A good set of trekking poles is invaluable when you're walking on varied or unstable terrain with a load on your back. In addition to keeping you stable during stream crossings or snowy treks, they also help to ease the load on your knees, a benefit that came in very handy on a recent trip.
I received a pair of Eastern Mountain Products' CTR-65 Ion adjustable trekking poles (MSRP $99) and got the chance to put them through their paces on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park. In the weeks coming up to the trip, I'd started experiencing some tendonitis in my right knee, so these poles couldn't have come at a better time.
I haven't had the best experiences with trekking poles however, so the CTR-65's were going to have to overcome some prejudices to win me over.
The two main problems that I've had with trekking poles are their adjustment and their traction. The trekking poles I've used in the past tend to be a pain to adjust, or they have a tendency to slip. The pair I used on Mt. Whitney had loose adjustment clamps; the poles kept collapsing whenever I put my weight on them. Unpleasant, to say the least.
The CTR-65's adjustment and locking system proved unflappable; the twist-and-snap Rock-Lock clamp made it easy to dial down the length mid-stride, and once I shut the clasp, the poles didn't budge. One issue solved.
The other issue I've had with trekking poles is that their grip can be a bit tenuous-not a great feature when you're trusting these things to keep you upright.
The 12.5-inch EVA handles accommodated a variety of hand positions, and when they weren't needed, they collapsed down to about 33 inches, and the all-carbon poles' 1.1-pound weight made it easy to forget about when it was on my pack.
I did have an issue with the adjustable wrist straps, however-one of the straps started to fray after a few adjustments. The CTR-Ion's wrist strap locking system uses a friction lock to hold the adjustment, and it looks like the lock frayed the nylon wrist strap.
Other than that, the CTR-65 Ions were solid over the 30-plus miles; snow, scree, rock and riverbeds were all well within its capabilities. They also helped ease the load of my 35-pound pack on my run-weary knees. And when the trail mellowed out, they hardly added any weight to my pack.
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