Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate and an Affiliate of other programmes, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. There is never an additional cost to you.
Table of Contents
Who Are Leki?
Leki was founded in 1948, their pioneering attitude led to the very first telescopic pole, the LEKIFIX attachment, which is now found on every Leki pole. It does not stop there: the first anti-shock poles were also engineered by the brand. In 1978 Leki poles helped Reinhold Messner to make the first ascent of Everest without oxygen.
FACT: Leki athletes have won 9 medals between them at the last winter Olympics in Sochi, divided over 3 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze. Ski poles? Or walking poles? Need to make that clear.
Why Choose Leki Walking Sticks?
Leki trekking poles could be the best hiking poles to use for all your hiking and backpacking trips. I am so glad I discovered the benefits of hiking poles for myself. What a difference they can make. My Leki trekking poles are a permanent part of my backpacking equipment.
What Leki poles and other brands of trekking poles offers hikers is that they also cut down on post hike soreness. This is what many kinesiology studies are now showing. So no matter how young or old you are, using good quality hiking poles will reduce the stress on your knees.
Remember to set the pole length so your arms bend at your elbows at 90 degrees. You will want to lengthen them slightly when descending downhill, but proper pole length is also important to reduce the stress on the knees.
[su_button url=”https://amzn.to/2OQYorj” target=”blank” size=”9″ radius=”0″]Check reviews & current Amazon price Here[/su_button]
Advantages Of Leki Walking Sticks
One of the best advantages I find is about using hiking trekking poles is my balance and stability are greatly increased. I also find hiking down steep slopes much easier with hiking poles. There are many brands and makes to choose from and I did my research before deciding on which poles to buy.
I chose the Leki trekking poles because the cork hand grip felt great to me. I tried walking around in the store and these ones felt the best. I love the adjustable telescoping pole length. They are very lightweight and the little flower design on my poles is a nice touch.
Here are some Leki trekking pole details to help you decide if these are the poles for you.
- These are European made, using an aircraft – grade aluminum with 100% High Modulus Carbon. The grips are so comfortable and the company claims to have the strongest and most reliable locking system out there.
- The other detail that I really appreciate is their lifetime warranty against shaft breakage.
- As I am writing this page to share I have my Leki trekking poles in front of me and looking at them makes me want to go hiking very soon!
- We hiked up a mountain two years ago without hiking poles and we came across an ice field. At that point we knew we needed to add trekking poles to our hiking gear. It would have made that climb so much easier and less unstable.
- Although there are other great brands out there I personally love my Leki trekking poles and would highly recommend trying them out at your local outdoor store or checking out their website first.
- Remember to try before you buy. Choosing the right poles for you is a very individual choice. No pole is perfect for everybody.
How To Use Leki Walking Sticks
Ideal for hikers, back packers, mountaineers or even trail runners looking to save on weight and maximise pack size, LEKI Micro Vario Carbon trekking poles offer ultra light weight performance at pack friendly collapsed dimensions. Let’s take a closer look. As the name would suggest, Micro Vario Carbon trekking poles utilize carbon construction. So what you have got is an incredibly light
weight set of poles, 14. 6 ounces for the pair. But still reliable strength.
As you can see, this is not a traditional telescoping trekking pole. It is a collapsible pole. It enables this to pack the whole way down to just 15 inches in length, which is certainly has appeal when you need to maximise space inside your pack. To put the poles together you simply align the lower three sections, pull them to their furthest or highest length. There is a little lock button that protrudes there. Nice firm positioning lets you know that you are ready to go.
On the upper shaft section, you don’t always find this on every collapsible pole out there, you do have a range of adjustability. Forty-three inches to 51 inches in height, so a nice range there. Thanks to LEKI’s speed lock two locking mechanism getting this into position and locking it down securely is as simple as putting that mechanism into place and off you go. Often times when you choose to go with an ultra light weight design you have got to live with the fact that there is fairly minimalist grips on those poles.
And that is not the case here on the Micro Vario Carbon. That grip is very, very similar to what you find on a heavier, more traditional trekking pole. Great ergonomics to this grip. It is LEKI’s air gone thermo mid, so it is a nice foam. On top here you see some dimpling and some curvature at the top of the poles. It makes it really comfortable if you are over top of the grips which is sometimes the case, a really nice feel there. An extended length of foam below the traditional grip, so if you are side hilling or you are going over terrain that has a changing up and down in position, you don’t always have to stop and do micro adjustments. You can just change where you are actually grasping the poles.
Nice feature set there also makes that nice and friendly if you are using this in winter and you have got gloved hands. That texturing can be a really nice touch. You do also have adjustability in the security wrist straps at the top of these poles, so you can set them where you would most like them to be in terms of comfort. And those wrist straps really help to take some of the repeated stress out of using the poles. Again,really nice grip on the Micro Vario Carbon.
At the other end of the poles you will find LEKI’s carbide flex tips and that is this entire three to three and a half section.
There is a tip on the very end that is truly carbide, the anticipation of striking dirt and softer ground. You get a nice bite there. If you were to be using these on improved surfaces, you would want to consider rubber tips on protective caps. Those are sold separately. This tip is designed in such a way that should you have a potentially catastrophic issue you have driven the poles down between two rocks and your weight comes down over top of it, this is designed in such a way that it would break away in that instance, which is good.
Best Leki Walking Stick
[su_button url=”Leki Micro Vario Carbon Walking Poles” target=”blank” size=”9″ radius=”0″]Check reviews & current Amazon price Here[/su_button]
Rather that than actually snapping the carbon shafts. Definitely a greater issue there than just replacing the carbide tip itself. This small disc at the end, that is one of LEKI’s baskets. It is fairly small diameter there. If you think of soft ground where you
are driving this into the ground, there is only so far you want it to go before you are off on your next step or the poles aren’t doing what you expect. That slows that progress in the soft ground. If you are using these in snow, certainly in deeper powder, you may want to consider swapping in LEKI’s other baskets. They have got a snow basket, a little broader diameter. They have got a deep powder basket that is much broader. And those will really give you better performance in snowy conditions.
For storage, for easy carry of the poles when they are not in use, LEKI does include this clever stuff sack and travel sack. So you can see you have got the draw string closure at the top. Again, long enough for the 15 inch collapsed size on these poles. When you are not using them, it kind of tucks inside itself. You have got this second draw string closure.
So you can throw that in your pack while taking up barely any space at all. Again, the LEKI Micro Vario Carbon trekking poles, just an excellent option. That combination of high performance, 14. 6 ounces for the pair and that really compelling pack size does make these trekking poles a great option for
hiking, for back packing, mountaineering or trail running.
[su_button url=”https://amzn.to/2WT53nZ” target=”blank” size=”9″ radius=”0″]Check reviews & current Amazon price Here[/su_button]
Thank you so much for your visit.
You may have missed our last post “Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Z Review“
