heinen, 10 miles with 4,000 feet of up and down, and Cervidae Peak, 4.5 miles with 2,000 feet of vertical.
For starters, the price is unbeatable for quality trekking poles—especially a pair made entirely of lightweight and strong carbon fiber. (Although carbon fiber can, under unusual stresses, sheer and break, something I’ve only seen happen two or three times over many years and miles using carbon poles.)
But the merits of Montem’s Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles don’t stop at the 365-days-a-year clearance-sale price. These three-section, telescoping/collapsible poles extend to a wide range for hiking of 105 to 135 centimeters/41 to 53 inches—accommodating virtually every user from adults well over six feet tall to short adults and young kids because the poles are useable even when adjusted shorter than 105 centimeters.
They are longer than some telescoping poles—and long enough to use with tents that pitch with trekking poles. And they collapse to 61 centimeters/24 inches, comparable to the most packable telescoping poles (which are much less packable than folding poles).
Lightweight at 14 ounces/396.9 grams for the pair (15.2 ounces/430.9 grams with the rubber tips), they fall right in the middle of the weight range of trekking poles; their weight, relative strength, and the collapsible/telescoping design make them best suited to hiking and backpacking on or off-trail, fitness walking, and perhaps backcountry ski touring; they’re a bit on the heavy side and not compact enough when collapsed for mountain trail running or ultra-running.
The Flick-Lock locking levers for adjusting the poles’ length required playing with a few times to get the tension right and prevent the poles from collapsing when weighted—they initially slipped a few times for me, but locked properly and didn’t slip again once I figured out the correct amount of tension. That tension is also controlled by tiny knobs easily turned with your fingers—no tool required (as with some other poles, which has always struck me as an annoying and unnecessary design shortcoming).
The ergonomic EVA foam grip extends down the upper shaft, ideal for ascending steeps trails, off-trail terrain, or backcountry touring. The easily adjustable nylon straps are comfortable on my wrists for hours and the poles have the usual carbide tips found on all trekking poles of any quality.
Biggest demerit: I lost both trekking baskets on my first backpacking trip with them, in the Grand Canyon, one within the first two hours of the first day, simply because they’re not well fitted to the tips of the poles’ lowest shafts. All in all, though, I haven’t much noticed not having them (and you’d only notice their absence when hiking through soft ground, like a lot of soft mud). The poles also come with rubber tips for slickrock and mostly rocky trails; you’d need snow baskets to use the poles for backcountry touring.
Montem Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
Adjustability/Sizes
Packability
Versatility
Weight
Durability
The Verdict
Despite a couple of relatively minor flaws, for hikers, backpackers, and others on a budget—or who are simply loath to spend more when there’s a more affordable option that works perfectly fine—it’s hard to beat the value and cost-to-performance of the Montem Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles.
4.1
You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase the Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles at montemlife.com.
Get 15 percent off any purchase at montemlife.com using the exclusive discount code BIGOUT15MOG.
See my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles” and my stories “How to Choose Trekking Poles” and “10 Best Expert Tips for Hiking With Trekking Poles,” and all reviews of backpacking gear, ultralight backpacking gear, and hiking gear at The Big Outside.
And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”
NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza
Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
$90, 14 oz./396.9g
$One size, adjustable 105-135cm
montemlife.com
The biggest question with inexpensive gear is always: Will it work? And best way to answer that question is to field test it in places that are hard on gear. Backpacking six days on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route, five days in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, and three days on southern Utah’s rugged Owl and Fish canyons loop, and dayhiking in a couple of southern Utah national parks and on two of the steepest, meanest trails in my local Foothills, I found that Montem’s remarkably affordable Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles met virtually all the demands I placed on them through some very hard use and left me with only a couple of relatively minor critiques.
These poles helped me confidently carry a backpack up and down very steep and loose trails on a six-day, 60-mile hike on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route in mid-April—starting with more than 40 pounds in my pack, including 11 pounds of food and over 10 pounds of water, on our first day descending the steep and frequently loose South Bass Trail. That was followed by going up and down more steep and loose sections of the Tonto Trail West where it dropped into and climbed out of tributary canyons; and finally, on our last day, ascending some 3,400 vertical feet up the Hermit Trail.
Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles lever locks.
The poles did the same for me on the route through Owl and Fish canyons in early May, which involves hiking and third-class scrambling very steep canyon walls, crossing sloping slickrock, walking over bowling ball-size rocks, and slogging across soft sand. In the Beartooths, we used these poles to pitch an ultralight tent, which held up quite well in strong winds in a couple of camps.
I also used them dayhiking about nine miles and 2,000 feet up and down the Navajo Knobs Trail in Capitol Reef National Park and the eight-mile, nearly 2,000-foot Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park in early May; as well as on two steep dayhikes in my local Foothills: Mount Heinen, 10 miles with 4,000 feet of up and down, and Cervidae Peak, 4.5 miles with 2,000 feet of vertical.
For starters, the price is unbeatable for quality trekking poles—especially a pair made entirely of lightweight and strong carbon fiber. (Although carbon fiber can, under unusual stresses, sheer and break, something I’ve only seen happen two or three times over many years and miles using carbon poles.)
But the merits of Montem’s Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles don’t stop at the 365-days-a-year clearance-sale price. These three-section, telescoping/collapsible poles extend to a wide range for hiking of 105 to 135 centimeters/41 to 53 inches—accommodating virtually every user from adults well over six feet tall to short adults and young kids because the poles are useable even when adjusted shorter than 105 centimeters.
They are longer than some telescoping poles—and long enough to use with tents that pitch with trekking poles. And they collapse to 61 centimeters/24 inches, comparable to the most packable telescoping poles (which are much less packable than folding poles).
Lightweight at 14 ounces/396.9 grams for the pair (15.2 ounces/430.9 grams with the rubber tips), they fall right in the middle of the weight range of trekking poles; their weight, relative strength, and the collapsible/telescoping design make them best suited to hiking and backpacking on or off-trail, fitness walking, and perhaps backcountry ski touring; they’re a bit on the heavy side and not compact enough when collapsed for mountain trail running or ultra-running.
Plan your next great backpacking trip on the Wonderland Trail, Teton Crest Trail,
in Yosemite or other parks using my expert e-books.
in Yosemite or other parks using my expert e-books.
The Flick-Lock locking levers for adjusting the poles’ length required playing with a few times to get the tension right and prevent the poles from collapsing when weighted—they initially slipped a few times for me, but locked properly and didn’t slip again once I figured out the correct amount of tension. That tension is also controlled by tiny knobs easily turned with your fingers—no tool required (as with some other poles, which has always struck me as an annoying and unnecessary design shortcoming).
The ergonomic EVA foam grip extends down the upper shaft, ideal for ascending steeps trails, off-trail terrain, or backcountry touring. The easily adjustable nylon straps are comfortable on my wrists for hours and the poles have the usual carbide tips found on all trekking poles of any quality.
Biggest demerit: I lost both trekking baskets on my first backpacking trip with them, in the Grand Canyon, one within the first two hours of the first day, simply because they’re not well fitted to the tips of the poles’ lowest shafts. All in all, though, I haven’t much noticed not having them (and you’d only notice their absence when hiking through soft ground, like a lot of soft mud). The poles also come with rubber tips for slickrock and mostly rocky trails; you’d need snow baskets to use the poles for backcountry touring.
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Montem Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
Adjustability/Sizes
Packability
Versatility
Weight
Durability
The Verdict
Despite a couple of relatively minor flaws, for hikers, backpackers, and others on a budget—or who are simply loath to spend more when there’s a more affordable option that works perfectly fine—it’s hard to beat the value and cost-to-performance of the Montem Ultralight 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles.
4.1
BUY IT NOW
You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase the Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles at montemlife.com.
Get 15 percent off any purchase at montemlife.com using the exclusive discount code BIGOUT15MOG.
See my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles” and my stories “How to Choose Trekking Poles” and “10 Best Expert Tips for Hiking With Trekking Poles,” and all reviews of backpacking gear, ultralight backpacking gear, and hiking gear at The Big Outside.
And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”
NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza
The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!