Gear Guide: How to Select the Right Walking Pole for You

If you're lost wondering amongst the large selection of walking poles on offer; then the Head to the Hills Walking Pole Selection Guide should set you on the right path.

Head to the Hills Walking Pole Selection Guide

At Head to the Hills we believe that we have a pole here for everyone . This guide is designed to help you make your choice of walking pole depending on your priorities and what you intend to use your poles for. We hope you find what you need!

1. About LEKI Walking Poles
2. About Mountain King Walking Poles
3. Walking Pole Selection Chart

1. LEKI Walking Poles

Leki has an unrivalled heritage dating back to the 1940’s and is still a family run company based in the German town of Kirkheim. All Leki poles are made with the finest quality 7075 Aluminium or Carbon available. The strength of the aluminium poles is further enhanced through a tempering process exclusive to the Leki manufacturing process, resulting in an incredibly strong but flexible alloy.

Leki Carbonlite poles are constructed using and optimal combination of cross-linked carbon fibre resulting in one of the lightest expedition strength poles on the market, in our opinion... the best.

Quality of manufacture and the strength of Leki poles are what really sets Leki apart from other brands and they are one of the few manufacturers who offer any kind of guarantee against pole breakage. They are also the only pole manufacturer in the world to carry the coveted TUV standard for the strength of their locking mechanism (the German version of our Kite Mark).

Leki have won countless international awards for their poles and manufacturing innovations over the years and perform consistently in UK magazine gear tests.

2. Mountain King Poles

Mountain King are based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and design and manufacture all of their poles on-site in UK. We were prompted to extend our range of Mountain King poles for this reason and we are very impressed with the construction quality compared to other poles on the market, including product from high profile brands (selling at high profile prices!).

We are proud to support a brand that still manufactures in Britain and produces great gear at good prices. We think that our Mountain King range offers the best value for money in every category without any compromise in build quality and performance.

Mountain King Poles sit well along-side our Leki range and allows us to offer a comparable home grown alternative to the international market leader.

Mountain King have developed a cult following over the last 5 years and always get very positive reviews in all of the outdoor press with many “Best Buy” and “Best in Test” awards.

TRAIL MAG... “Just about perfect”

COUNTRY WALKING...”A joy to use”

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY...”The pole for serious trekkers”

3. Walking Pole Selection Chart

Choose the section that best describes your main use of poles. (All Poles are 3-section adjustable poles, unless stated).

BUY THESE IF YOU WANT: strong yet lightweight poles with expedition strength shafts and a silky smooth anti-shock mechanism: The perfect choice for hill walkers and trekkers

LEKI Makalu Trail Antishock. SRP £29.99/each. A regular best seller. Leki's Classic anti- shock pole at a very good price. (09 2030)

LEKI Makalu Trail. SRP £24.99/each. The Trail was voted “Best in Test” by Country Waking Magazine recently and offers great value for money. This is the non- anti shock version. 09 2021

LEKI Makalu Sherpa Speedlock. SRP £35.00/each. A Premium Leki pole with the new 'lever-lock mechanism. This is a perfect pole for Hill Walker / Mountaineer who wants an alternative to the twist-lock.

MOUNTAIN KING Expedition. SRP £38 /each. A tough pole with switchable on / off anti shock, ideal poles for regular use from treks to mountains.

BUY THESE IF YOU WANT: a genuinely dependable lightweight pole that will not let you down during hard or prolong use. These poles are really light and pack smaller than the Classic range, but have all of the features you expect from a Leki pole: The perfect choice for the active walker and those who like's to pack light.

Leki Ultralite Thermolite Anti shock. SRP £95/Pair. Widely recognised as the toughest lightweight aluminium pole, the perfect choice for the serious hill-walker, or roving international hill walker these are the 'top dog' in the Leki ultralite titanium range.(2146)

LEKI Ultralite Softlite Anti shock. SRP £29.99/each. A well priced Ultralite anti shock pole, with a tough rubber handle. Our bestseller in the Ultralite pole. 08 2143

Leki Traveller Alu Nordic Walking Poles SRP £90/ Pair. Great light, strong and comfortable to hold. Use them for trekking and walking.

MOUNTAIN KING Compact SuperTrekker. SRP £35.00/ each. Our favourite lightweight pole; a real hill walkers pole, sturdy and compact.

MOUNTAIN KING SuperTrekker. SRP £35. A great value for money lightweight pole with a narrower grip which offers a good alternative to the Leki grip.

BUY THESE IF YOU WANT: the lightest poles available. These poles are a dream to use and are designed for those who know exactly what they want from their equipment: The perfect choice for ultra-light backpackers, lightweight trekkers, hill runners, adventure racers and alpinist

LEKI Makalu ultralite Carbonlite. SRP £60.00/ Each. Yes... they are expensive, but they are the best! Super light, strong and sleek - worth packing for every trip into the mountains.

LEKI Makalu Carbonlite Anti Shock SRP £65/Each. Ultralite Carbon poles with antishock.

MOUNTAIN KING Expedition Carbon Compact. SRP £40.00/Each. An affordable alternative to the Leki Carbonlite that delivers the same performance at the expense of a few grams more weight.

MOUNTAIN KING Trail Blaze. SRP £69.99/pair. More of a wand than a pole. Lighter, less expensive and more compact that most carbon poles the Trail Blaze already has a cult following among light weight backpackers and ultra distance runners.

LEKI Traveller Carbon Nordic Walking Poles. The ultimate nordic walking pole. An absolute pleasure to use.

Please note: By their very nature, carbon poles (& ultralight alu poles) are more susceptible to breakage following prolonged abuse in rocky environments, so they carry a shorter guarantee against breakage.

Choose these if you are a keen photograper and would like to use your walking pole as a monopod with your camera.

MOUNTAIN KING Expedition Photo: An incredibly tough pole that doubles as monopod. This walking pole monopod will probably out last your camera. With AS.
You can partner this with the Mountain King Expedition Pole (without camera attachment) for trekking with a pair of poles.