Aluminum poles are strong, flexible, and lightweight. They are cheaper than carbon options, but a little bit heavier. Aluminum poles transfer more force along the length of the pole than carbon poles. They are. easy-ish to repair in the field! Tent pole splints work great as quick patch up!

Carbon poles are the fanciest and lightest you can get! They are often quite expensive, and nearly impossible to repair if they snap. Carbon serves to dampen forces along the length of the pole but doesn't flex side to side as much as aluminum.

Most trekking pole handles are made of foam, cork, or a combination. This choice is largely personal preference. Cork handles tend to be a bit more expensive than foam ones. Some poles feature a cork handle with foam that extends down the pole from the handle. These are great for quick length adjustments when ski touring or mountaineering!

Some poles are fixed length, while others are adjustable length. Fixed length poles are always lighter, because they lack the hardware that allows length adjustment. Unless you are trying to be ultra-ultra-light, being able to change the length of your pole is a must have feature for climbing and descending steep terrain.

All the poles we carry collapse. The two most common styles of length adjustment are z-fold and telescoping. Telescoping poles weigh more and don't get as small, but have far greater adjustment range. Z-fold poles get smaller and weigh less, but don't adjust as well. If you plan on stowing your poles inside of your backpack while climbing, z-fold work much better. If you need lots of adjustment length-wise, telescoping will be your friend.

Different poles come with different goodies! Some will come with different sets of tips, others with different sized baskets. If you are planning on using your poles in the snow, maybe choose a pair that come with wide snow baskets! Most brands sell these accessories separately, but its always nice to not have to spend extra.