PaceMaker Expedition

If you know anything about backpacking and traversing rough terrain and have done it without a good pair of trekking poles then you know how much it takes out of you to not have, and use them. Trekking poles in the backpacking world is like a second set of legs as you travel along your path. I have had many close calls with a 60 lbs pack on my back that without them I may have had different outcomes on those adventures.

Pacemaker Expedition Trekking Poles

I am an avid hunter and hiker. I am also a connoisseur of great gear that can assist me on my adventures. Nothing beats the feeling of being 5 to 10 miles out in the wilderness with not a soul in sight and knowing that it’s you, the gear on your back, and the mountains. When you are this far out from civilization, you have to know and trust that the equipment you have chosen to carry is going to be reliable and stand up to the rigors of the unforgiving outdoors.

That’s when I found Pacemaker Trekking Poles. If you know anything about backpacking and traversing rough terrain and have done it without a good pair of trekking poles then you know how much it takes out of you to not have, and use them. Trekking poles in the backpacking world is like a second set of legs as you travel along your path. I have had many close calls with a 60 lbs pack on my back that without them I may have had different outcomes on those adventures. 

As important as you may feel that piece of gear is to you, if you can find it at a reasonable price and not pay for the name on that gear, well... who wouldn’t want give it a try. That’s why I picked up a set of Pacemaker Trekking Poles. I could of bought into the name brands known by all to be the best gear available, but I am a sucker for a good deal, and I love to test products out. You never know when you are going to find that diamond in the rough. That’s what I found with the Pacemaker’s.

When I visited the pacemakerstix website I have to admit I was very skeptical. The price for the Expedition Poles is only 47 dollars. If you have ever shopped and looked at the prices of some of the more famous brand name poles out there, you know how cheap 47 dollars is for a good quality set of trekking poles. But after reading some of the reviews on their site, and Amazon website, I decided to give it a try. I was also very encouraged that they stand behind their product with a 1 year no defect, no questions asked warranty. That includes the grips and the straps also.

The important factor for me in finding a good trekking pole is they have to be durable, lightweight, comfortable in my hand, and have some added features to assist me along my journey. They can’t be too technical and I really wasn’t interested in shock absorption. I also wanted a somewhat stylish looking pole that didn’t stand out to much. I’ve seen some hideous poles on the trails, from hot pink to neon yellow. It didn’t make me want to go out and buy a pair of them.

Pacemaker Trekking Expedition are a three-part telescoping poles and are made of a sturdy 7075 aircraft grade aluminum that weight in at only 10.5 ounces per pole. The tip is made of tungsten. They have a nice cinch lock system instead of the old and warn out twist method. This is important to me as I also use my trekking poles for my tarp tent.

If you have ever tried to adjust the pitch of your tarp tent with a twist type trekking pole then you know how much of a pain it can be. They max out at 54 inches long which was a necessity for pitching my tarp tent. Anything less wouldn’t work. They are an even 27 inches when collapsed down. This was very nice as they fit into my side pocket of my pack and only hung out about 3 inches above the top of my backpack.

Soon as I received my new Expedition Trekking Poles I was really pleased at the build. All of the material on the poles appeared to be high quality. These are on par with some of the more expensive poles I have seen for over $100 dollars. The finish is well thought out and they really look rugged. The grips are made of a durable and sturdy cork material. The shape of the grips are very form fitting to the hand and when I took some strides with the Expedition Poles I didn’t feel any uncomfortable spots where it would cause blisters on my hands.

The cork grips also have air flow channels cut out so your hands don’t get sweaty as your trekking through the wilderness. I was really impressed with the wrist straps as they are made of a very nice feeling nylon and the inside has a padded neoprene material so it’s very comfortable on your wrist. The straps can be adjusted to fit a wide range of wrist sizes.

I then tested how sturdy they are by extending them to the maximum recommended length (54") and applied about half my body weight in pressure to the pole. It had a little bit of flex in it at the joints but that is what you want in a good quality pole. The cinch down clamps didn’t slip at all.

The Pacemaker Expedition Poles come with an assortment of accessories including small baskets, snow baskets, small vulcanized rubber 'feet', and extended life rubber feet. The feet are made out of a hard rubber material that will give you hundreds of miles of walking tread.

I tested the fitting of the feet over the tungsten tip and they are solid when you push them on. It took some effort to pull it back off, which is really nice, as nothing is worse than losing a foot because it doesn’t fit tight. All of the baskets utilize a screw on type method that locks them into place, and then you can put your choice of feet on the tip.

When you extend the Pacemaker Expedition pole it has inch markings on part of the pole so you know exactly the length you need them at for next time you extend them. This also really helped in knowing what size I was at for my Tarp Tent pitch.

Pacemaker Expedition poles are exactly what I was looking for: A reasonably priced, rugged, well made, feature rich pair of trekking poles. I will have no problem putting these to work and feel I can count on them 100% to do their job in the field. Before you go drop 80 to 300 dollars on a popular brand of trekking poles, I would highly recommend you check out Pacemaker Poles. You won’t be disappointed.