Hard field testing - Mountainsmith Carbonlite Pro Trekking Poles

I am returning home from a long backpacking trip in Kings Canyon NP in the Southern Sierras. I used the Carbonlite Pro poles the entire trip and my knees are thanking me for bringing them. This trip took me on a 45+ mile loop and had over 14K feet of elevation change that brought me to a 11960 foot pass. Without the help of these poles I would not have been able to pound out more than 20 trail miles in one day!

Starting with the cork grips, they stayed dry while my hands were sweaty and they did not slip my grip when I needed to grasp tightly during my climbs. The shock absorber helped during the down climbing. One issue I had was the lock which engauges the shock would turn and disengauge the shock on its own from time to time. I you are using the rubber bumpers, especially on abrasive beadrock don't expect them to last more than 20 miles before wearing out.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.