Trekology TREK-Z Walking Poles Review

Pros / Reasons to Buy

• Excellent price
• Very compact when folded

Cons / Reasons to Avoid

• The heaviest poles in our round up
• Spare and replacement parts are not available 

Verdict

These are very keenly priced poles with a lot to recommend them: they are sturdy, fold down to an exceptionally compact size and come with a range of accessories that other manufacturers will charge extra for. Trekology will be an unknown brand to many potential buyers and, as always, there will be those who would rather buy from a well-known brand who offer their reputation and replacement parts should anything go wrong. However, you’ll always pay a premium for this – sometimes quite a large one too – and if you’re willing to take a chance on a lesser-known brand, then these folding aluminum poles offer a lot for your money. They are far from the lightest option, but when considered against the rest of their feature set – and especially their very low price – you may be willing to look past this negative point.

Compare to Similar Products

• TheFitLife Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
• Regatta Utralite Walking Pole
• Black Diamond Trail Back Poles
• Be sure to also check out: 12 Best Trekking Poles

Analysis and Test Results

The Trekology TREK-Z Walking Poles are a very interesting product from a relatively unknown (to us, at least) brand who specialize in making affordable outdoors and fitness gear. The poles come in at a very attractive price point and they are the second least expensive poles in this round up. These folding poles pack down very small, offer a good adjustment range when extended and come with a comprehensive accessory pack. On the surface, there’s a lot to like about these poles, but the downside is that they are also the heaviest poles in our round up by a long way, and this should be factored into any purchase decision.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

These poles feature an ergonomic, high density foam handgrip. From a distance, it may look like the upper section is cork, but on closer inspection, you’ll see its actually all foam. Whilst some users will certainly prefer the qualities of cork grips and will be happy to pay the premium it normally attracts, we’ve always been more than happy with foam grips, so we don’t see this as an issue. As you’d expect, there’s an adjustable wrist strap integrated into the grips, but it’s also worth noting that there’s no specific shock absorbing technology integrated into these poles – they’re fully rigid. Some users may see this as a disadvantage, but there’s also plenty who will welcome this as the rigid pole may well be preferable for them if they regularly put their full weight onto the pole.

Weight

The Trekology TREK-Z Walking poles weigh in at 612g/1lb 6oz for a pair. That makes them the heaviest poles in our round up. The Leki Sherpa is the only other pole in our round up that comes close to this weight, but, as we discuss in our review of that product, it’s a specialized product and that weight can be justified. Given that the Trekology TREK-Z is more of a general purpose hiking pole, this high weight is a definite negative point and is certainly something that those who want to carry the lightest gear possible will need to consider. However, in practice, the weight difference between these poles and a competitor that’s within, say, 100g/a few oz per pair is unlikely to be noticed by many hikers and when you consider the attractive price point of these poles have, that weight becomes less of a problem.

Shaft Materials

The Trekology TREK-Z walking poles have fully aluminum shafts – and indeed, beyond the pole shafts, many other parts of these poles are made from metal. This gives a great sense of solidness and durability. However, this does come with a weight penalty and, as mentioned above, at 612g/1lb 6oz per pair, these are by far the heaviest poles in our round up. Whilst the weight of these poles is undoubtedly one of their key weaknesses, aluminum does have some key advantages over carbon fiber as a material choice: for starters, it’s cheaper, and its use is surely a key factor in the low price of these poles. Second, whereas carbon fiber cracks or at worst shatters when pushed past its limits, aluminum bends, so it can be seen as a better choice for those who use their poles in the most demanding environments (though, we’re talking about very extreme conditions here, so this is unlikely to be a factor in most people’s purchasing decisions).

Packed Size

The Trekology TREK-Z Walking Poles utilize a folding design, which means they can pack down to a very compact 38cm/15in. That’s very compact indeed and the only pole in our round up that packs down smaller is the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ which packs down 1cm – less than an inch – shorter, has a shorter maximum extended length and is several orders of magnitude more expensive. We think this is a very impressive showing from this budget brand and, if packed size is important for you, then these poles are well worth a look. However, as we’ve seen, these poles are also very heavy and that goes some way towards making the small packed size less attractive.

Pole Adjustment Mechanism

The Trekology TREK-Z Walking Poles utilize a folding design and they are adjusted in a similar way to the other folding pole sin our round up: The three sections are connected by a sturdy cable. You loosely thread them together, then, a section is extended to a spring-loaded stop point to tension everything and bring rigidity to the pole. After this, the working length can be adjusted with a single telescopic section with a graduated scale, for quick length adjustment, and a chunky flip lock. Trekology use a heavy-duty metal flip lock that seems extra sturdy – though it surely does add some weight to the product. As you’d expect, the flip lock has a small adjustment nut that can be used to fine-tune the tension of the lock in the field.

Basket Size

The Trekology TREK-Z Walking poles come with an extensive accessory kit comprising a regular, smaller trekking basket, plus a larger snow basket plus a variety of different rubber feet that can be used as an alternative to the hard tip. It’s good to have this range of accessories included – you’d have to buy each of these separately from most other manufacturers – but we do also think that most users will be swapping these around less than they might think. Still, it’s good to have the options provided and they certainly add further good value to a set of poles that’s already at a great price.

Grip Ergonomics and Material

The ergonomic grip of the Trekology TREK-Z poles is made from high density foam. From a distance, the upper part looks like cork, but on closer inspection, this is purely cosmetic. As is common, the grip extends down the shaft of the pole to offer a better grip surface when you’re using the poles on steep ascents.

Price

At the time of writing, the Trekology TREK-Z poles cost $42.99/£31.99, making them the second cheapest poles in our round up and the least expensive option that’s available in the US. This is a very aggressive price point for a pole that’s sturdily built and, on paper at least, very well featured in every way apart from its weight. The included accessory pack adds further to the value proposition of this product. If you’re on a tight budget, just want to test the water to see if you like hiking with poles or simply don’t want to spend a lot of money on this accessory, then we think these poles are an excellent choice.

Conclusion

The second cheapest poles in our round up, the Trekology TREK-Z poles offer a solid and well-featured option. They are a great choice for those who might prefer a folding pole over the more conventional telescopic design you normally find in budget-friendly walking poles. However, we can’t look past the fact that they are heavy – substantially more so than some (admittedly far more expensive) options we’ve also assessed. Still, the low price point is very attractive, and we think that many potential buyers will see the weight penalty an acceptable trade-off for the very keen price.