At 190g per pole, these are some very light trekking poles. In fact, they’re lighter than most other poles on the market.
Fortunately, they’re also very high quality. The body, for instance, is made from DAC alloy – the same metal that Helinox use in their iconic ultralight camping chairs. It’s an aluminium that is renowned for its lightweight strength, with excellent resistance to bending, deformation and corrosion.
The Passport TL120 is a Z-type pole, meaning it’s made from three parts which lock together. This tends to be the best type of pole if you’re looking for packability and quick deployment and that’s why it’s often favoured by ultra-distance runners. Broken down, the Passport is only 53cm long, so it’s very easy to stash a pair of these on the side of a backpack or on the front of a running vest.
Each pole has height adjustment, giving a range of 80 to 120cm. This makes these suitable for anyone between 120 and 180cm in height – that’s 3’ 11 to 5’11. The mechanism is a simple twist lock, which isn’t usually regarded as the safest form of lock. We didn’t have any issues with the poles collapsing on us on any descents but it’s always something to be wary of with twist lock poles.
The handles, which are made from EVA foam, are comfortable. They have a smooth, curved platform for the palm at the very top to support descents and then an extended grip that allows handle repositioning during ascents.
